(BPT) – If you love jewelry, and you also love to tap into your artistic side, you’re in luck! Making jewelry is a gratifying hobby, and there are great resources available to help you learn how to craft unique pieces. With little or no previous experience, you can make beautiful jewelry for yourself, or make meaningful holiday gifts for others. Jewelry making is an engaging pastime and produces something truly one-of-a-kind.
Find project guides and how-to videos to help guide you along the way with resources from Jewelry Television (JTV) via JTV.com, the Jewel School YouTube channel and at various times throughout the week on JTV’s broadcast. All the instructors are jewelry-making experts and enthusiasts who are constantly learning, experimenting and collaborating with each other to bring you the latest techniques and trends, from beginning beading to advanced kumihimo (Japanese braiding).
Here are just a few ways you can use the guides and tutorials to get started – or to up your jewelry-making game.
Beginner essentials
If you’re new to making jewelry and looking for basic tools to get started, check out the YouTube tutorial called “Essential Supplies for Jewelry Making” to start your shopping list.
The instructor in the tutorial explains the basic supplies you will need, such as:
- Stringing wire
- 24, 22 and 20 gauge wire
- Bead stoppers
- Crimping beads
- Crimp covers
- Crimping pliers
- Chain nose pliers
Then the real fun begins – you can start personalizing your craft by selecting beads and other materials to use in your jewelry-making. JTV partners with some of the largest jewelry making manufacturers around the globe to bring all the best tools, versatile beads, wires and other jewelry-making necessities in one place. And to make things easier than wandering around a huge craft store, you can order whatever you need to get started via the Jewelry Television channel or at JTV.com.
Tutorials
Once you’re set up with supplies, look for step-by-step tutorials to help guide you through any jewelry-making project that you fancy. Try out projects like “Making Tousled Tassel with a Tassel Maker” – which you can stop and replay as needed while you’re first learning the techniques. There are hundreds of tutorials to choose from, showing you how to make everything from rings, bangles and bracelets to earrings, necklaces and pendants, in a wide variety of styles and using many different materials.
Personalize every project
Follow these step-by-step instructions to make an easy but gorgeous pair of chandelier earrings. You can customize the project to suit your own style by choosing whatever kinds of materials you prefer, and you can make the earrings as simple or as complex as you want, depending on your level of experience. Watch the video on YouTube and/or follow these instructions to learn the basics:
Step-by-step process for making beautiful chandelier earrings:
Step 1: Choose headpins and beads that fit your style and put the beads on the headpins.
Step 2: Use the One-Step Looper to make loops at the end of each headpin, creating beaded dangles you can attach to the loops on your chandelier component. By using the One-Step Looper, you get perfect loops every time!
Step 3: Use chain nose pliers to slightly open the loops you’ve made.
Step 4: Attach the loops to the chandelier component and close them using chain nose pliers.
Step 5: Rock the amazing earrings you just created!
Making your own jewelry is a fun and satisfying creative outlet that you can pursue at your own pace. You could even throw a jewelry-making party this holiday season, making new creations to wear for yourself, or to give as gifts or swap with friends.
