Making Crystal Jewelry
Making crystal jewelry can be fun and even profitable!
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It isn’t that hard to make crystal necklace, bracelets and earrings but you do need to make a financial investment in supplies before you can make anything.
Making crystal jewelry involves stringing crystal beads together to form a piece of jewelry. Sounds easy, right? Well it is in it’s most basic form. Of course there are many variations and patterns you can use to make a multitude of designs. The most simple is a single strand of beads. See my tutorial with photos on the basics of how to make a necklace from start to finish. Once you learn the basics, you can move on to more fancy and creative designs.
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Some of the supplies you will need for making crystal jewelry include:
bead board
pliers
wire cutting tool (if you are using eye pins, head pins or memory wire
crystal beads
accent beads as needed
beading wire (or beading thread and a needle)
clasps
ear wires - if you are making earrings
jump rings
crimp beads
wire cutters
head pins (for earrings and dangly pieces on necklace)
eye pins (for earrings and dangly pieces on necklace)
You can buy supplies online at:
What you want to make basically dictates what you need to buy. Of course you will want to have a large selection of beads around so you can really get creative and have a variety to choose from when designing your jewelry. You can string a necklace with beading thread and a needle, or use a flexible wire like material called tigertail or beadalon that is incredibly strong and will be longer lasting although not as flexible as thread. If you use tigertail or beadalon, you will need to learn how to crimp the ends and attach a clasp. These methods can be used for bracelets or necklaces
You can also use memory wire when making crystal jewelry. This is the easiest method but somewhat limiting in design. Memory wire is a thick steel wire that comes on a spool and is sized to be necklace, bracelet or ring size. You simply cut off the desired length, make a loop on one end, string the beads on and close the other end with a loop. Check out my tutorial on how to make a memory wire bracelet. The wire will keep it's shape so a necklace will always sit right against the throat in a choker style and fits any size neck. The bracelet is typically made to wrap around the wrist several times but will also retain it’s shape and fits any size. If you decide to use memory wire, I suggest you buy a special cutting tool as the wire is quite thick and will soon ruin your wire cutters.
A favorite in making crystal jewelry is earrings. These can be really fun and you can incorporate many interesting items into the earrings. You will need head pins or eye pins to string the beads on and you can also use vintage findings or new findings to create a unique look. Check out my tutorial on making beaded earrings to see step by step instructions.
Articles:
Earring Making Supply Needs
What you'll need to make earrings
Jewelry Making Book Review
My take on some of the books I'ved read.
Jewelry Making Wire
Learn about the different types of wire you can use to make jewelry
Make A Memory Wire Bracelet
Learn how easy it is to make one of these fashionable bracelets.
Making Beaded Jewelry
Step by step instructions on how to make a necklace
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