Jewelry Making Kit Sitemap

1. METALS - Several inexpensive metals, both in sheet and wire form, can be used to make interesting jewelry. For the beginner, copper and brass are recommended because of their low cost, but even advanced jewelers who work almost exclusively in sterling silver frequently use copper and brass for variety and color.

2. TOOLS - Essential tools for the beginner include those here and those on the following four pages. A variety of articles can be made with a small set of good tools; in fact, some of the pieces are made with only two or three of the tools listed. All tools should be kept clean and protected from pressure that may bend or dull them and from moisture which will cause corrosion or rust. A good workman takes care of his tools.

3. BASIC PROCESSES - Following are the basic processes for all jewelry making. Cleaning and filing keep the metal in condition for sawing and soldering which are construction processes, and for wire working which is a decorative process. Polishing and lacquering are finishing processes which bring out the technique of construction, and if well done, enhance the beauty of the article.

4. DECORATIVE - Wire may form the foundation of a piece of jewelry, or it may be applied as a decoration. It is often twisted to add lightness to a design, and can easily be formed into coils or line units of decoration for flat or curved surfaces. Twists and coils of wire can be made of round, half round, or square wire.

5. CHAIN - Cut a wire length 1 1/2 inches A. Make a ring on each end of the wire. Loop the wire in the center, and flatten to hold the hook of the pendant. Bring the rings almost together. Cut ten lengths of wire 1 1/2 inches. Coil the wire with round nose pliers B. Cut twenty-eight lengths of wire 3/4 inch C. Make a ring on one end of each wire.

6. DISKS + DOMES - Disks and domes are used as the foundation of jewelry and also as a means of decoration. They are often given a high polish and take the place of stones in a design. Sometimes wire units are applied to a flat disk or a dome surface for variety and texture.

7. DESIGNING - All good designers, consciously or unconsciously, are influenced by the design of the past and by the art forms and practices of their contemporaries.

The designer not only studies the objects made of the material in which he works, but also designs made in other mediums. Natural forms also give him inspiration.

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