You need few supplies to make beautiful jewelry but you need to get the right one.

There are some basic tools you need to have always with you for your beading, stringing, knotting, or wire making projects.

You should also know that each particular technique requires specific tools and material.
For example the beading (off-loom weaving) technique requires specific needles and threads, you can string beads on different types of thread and so on.

Basic Tools

From left to right, you can see a flat nose (or chain nose ) plier, a cutter and a round nose plier.
With the round nose plier, you can

• open and close a jump ring.
  
• Bent the wire for a perfect right angle bent.
• A good quality flush cutter is important to get a nice flush cut. You should keep one just for your wire-working projects.
With the round nose plier, you will

• make a perfect loop and open and close a jump ring if you don't have a second flat nose plier.

Others

You can use a crimp plier to close a crimp bead.

With a bead spinner, you can string seed bead in a snap!

The bead board will help for style and patterns making.

This tools helps to open a bead's hole.

How To Summary

Charming Jewlery Making is about making creative costume jewelry with mixed techniques easy to master.
You will find detailed informations on

• Very basic: how to open and close a jump ring, simple but you have to do it properly, click here.
You can also watch   the video.
• About the different types of findings (metal components like head/eye pins or clasps) and how to use them to make different types of jewelry, click here.
• How to embellish a jewelry pattern with simple beading techniques please click here.
• For necklace's styles and lengths, click here
• Jewlery making instructions is about
  
  • how to make wire jewelry (simple loop, earwires making, chain making) with design ideas,
  • how to use nylon or silk thread for stringing or knotting techniques,
  • how to string (and finish) with Tiger-Tail or Soft-Flex also called wire thread.

We have added examples of bracelets made with elastic cord. These bracelets can be made in a snap!

With these few techniques, you can design unique, original jewelry that you can sell in small series, offer or make for yourself.
Except for bead embroidery which take time ( 2-3 hours), you will see that you can make jewelry to match any of your outfit very quickly.
It is fun and rewarding and I can say very relaxing!

My Tips

• Start making jewelry with craft findings. With copper or antique gold for example, you can make very nice jewelry.

  They are less expensive than silver, gold plated or gold filled. You will be able to experiment and not feel guilty if you waste a lot of material.

  After some time, try silver findings.

• Use gemstones meanings for making a gift. For example rose quartz symbolizes love, friendship.
• Embellish simple, easy: embellish your beads with bead caps, or a simple collage.

  Even a plastic bead can look beautiful with a simple bead cap.

• Color combination can be an issue; it is not something easy to mix beads together (at least for me). Take your time and don't hesitate to mix different types of beads ( glass/plastic…) together.
  Here are some color combination ideas.
And to finish, pay a special attention to details