Sometimes, after we have been making jewelry for a while, we can forget that there are beginners out there who may have a great collection of beads, findings, wire, chain, leather, and all the right tools, but they look around and say to themselves, "What now?"
AntelopeBeads.com has always been a teaching website. I thought it might be beneficial to a lot of people to talk a little about the basics of getting started. I also thought it could be advantageous for us more experienced to refresh ourselves on the basics.
Below you'll find some video instructional examples of techniques that lay the groundwork for creating any design. Eventually, as your experience grows, these will become second nature, but until then, click on the video images and watch and learn.
NOTE: The video tutorials below are in the Antelope Beads YouTube archives. They are still instructional because the techniques being taught are timeless. However, we grow with the trends of the times and the product demand of our ever-changing clients, and some of the items in these videos might not be currently available. ALSO, any sales or special offers mentioned are no longer being offered.
When starting your jewelry making venture, even before stockpiling a large stash of elements, you'll want to make sure you have the right tools for the job. It's most ideal to have a quiet place you can claim for your jewelry making supplies and work area, although that isn't essential. Having the right tools is. In this video, Elaine shows us a collection of different pliers designated for different jobs. You'll eventually want them all!
You can browse all the tools Antelope Beads has to offer here: JEWELRY MAKING TOOLS
A hot trend in today's jewelry market are wrap-around bracelets. They can be made of almost any material with any kind of beads or focals you can imagine. But you don't want those beads and focals to pile on top of each other when you wrap the finished piece around your wrist. This video will show you how to use a planning grid to make sure everything lines up just the way you want it to.
You'll find downloadable step-by-step instructions for the bracelet plus the printable grid here: WRAPPED BRACELET INSTRUCTIONS AND PRINTABLE GRID
Just as with a cut jewel, jewelry making has several facets...chain, leather, wire, beads...and in many cases, the designer will want to incorporate all of them into one piece. An integral part of attaching one to another is loops! Loops are not only useful elements, but can also be decorative and part of the design itself. In this video, our designer Elaine will show you simple looping techniques that will add interest and professionalism to your creations.
You can find styles, sizes and finishes of wire here: CRAFT AND BEADING WIRE
End Caps are clever little components that finish your creations and pull the whole design together, especially when you are using multiple mediums. They have a variety of uses and they become part of your finished piece. This video shows some of the ways you can enhance your jewelry with End Caps.
You can find all kinds of End Caps here: END CAPS
I hope these tutorials have given you some ideas to get started on your adventures in jewelry making. We would love it if you shared your thoughts and pictures of your designs with all of us on facebook.com/AntelopeBeads and our Facebook group facebook.com/groups/AntelopeBeadsMarket