Some crafts pursued, can also be for decorative purposes. One such is jewelry making. Over time, jewelry has come to signify many things–wealth, accessory and sometimes has even been used for trade. It was believed (still is, in many parts of the world) to show the importance of a person in the society. Egyptians were buried with their jewelry. Man has used rocks, stones, bones, wood and shells as jewelry. With the discovery of metals such as copper, gold, silver and platinum they are being used increasingly. While most jewelry these days is made by professional designers and could be expensive, you could make jewelry as well. All that you need is a little bit of creativity and a sense of the right materials to be used for jewelry. Your jewelry is what could set you apart from the rest of the people at a social gathering or a get-together.
Beads, wood, metal, clay, semi-precious gemstones and even glass are some of the articles around your house that could be used to make jewelry. You need some basic tools as well; scissors, pliers, saw, glue, and wire cutters.
Some simple jewelry: You can make a simple alphabet bracelet or a necklace using a string and plastic cubes. You need some paint as well. Paint your name or initials on the cubes, on all the sides. Now string the alphabets. You have your personalized bracelet. You could give this to your friends on Friendship Day or on any other such occasion.
Alternatively, take a piece of cardboard, and cut it, so that it's wide enough for a bracelet and just long enough so that its fit around your wrist. Punch a whole in each end. Spell out your name using the alphabet noodles. Center your word on the cardboard strip and glue them in place. Let the glue dry. Put some paint on your bracelet. Let the paint dry completely. Cut a 6 inch long piece of yarn and this could be used to fasten the bracelet. You could even use clasps for this purpose.
For a pair of pearl earrings, you need silver tube beads, glass pearls, head pins, and silver bead caps. You can use the ear wire made especially for jewelry or even ordinary wire. Bead the head pin with the glass pearl and the bead cap facing downwards. You also need to use 4-5 twisted silver tube beads and finally bend and twist. Now attach this to the ear wire. The earrings are now done and they would look great for an evening out.
Try making the bangle bracelet. You need mandrel wire or you could use soft silver wire. Cut it into a length to be the size of your wrist. String the beads, coils and any other such embellishments onto the mandrel wire. Gently curve the wire. Check to see that your design is what you want and don't hesitate to make changes. Slip it around your wrist and see if it looks like it just might fit your wrist. Finally, an eye pin is made at the end of the wire by twisting it appropriately. This ensures that you don’t end with any cuts or gashes.
Hemp necklace could be made with very little cost involved. You need a ball of hemp and some beads. Cut at least 12 times the length around your neck. Now repeat the process. Make a knot at the middle of the two strands held together. Secure the loop of the knot under a heavy object which will hold it in place as you tug on the four free strands. Separate the four free strands into three sections, with a single strand on the left, a single strand on the right and two strands in the middle. The left strand is taken and should now be pulled diagonally to the left. Take the right strand and lay it over top of the left strand and to the right of the middle strands. Pull this strand under the point at which the other two sections meet and through the center. The left strand is pulled tight with the right hand and the right strand with the left hand. This will make a knot just below the knot that holds the two strands together. Repeat this process until the necklace is as long as you want it to be. Make a knot at the end of the necklace to hold all the strands in place. If this process seems tedious, you could just plait the hemp strands.
For a beaded necklace, you need beading wire, beading thread, clasps, tiny beads and crimping beads. Get wire that has 49 strands of nylon coated steel. More the strands, greater is the durability. Take a tiny bead and then slide it over the thread, next slide a crimping bead, then another tiny bead on the stringing material. After the crimp bead, place one end of a clasp, and then make a loop with the string. Now the end of the string is placed through the combo of bead and crimp. Finally use the crimping tool to crimp the bead in place. String the beads and leave some room for the beads to move.
What you need to know before getting started: Keep a large sheet of paper on the floor under your sawing area and on your work table when you are working with gold or silver. At the end of your work session, take the scraps and dust into jars to save for refining or melting down. Similarly use a cloth when you are working with beads. This way you won’t waste time on looking for lost or misplaced beads. You need to check with your accountant if your jewelry making hobby is seen as just that or a money making venture. In case you are considering it as a career option, you might be expected to declare it as an income generating job.
There are magazines, books and online forums to teach you some jewelry making techniques. However, it is important that you get some hands-on training. There is only so much that you can read and learn. Find out the materials required to make your jewelry. Determine the amount of time you have to invest in a hobby and choose an area of jewelry making that fits your schedule and personality. There is always enough choice in terms of material, design, style et al.