I’ve been making different kinds of jewellery since I was about five years old and learned about coloured macaroni and yarn. Whenever there was a choice of crafts, I always gravitated toward the wearable art. I’ve since graduated from dyed pasta to using wire, leather, hemp and thread mixed with glass, stone, metal, plastic, wood and bone beads, found and repurposed objects, buttons, recycled other jewellery, clay, paper and more than I can think of. This obsession made it easy for my parents to keep track of me at the Highland Games that were a staple in my childhood. They knew to check the jewellery vendors first. Nine times out of ten, there I’d be, looking at the silversmithing and asking questions of the artisans.
The basic things needed for jewellery depend on what you want to make. Since I’ve been making jewellery for over twenty years (and I’m an unashamed packrat) I’ve got a lot of stuff to use. My favourite medium is working with wire and beads, but I’ve also done a lot of work with bead looms, bead weaving, macramé and simple stringing, just to name a few techniques. Every Monday, I’ll be getting into more detail with different techniques, but I’d like to do a quick overview of some
In this picture, my wire bias is showing. I have here a spool of copper wire from the hardware store. I love copper, but it’s difficult to keep it shiny and it tends to turn skin green unless it’s protected somehow. I also have two small spools of coloured wire…an amazing invention that I can’t get enough of. At the top is black beading thread with a beading needle. This is great for weaving beads, plain stringing or using a bead loom. Finally, there’s transparent cord. The stuff in the centre is fairly stiff, allowing it to be used for a different effect than the looped up cord in the bottom right. That cord is extremely flexible and soft.
Pictured here are leather clasps, lobster claw clasps and an eyeglass holder.Leather clasps are used to crimp the ends of leather tightly, and have a loop on the other end so that something can be threaded through it to attach a clasp or a length of thread. Spring rings and lobster claws are a popular way of finishing off necklaces and bracelets because they’re fairly easy to attach, open and close. There are also many other types of closures that are of a similar construction. Eyeglass holders are used at the ends of long chains, strings of beads or other similar constructs in order to stylishly prevent lost glasses.
I have a few different kinds of earring findings. For dangly earrings, I tend to like shepherds hooks best, but I also have studs with a small loop at the bottom. For people without pierced ears, there are also clip on earring findings available.
This is a selection of the different kinds of beads I have around. I use everything from buttons and bits of chain to seed beads and shells. Also shown is my secret supply of pendants: cardmaking supplies (the turtle, leaf, flower and purse) and some earrings I bought at Value Village (a Canadian thrift store) that I’ll also be turning into pendants.
I use pliers and wire cutters from any hardware store. The ones I use the most often are the cutters, round nose and needle nose pliers.
Don’t feel like you have to be constrained by traditional jewellery! You could make key fobs (to be attached to key rings, backpacks, purses or cell phones), belts, barrettes or anything that catches your attention!
