Where do I start in making handmade jewelry?

by Denise Greene
(Southampton, England)

I'm a college student who loves to do arts and crafts. I've been thinking about making jewelry ie. necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets. Where do I start and what books do I need to read on getting started?


ANSWER:

Learning to make jewelry is easy and there are a lot of sites that will show you how and also a lot of sites that provide FREE bead jewelry projects and beading patterns that are easy to follow.

Just type "How to make jewelry" in the search box of your search engine (i.e. google) and up will come 100's of how to sites.

For a great site to learn everything you want to know about bead jewelry making with step by step illustrated instructions and lots of free projects, check out this site: How To Make Beaded Jewelry.

Also, most bead stores will show you the basics or hold beading workshops.

As for books and magazines there are a zillion of them out there, all with different techniques and styles. It is hard to recommend a good one because so many are good and it all depends on the style of jewelry you would like to make. Most of them will have step by step instructions, so your best bet is to browse through some until you see a project or technique that you would like to learn.

Check out the Resources and Books section on this site for listings of different beading and jewelry making books available.

I hope this helps you in getting started in making handmade bead jewelry.

Good luck and happy beading!
Gloria :)