 
Jewelry Making Tools
Making
jewelry is a fascinating and far-reaching hobby and a wonderfully
creative outlet for the many people who actively participate in the
craft. When it's time to get started in your ornamental activities,
you will need to purchase a few jewelry making tools and some basic
supplies, depending of the types of pieces you plan on making.
When you are just starting out and making your first items of
jewelry, it is best to stick to the basic supplies and tools. Later,
as you gain more experience, you will begin to refine your ideas, as
to what kind of jewelry you prefer to make. At that stage, it makes
sense to perhaps invest more time and money in your jewelry making
supplies that you want to have on hand, which can also help to
reduce the number of trips you have to make to craft supply store.
There are a few jewelry making tools that should be included in
every jewelry hobbyist's toolkit. These are basic and fairly
inexpensive and include the bent nose and chain nose tools, a flush
cutter and a set of pliers with a round nose. Many times these
tools, and others, are included in some of the jewelry making kits
that are available.
Along with the various tools, you will also need some basic
supplies. Jewelry wire is a popular material that many beginners and
experienced jewelry makers use extensively. It is available in a
number of different metals, which vary greatly in cost depending on
how precious the particular metal is. Copper, brass, silver,
silver-plated, gold, gold-plated and gold-filled wires are the most
common types and are normally included in a beginner's kit. Of
course, all of these wires, as well as others, can be purchased
separately, as needed for your projects. The common gauge weight of
jewelry wire is 16, 18, 20 and 22. The 24 and 26 gauge is also used,
but not as often.
Findings are another important part of jewelry making. The findings
are the components of a piece of jewelry that are generally
considered the finishing touches, such as the clasps that are used
on necklaces or bracelets, or the ear wires and posts that are used
to fashion earrings. Without the findings and the proper tools to
attach them, many jewelry projects would be impossible to complete.
The jewelry making tools that you need will vary to some degree
depending on the medium and materials you choose to use. You can
find a wide variety of tools at your favorite craft store in the
section that features the jewelry making supplies. Of course,
shopping online at various internet stores that carry jewelry making
supply items and tools is a viable alternative too.
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