Secrets of Jewelry Making

Have you ever seen cake decorating shows and noticed how many different tools and even household items they use to make their creations? Jewelry designers employ similar techniques in terms of using both traditional tools and some very unconventional ones. For instance, placing sterling silver in a bag with hard-boiled eggs helps oxidize, or antique, the metal within a few hours. Pushing a wooden skewer through both ends of clay beads makes a nicer hole than just sticking it all the way through. And if you're new to jewelry making and want to practice your wirework with something inexpensive, try copper or craft wire, rather than wasting more costly sterling silver wire. And speaking of wire, if something happens to your pliers, nail clippers can substitute for a snip in a pinch.

When you wear artisan handcrafted jewelry, you probably don't think of all the work that went into it. From the designer's inspiration to the design process; to the actual crafting of the jewelry. But when you stop to think about it, that piece you're wearing is special and unique.

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Where do artisans find inspiration for handcrafted jewelry?

One thing a good designer does is to keep learning. There are always new techniques and tricks that are being developed and stumbled upon and the best designers will always try to be up-to-date on what's being done these days. And it's not just about what's new. Doing research into techniques from hundreds of years ago and learning the ones that are still applicable with today's tools can give designers a unique spin on their artisan handcrafted jewelry.

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gold necklace chain rope |By Mike Nielson on June 01, 2011
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Finding inspiration is so important for jewelry designers. It's the first step in creating artisan handmade jewelry. But where does that inspiration come from? Anywhere and everywhere. Part of what makes artisan handcrafted jewelry so special and unique is that every designer is different and draws their influence and inspiration from different people, places, things and experiences. Eras are a huge influence in design - especially with anything to do with fashion. Moods, colors and shapes become the marks of certain periods of time. Nature is rife with color combinations, animals and insects, forces of weather, all of which can be drawn from for designs. Concrete jungle cities have beauty that can be initially overlooked in the clean lines of buildings or a dirty puddle. Going to the library and looking at a variety of books on any number of subjects can spur ideas. Museums, art galleries, the mall, a vintage record store - they can all be sources of inspiration.