Jewelry Making 101

Materials:

Description of Basic Tools & Findings:

round nose pliers
chain or fl at nose pliers
wire cutters
bead board or drawer liner gripper sheet and ruler
monofi lament 6#
18 or 20 gauge wire
misc beads
spacers
Jewelry Finding:
• head pins
• eye pins
• crimp beads
• jump rings
• ear wires

Show # CR203

Chain Nose Pliers: These pliers are
rounded on the outside and have a fl at
inside edge. Needed for gripping wire
and jump rings.

Round Nose Pliers:
Are essential for making loops. Buy
these from a bead or jewelry supplier as
ones from hardware stores are big and
bulky.

Wire Cutters:
Are diagonal and should cut fl ush. Use
these to cut wire or snip chain.

Bead Boards: Are helpful in laying out
your design and fi gure length. You can
also use a gripping drawer liner sheet
and ruler.

Head Pin: Are wires with a fl at end which
are used to string beads and spacers for
earrings and other links.

Eye Pins: Are similar to head pins only
they have a loop on the end which can
be used for attaching additional fi ndings
or creeating links.

Jump Rings: Used to attach links or to
add a clasp to necklace or bracelet.

Ear Wires: Come in a variety of styles
and wires. You can make your own,
but until you you have mastered wiring
techniques, you may want to purchase
them.

For further information about You Can Do It! and how you or someone you know can appear on the program, contact
Barb Brisson at 802-654-7980 ext. 25 or e-mail [e-mail].

And, if there is anything you would like to see demonstrated on the program, please contact us with your ideas.

RETN • PO Box 2386 • So. Burlington, VT 0540 • 802-654-7980 ext. 25 • www.retn.org

Crimp Beads: Crimping beads are small metal beads that you squish on the wire to make the beads stay in place.

Wire: is sold in different size which are called gauges. 20 gauge is thicker than 24 and suitable for most projects. The
small the gauge number the heaver the wire. 26 gauge is fi ne.

Beads:

Seed Beads are available in an amazing array of colors, fi nished,and styles. They are most often used in weaving and
loomwork. These are commonly sized as 11/0.

Pony Beads are larger than seed beads with larger holes. They are also available in a large range of colors and fi nishes.
Sometimes called size 8/0 sed beads.

Bugle Beads are long tubes and vary in length.

Stone Beads or Precious and Semi-Precious Stones are avilable in different sizes and chips. These consist of sapphire,
ruby, diamond. Semiprecious are jade, hematite, amethyst, and onyx, to name a few.

Spacer Beads are also useful. These are very small metal or colored beads that serve to frame the other beads.

Jewelry Making 101

Findings & Beads

(cont.)

Show # CR203

For further information about You Can Do It! and how you or someone you know can appear on the program, contact
Barb Brisson at 802-654-7980 ext. 25 or e-mail [e-mail].

And, if there is anything you would like to see demonstrated on the program, please contact us with your ideas.

RETN • PO Box 2386 • So. Burlington, VT 0540 • 802-654-7980 ext. 25 • www.retn.org

1. Take a head pin, which are fl at on the bottom and are

available in various thickness and lengths.

2. Put some beads on the head pin. Use your imagination

with colors and styles. Pictured, you will see that spacer
beads were used to break up the colored beads.

3. Once you have fi nished stringing the beads, use a pair of

round nosed pliers to bend the head pin 90 degrees.

4. Bend the end of the head pin over to complete the loop.

Add a french wire to fi nish.

Remember to open the ear wire like a jump ring

Basic Drop Earrings

1 .

2 .

3 .

4 .

Show # CR203

Jewelry Making 101

For further information about You Can Do It! and how you or someone you know can appear on the program, contact
Barb Brisson at 802-654-7980 ext. 25 or e-mail [e-mail].

And, if there is anything you would like to see demonstrated on the program, please contact us with your ideas.

RETN • PO Box 2386 • So. Burlington, VT 0540 • 802-654-7980 ext. 25 • www.retn.org

For further information about You Can Do It! and how you or someone you know can appear on the program, contact
Barb Brisson at 802-654-7980 ext. 25 or e-mail [e-mail].

And, if there is anything you would like to see demonstrated on the program, please contact us with your ideas.

RETN • PO Box 2386 • So. Burlington, VT 0540 • 802-654-7980 ext. 25 • www.retn.org

Basic Crimping Technique

1. Begin by sliding one crimp bead onto the beading wire. (A)

2. Slip one end of the toggle clasp onto the beading wire, and

bring the end of the wire back down through the crimp bead.
(B)

3. Use crimping pliers to close the crimp bead. String your

beads.

4. When fi nished stringing your beads, slip on another crimp bead

and the other part of the toggle clasp. (C)

5. Then bring the end of the wire back down through the crimp

bead and the last three beads. (D)

6. At this point, some jewelry makers fi nd closing the second

crimp a little tricky because you want to get the beads up
against the crimp bead, but you don’t want to make it too tight.
One trick I do is to put the end of my round-nosed pliers into
the loop of the beading wire, and then I either use my fi ngers
or my bent-nosed pliers to pull the tail of the beading wire. This
will cause the beads to push up against the crimp bead. (E)

7. Now use your crimping pliers to close the last crimp bead.

8. Trim off excess beading wire with your wire cutters.

Jewelry Making 101

Show # CR203

A

B

C

D

E

For further information about You Can Do It! and how you or someone you know can appear on the program, contact
Barb Brisson at 802-654-7980 ext. 25 or e-mail [e-mail].

And, if there is anything you would like to see demonstrated on the program, please contact us with your ideas.

RETN • PO Box 2386 • So. Burlington, VT 0540 • 802-654-7980 ext. 25 • www.retn.org

Silver Care

Jewelry Making 101

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•

To prevent tarnishing keep your jewelry in cloth pouches or a simple plastic food bag. The type with the seal lock
is good. The point is to keep all the air and light off of silver.

• To removed tarnish use a clean silver cloth. You can pick one up at any jewelry store. Rub the cloth against the

silver, be careful not to pull, especially on chains, which could break them. Silver is very pliable.

• A simple cleaning solution you can make is to put 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of salt in an

aluminum pan. Make sure to use aluminum, because the aluminum reacts with the baking solution --- add hot
water, mix it up and drop in your tarnished silver. A chemical removes the tarnish. Then, rinse and wipe dry.

• You can also use soft cotton t-shirts and fl annel for cleaning silver. However, AVOID using other materials such

as tissue, it can scratch your silver.

• If you go swimming, never wear your silver in chlorine water.

Gem Care

• Store your gems in plastic bags. Never store your crystals in cotton, it can harm the stones.

• Gems can be cleaned without spending a lot of money on jewelry cleaner. Simply use small amounts of ammonia

and water. Certain gems, like pearls, lapus lazuli, and opals should not be cleaned this way because they are too
porous. They should only be cleaned with a weak solution of dishwashing liquid and water and dried off with a
soft cloth.

• Amber, like the other porous gems, needs to be cleaned gently, but do not over-clean them as too much washing

can eventually lead the gem to breaking down.