Creative Ways to Save Money on Jewelry Making

Do you make your own jewelry? When I was a little girl I loved to put beads on the tips of feathers I found. My mother would then put ear wires on them to make earrings. I was way too young to wear them though, and heaven only knows what she did with them. I am not sure if I even had pierced ears at the time.

Later, as an adolescent, I made a few things by stringing seed beads (I actually still have one or two of those items around someplace). As an adult, I started making jewelry again, but found myself working with very little budget most of the time, which meant a limited supply of tools and supplies.

I started collecting costume jewelry and beaded necklaces from people clearing out their clutter, as well as salvaging findings and beads from thrift stores. Repurposing old items is a great way for crafters on a budget to get material for new projects, and it saves stuff that isn't biodegradable from ending up in landfills.

Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to create an article for Helium on how to save on Jewelry Making supplies back in June of 2010.

Simple Ways to Save on Jewelry Making Supplies

Jewelry making is a pastime that can quickly lead to an obsession.  Even with simple beaded jewelry there are so many possibilities and so many beautiful things you can create that once you start with the craft you will want to buy everything you see in order to make jewelry from it.

Buying jewelry making supplies can add up, especially when it comes to tools, semiprecious stones, gems and precious metals.  The hobbyist could easily spend a fortune on all manner of items they may never even use.  Below are five simple ideas for saving money on jewelry-making supplies.

Be Selective

It’s really hard to resist the wealth of beautiful beads and stones you find in stores and at gem shows but you have to ask yourself are you buying an item for its appeal or because you are definitely going to make something with it.  Also, if your jewelry making activities are for selling you have to ask yourself if the item is something that is going to be cost effective for you.

If you buy a large amber bead, will you be able to slice it down into smaller discs and make multiple things from it?  If you buy a lovely jasper pendant will you create a special necklace or present it on a simple chain or chording?  When looking at items you have to ask yourself if you have the necessary tools and equipment today to turn the items into finished jewelry pieces.

A strand of jasper beads that are each between a half inch to an inch will go a lot further than a pendant when you are making jewelry to sell at craft shows and you can keep two or three beads from the strand to make something special for yourself.

Clearance Sales and Coupons

Many craft stores and even bog box stores like Walmart have lovely items for jewelry making that they occasionally put on clearance at great prices.  Some of the major craft retailers such as Michael’s, Joann and Hobby Lobby also offer coupon specials of forty or fifty percent off of one item and sometimes will offer a percentage off an entire purchase. 

Shopping online and subscribing to newsletters from craft and jewelry making supply retailers is not only a way to save, it is often a way to access more variety and retailers will keep you informed of new products and special offers.

Discount Stores

One might not think of places like Big Lots or Dollar Tree when thinking of jewelry making supplies but on occasion each of these stores carries beads, tools and other findings suitable for at least creating attractive beaded necklaces, bracelets and especially earrings and with prices often being a dollar or less, hobbyists can stock up and not break the bank.

These stores are also a good source of fiber supplies such as yarns and ribbons which can also be used to make jewelry.  Not all locations of the same retailer carry the exact same selection of merchandise so be sure to check around at different stores.

Thrift Stores and Yard Sales

Shopping at thrift stores is a great way to locate interesting beads and findings for making jewelry.  If you visit often and in different parts of town, or when traveling to other cities, you can find a treasure trove of lovely, unique and unusual items waiting to be reinvented and given new life at a fraction of what it would cost for new items at the craft store or gem show.

Yard and garage sales are another great way to find items that can be reworked into attractive pieces of jewelry at very little cost.  Quite often the person holding the sale just wants to get rid of their clutter and will sell old jewelry in bags or boxes for just a few dollars.

For hobbyist jewelers, buying jewelry making supplies at the thrift store is ideal because the investment is never more than a few dollars per piece so you can experiment without having to worry about cost.

Reuse/Recycle

Sometimes there are great jewelry making supplies right in your own home.  Many people have boxes or even drawers full of old costume jewelry and trendy items that are no longer in fashion that could easily be taken loose and used to create new jewelry pieces.

Friends and family members are a great source for reusable items as well and when you let them know they should talk to you before getting rid of anything you will find yourself showered with all manner of materials on a regular basis, especially if you agree to make something for the person giving you all of their old stuff.

No matter what kind of jewelry you are making, there are always deals to be had on supplies if you take the time to hunt them out.  Being selective and keeping supplies organized so that you know what you have will help insure that you get the most out of what you have regardless of the cost.

All Wired Up

When I was a kid, (about 6 1/2) we used to make jewelry from telephone wire. One of my favorite things to do was to make bracelets from coiling a piece of wire around itself. It was quick and easy and a lot of fun to do. I still have one or two of them tucked away in a box somewhere. The only problem was that it was not that easy to score telephone wire.

The only way to get some, was to beg it off one of the guys you saw on the street working if you happened to catch them on their way up or down a telephone pole. I can only hope no one ever got into trouble for giving away wire to little kids.

Recently, I discovered Twisteez wire. I was going to have a booth soon at a small neighborhood celebration so I decided to make some bracelets and see how people would receive them. I wrapped a piece of wire around my wrist to get he size, bent it and started coiling. Unfortunately I ran out of wire before the coil was complete. So much for that idea. I tried using multiple pieces but that was a disaster.

Today I got the bright idea to finally visit the Twisteez web site. There are a few lessons for cool projects, including a coiled basket. Theirs is thicker and combines wire; maybe I'll give it another shot with their version and see what I come up with. I saw some beautiful African bracelets online recently from telephone wire, but they were a little out of my league.

I'd made a coiled wire disk a while back trying to figure out how to make a basket like the ones from South Africa, but I couldn't figure out how to build the curve and now I can't even remember how I got the coil started in the first place.

A little while after my failure to launch with the bracelet inspiration struck and I decided to close my initial coil into a teardrop shape and create an earring. This time my effort met with success and I set about coiling more wire and creating more earrings in different colors.

The little celebration where I had my booth got rained on and sales were pretty poor for the day. I did get good response to the earrings though, and I even sold two pair. (There are more available online at my new Etsy store!)
The same day I made the coiled wire earrings I began digging through my container of leftover polymer clay beads. I had a bunch of pretty ones that I had never used so I dug out the head pins and started to play. Polymer clay is such an interesting material to work with and creating unique beads is so easy to do. Making earrings only requires a couple beads, unlike a necklace. When I have time to make more filler beads I'll so some more bracelets and necklaces, hopefully before Christmas.

I have been itching to start crocheting even though it's still a little early and I couldn't resist experimenting with yarn anymore so I played around with combining two variegated yarns in a scarf and hat set. I can't decide how I feel about them, but it always seems that when you make something you think has turned out strange, someone else falls head over heels in love with it.

Next I started on a shawl that I like during the day but not at night. The reason of course it that it looks better in natural light. During the day the purples and greens look like a garden of violets but at night it's a whole other murky, mossy story. At any rate, it's all about the journey. I had hoped to post more photos with this post, but the camera died (after only one year!) and my phone is not cooperating. Until next time...