The Art of Jewelry Making

Jewelry making can be a past time activity to some people, but others depend on it for a livelihood. The wearer of the jewelry only sees beauty and elegance of the item obviously oblivious of the intense hard work, creativity and time that goes into the process of jewelry making. To the first two groups however, the labor, creativity and dedication required to come up with unique jewelry that resonates with specific people is all too obvious.

Though no clear history is available regarding jewelry making, historians suspect that the concept was born as out of the necessity for man to keep his clothes on during the middle ages. As such, it is suspected that the earliest jewelry could be seen as buttons or fasteners in the contemporary society. This is because jewelry is worn for its decorative purposes rather than functionality. America being a melting pot of cultures, newer methods and techniques of making the same have evolved over the years in our society in order to serve the different decorative needs presented people from different cultures.

Just like other forms of art, jewelry making relies mainly on creativity, talent and dedicated practice. Talented jewelry makers find this undertaking smooth and even fun. Not all jewelry makers however fall into this category. Quite a significant number of people venture in to jewelry making out of a pure drive to excel in the same. For such, it takes a lot of learning, practice, creativity and dedication. Some of the items that jewelry makers have to deal with in the course of their work include metals, gemstones and beads.

Copper, gold and silver are the most prevalent metals used in Jewelry. Other metals as well as metallic alloys are also common use in todays jewelry industry. The cost of metallic jewelry usually varies depending on the metal used to make it. Gemstones are considered precious in the contemporary society. Usually such are set on metals and used as a status symbol usually displaying wealth and power. Unlike metals and gemstones however, beads are common use in almost all cultures across the world due to their availability, diversity and affordability.

Regardless of the products that one may use in this art, jewelry making tools usually apply across the board. Some of the vital tools include side cutters, round-nose pliers and chain-nosed pliers as essential tools of trade. The chain nosed-pliers are necessary for holding items into neat tight places. In jewelry making, the use of thin wires is usually unavoidable. This means that a jewelry maker needs at least one pair of side cutters. Flat nosed pliers are necessary for holding the item one is working on steady. Some of the other tools that jewelry makers can consider purchasing depending on the materials they choose to use include memory wire shears, needle files, crimping pliers, strings, needles, a beading mat and jigs among others.