Making jewellery as a hobby should be enjoyable and long-lasting

It makes no difference how you became interested in jewellery creation as a hobby. It’s one of those hobbies that draws you in and before you know it, you’ve lost track of four hours each time you go to work and are surrounded by tiny little jewellery pieces. As a crafter, you want to make sure that your jewelry-making pastime remains pleasant over time and that it is sustainable.

The Advantages of a Creative Hobby

Let’s start with some of the advantages that a creative pastime, such as making jewellery, can give. Above all, a creative pastime is a stress reliever (I hear you thinking, “It should be, but it occasionally spikes my blood pressure instead of lowering it,” and we’ll get to that later). Your creative interest can also increase your self-esteem and provide you with a sense of accomplishment when you finish something. It’s also good for your brain as you figure out how to produce something – and may have to fix problems if things don’t go as planned. Creative hobbies can also help you get outside of your comfort zone and meet new people!

Getting Started with Your New Hobby of Making Jewellery

It’s always the most enjoyable part of learning a new hobby! We crafty people frequently fall into new creative hobbies as a result of a quick video on social media, a friend or family member convincing us to try it, or even taking a short community education style class somewhere. We need to buy our supplies now that we’ve been motivated to take up making jewellery  as a new hobby!

You’ll Need the Following Supplies

You’ll need certain tools first. Depending on the type of jewellery you wish to produce, the list will be different. Metalsmiths and beaders don’t necessarily require the same tools. However, the following is a basic list that most individuals will need to get started with jewellery making:

Flat, chain nose, and round pliers

Wire and sheet shears are examples of cutters.

Our Xuron blog has more information on these tools (as well as one of our favourite jewellery tool manufacturers).

You’ll also want to include the following in your beading projects:

• Cutter with an ultra-fine tip for small spaces
• pliers for crimping
• Starbond is a jeweler’s adhesive.
• Your materials, such as stringing wire, beads, jump rings, crimp beads, and closures, are also important (I.e. spring rings or toggles)
• Organization! Make sure you plan ahead so you don’t lose anything.

Depending on your project ideas, you might want to include some of these goods if you’re following the metalsmithing route:

A bench block is a tiny metal block that can be used to conveniently hammer metal; you may also wish to use a sand bag or bean bag to reduce noise.

Jeweler’s saw frame and blades – rawhide, cross pein, ball pein, chasing, and/or stamping

Files and sandpaper are examples of abrasives.

Although the list of tools and supplies may appear daunting, you do not have to purchase everything at once. Begin with a few fundamentals to start on your initial projects, then expand your library as your skills improve. Always keep an eye out for decent second-hand tools at a garage sale or an internet marketplace.

Maintaining the Pleasure of Your Jewelry Making Hobby

Let’s return to the idea of jewelry-making as a stress-relieving activity. Your activities should provide a welcome distraction from your daily stresses and make you feel good about yourself. If your activity is causing you stress, take a step back and try one of these suggestions.

Have a good time!

Unless you intend for your jewelry-making pastime to be your primary source of income, it’s just something pleasant to do when you need a break from your daily routine. Your own view should be the only one that matters. Consider unique designs! Look for the most unusual beads you can. Mismatch items on purpose to see how they look. Make use of your dog as a source of inspiration!

Make Friendships

Make new contacts or strengthen current friendships by taking advantage of this chance. If you enrol in a class, you’ll almost certainly make some wonderful new creative buddies! Bring your pals over for a night of wine and jewellery creation! Making jewellery is considerably more enjoyable when you’re surrounded by like-minded individuals. You can also hunt for local organisations that meet up to build projects or join some Facebook groups to interact with other makers all over the world.

Pause for a moment

Allow yourself to take a break from your break! If your jewelry-making pastime is starting to get stressful, take a break from it for a while. Begin with a snack break to explore whether taking a break from work might help you relax. If not, you may need to take a break for a day or two to get back into the creative mentality needed to complete your job.

Change to a Different Option

When one pastime irritates you, switch to something else! Maybe your jewelry-making inspiration isn’t flowing right now. Work on another creative project that has been sitting around — we all know that crafters have a project or two that needs to be finished. Your jewellery juices may start flowing again once you’ve finished your other endeavour and feel accomplished.

Recognize Your Limits

“I can make that,” is one of our favourite crafting expressions. However, there are instances when we must concede to ourselves that we are unable to “create that.” We all have constraints, whether they are imposed by our instruments or our skill set. Knowing your limits will help you avoid stress and keep jewellery creation as a hobby enjoyable.

Perfectionism should be avoided

For some of us, this one will be difficult to accept: you will not be perfect at your jewelry-making pastime. You’re bound to make mistakes, especially in the beginning. It’s possible that your cut lines aren’t straight, that you mismeasured your stringing wire, and that you didn’t polish and finish your work properly. But that’s all right! Your technique will improve as you manufacture more jewellery, and you will learn from your failures. Allowing your perfectionism to undermine your love of jewellery creating is not a good idea.

Make your jewelry-making hobby a long-term commitment

In principle, you’ll want to continue crafting jewellery for a long time. As makers, we understand that starting a new hobby isn’t often inexpensive, therefore we want to make sure we can enjoy and benefit from it for as long as possible. To keep your pastime going for the long haul, try some of these suggestions.

Set Project Timelines That Are Realistic

Remember that crafting jewellery is still a pastime for you, and you don’t want to burn out! Making Christmas gifts for friends and family is always a terrific way to put your hobby time to good use. But don’t try to manufacture a piece of complicated jewellery for every aunt, uncle, cousin, and in-law two weeks before Christmas. You’ll need to get started sooner if you want to build a lot of pieces. As a result, make sure you establish a reasonable deadline for your projects, bearing in mind that non-hobby jobs and tasks may interfere.

Your Jewelry Should Be Sold

You may not want to turn your jewellery manufacturing pastime into a full-fledged business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make some additional cash to help pay for it. Some local community organisations may conduct craft shows where you can set up shop (particularly around the holidays). Alternatively, if your friends and family wish to give a loved one a unique gift, offer your jewelry-making expertise.

Make sure you’re aware of any local rules that govern when selling jewellery becomes a company.

Go on a Bargain Hunt

Most crafters know to stock up on supplies and tools when they go on sale. If you’re seeking for tools, look for used sets that might wind up at a thrift store or on the internet. Alternatively, you might go to any garage or estate sales you hear about. A local college or art school may even sell used equipment at a reduced price. Of course, if your favourite supplier or craft store has some of your most utilised items on sale, take advantage of it.

Develop New Skills

As you gain confidence in your jewelry-making abilities, you may wish to expand your knowledge. Try watching online lessons or enrolling in a class that seems interesting. You may soon become bored with your jewelry-making pastime if you continually use the same skill and technique.

Making jewellery is a creative activity that is both enjoyable and rewarding. Keep it like way for a long time, and enjoy your friends’ and family’s reactions when they see your new jewellery.