by dizzy turtle

Created on: August 22, 2010

You'll know when it's the right time and reason to start making your own jewellery, but of course before you do that you have to buy some supplies to start with. Where do you get these from?

There are plenty of places on line and offline where you could buy your beads and findings, but they will all vary a lot in price and quality. When you start out I would suggest you buy from EBay as there are a lot of reputable shops there which sell a massive variety of beads and findings. You will begin to see exactly what you like and certain beads will catch your eye due to colour, size etc. This will be your starting point.

Once you know what you like and how much beads and findings averagely cost then you will start looking around and comparing companies and shops.

One thing to remember is that local craft shops have limited stock of beads and findings, especially precious metal findings. You also need to be careful when buying on line that you conform to nickle free findings so you can pass this information on to any recipient of your jewellery. So many people are allergic to nickle that it's not worth buying cheap in case your findings aren't nickle free.

Another thing to consider will be what you're buying and why. Do you just want to create pretty items of jewellery or is there a meaning behind your work? Do you want to buy precious gemstones that have a meaning, or are your going for glitz or glam?

I think that once you have decided on this then you will find plenty of untapped areas on line to buy your supplies from. A few that spring to mind that perhaps people don't already think of are on line jewellery sellers such as Etsy and Folksy who have a great supplies section which are reasonably priced as well as offering something that you can't find everywhere, giving your jewellery a unique edge.

Remember when buying your beads and findings to factor in any shipping charges which may encourage your total purchase price to be more than you would originally want it to be. It's too easy to get carried away when buying beads and findings that you end up spending just as much in shipping charges. I would suggest finding a seller who combines shipping charges to keep the overall costs down.

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