Those who are interested in jewellery making have their own must have items like any hobby or profession. A doctor needs his black bag and prescription pad, a mechanic has his toolbox, while those who enjoy football have the kit, shin pads and football boots. So it comes as no surprise that those who make their own jewellery have an essential list of tools necessary for them to do the job. If you are thinking of taking up jewellery making then read on because these tools will make the work involved far easier, and the outcome much more professional.

So, what tools do you need to have in your toolkit when you embark on jewellery making? Here we’ve listed the top 5 tools to make your craft a little easier:

1. Pliers
Pliers are an essential tool that you need to have when you craft jewellery. There are many kinds of pliers so be sure to choose the right one for the task in hand. Large nosed pliers can be used as extensions of your fingers. Their main use is for shaping and bending wires. Flat nose pliers meanwhile are used for closing clasps and crimps. Round nose pliers are pliers with a narrow and tapered nose, used mainly for opening jump rings and for creating neat little loops on your jewellery wires.

2. Jeweller\’s files
Jeweller\’s files will help you file away at the sharp ends of your wire so that they can’t injure whoever wearing your jewellery creations. They are sometimes referred to as needle files. Files are essential for removing excess material, with different sizes available for working large areas or at a more intricate level. For cleaning up your piece after filing or soldering, jewellers often use sand paper, emery sticks, or wet & dry paper with a range of grades allowing them to achieve different finishing effects.

3. Polishing cloth.
You need a polishing cloth when you hold your wire with pliers to straighten out jewellery. This will prevent any scratches on your wires.

4. Rulers.
Not just for mathematicians, rulers are necessary for jewellery makers too, to ensure that you have the right length of wire for the piece you are working on.

5. Tweezers.
You probably already own some, but it’s a good idea to invest in tweezers specifically for jewellery making as they are vital when picking up small items for crafting jewellery such as beads, clasps, it is almost impossible with just your fingers. It can also be difficult to your work with only your hands. Tweezers can help you pick up items that are too small or too difficult to hold.

Although this list is not exhaustive and there are many more jewellery tools which will help jewellery makers, the above mentioned tools will ensure that a jeweller will have the basic equipment necessary for their first project. Because jewellery making is such a wide subject very quickly other equipment will be required so be sure to search online as and when you find you need further tools. The more you invest in the making of your jewellery the more your skills can develop and the results will be clear to see in your original one off pieces.

Author Bio: Adam Hunter – E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver wire, jewellery findings, jewellery tools, precious metal clay and art clay silver – gold, silver, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.

Category: Arts and Crafts
Keywords: jewellery making tools, jewellery making, making jewellery, cookson gold, arts, crafts, hobbies