7 Comments on Where Can I Find Really Cheap Jewelry Makings Including Tools No Ebay Please. Ebay Is Too Expensive.?

The Muse on Sun, 14th Jun 2009 9:00 pm


Craft shops like Michael’s carry both the findings and the tools.
The Muse

darren on Sun, 14th Jun 2009 10:43 pm


honestly jewelry making is a booming industry, even from home.. ebay and almost any other place is gonna be expensive.
unless your at a rummage or yard sale and catch someone’s used equipment that is bored or getting out, your bound to pay.
I paid maybe $75 for new stuff and it’s not even top notch. it’s basic starter.
Good luck, the best idea is to have friends look at rummage sales, that’s how I catch deals.

jeselynn on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 12:07 am


Hobby Lobby is a good place to buy beads and jewelry making supplies. If you watch their ads and online, they have 50% off sales on their beads, etc. quite often. That’s when I buy a lot of my supplies.http://www.hobbylobby.com/

KountryK on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 6:17 am


Try the craft and dollar stores. Good Luck!

peaches6 on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 8:14 am


pray for jesus

roger_41 on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 8:55 am


I’d recommend the Smart Bargains section of Fire Mountain Gems. I’d also suggest you find someone to split an order with you. Fire Mtn is primarily a wholesaler, but they do sell retail. However, you get the wholesale prices if you order enough stuff. If two or three of you share an order, you can order enough between you to get the wholesale prices.
Check the Michaels ad when it comes out. There’s usually a 40% off coupon in there. It’s good on any one item from their store. Get your set of tools that way. The basic 5-tool set (round nose pliers, flat nose pliers, cutters, and two chain nose pliers) is normally around $10.- to $12.- so the 40% off coupon makes it affordable. Those tools should hold you for the first couple of years. If you want a sturdier wire cutter, go to a hardware store. You can get a simple wire cutter (diagonal pliers, they’re also called) for $2.- to $3.- at most of them. They’re heavier than the ones from the jewelry aisle, and easier to use. I love mine.
If you get into this slowly — buying one or two items per month — you can probably manage to afford it without much pinch at all. I live on about what you do, so I really understand. I’m in this income bracket by choice (no, I’m really not crazy) so it’s more of an adventure. I’ve found out how to make ends meet, most of the time, and still have a little left over for my hobbies.

Cooking Games for Kids on Mon, 15th Jun 2009 12:32 pm


For the “findings,” you can easily make most all your own findings from wire for very little money (clasps, jump rings, earring wires, etc, and you can even make your own jigs if you want, with a board and some finish nails, etc.).
Check this page for lots of lesson links, etc.:http://glassattic.com/polymer/wire.htm
As for “makings,” you can buy old jewelry from garage sales, thrift shops, and discount stores, then take them apart for parts —beads, findings, etc.
You can also make your own beads and pendants, etc., from clays (polymer clay, air dry clay, etc.), or even rolled up magazine triangles, etc.
Check these pages for making polymer clay beads and jewelry:http://glassattic.com/polymer/beads.htm
….http://glassattic.com/polymer/beads-hole…http://glassattic.com/polymer/pendants_c…http://glassattic.com/polymer/jewelry.ht… http://glassattic.com/polymer/buttons.ht...
For tools, you really don’t need much. You can buy a few pairs of inexpensive pliers (round nose and flat nose) even at a hardware store or Target/etc, and also a pair of wire cutters (although toenail clippers work fine too).
Those won’t be the smoothest working ones you can buy, but they’ll be fine until you can afford a couple of “good” pliers and perhaps a set of “flush” cutters (instead of flush cutters though you can just sand down the ends of wire cut with ordinary garage wire cutters –for example, wrap a paint stick, etc., with 400 grit sandpaper, then rub your cut tip on it… perhaps also use a 600 grit afterward).
For books, use the library (for checking out books, and also just looking over the various jewelry magazines).
Also, an often-cheap place to buy books is at amazon.com but from their “marketplace” vendors… in other words, buying a *used* copy of the book you want. http://amazon.com
Try these results from a search there for “jewelry” and “wire” for instance:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url…
There’s a link for any possible used books for a title just under the regular info for a book if there are any offered. Those books are often *quite* cheap, especially if you don’t mind that they may have some damage to the cover, or writing inside, etc.
HTH, and good luck!
Diane B.

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