Craft Fair Jewelry Tools for Artisans

The art of making and wearing jewelry dates back to ancient times. Rings and necklaces were often made out of quality gold, and bejeweled with precious stones. The women of ancient Egyptian royalty wore elaborate neck and wrist cuffs made of gold and natural stone, the attention to symbolism and detail evident in their carved pieces. Craft fair jewelry is jewelry that is made from hand by modern jewelry artisans. Jewelry makers that sell at craft fairs utilize a vast array of natural substances, including precious metals and modern polished stones. Unique artisan jewelry is often made from various materials such as beads, plastic, or glass as well. Craft fair artisans sell their wares at many venues, including art festivals, concerts, on consignment in museums and art galleries; just about anywhere there are people and interested buyers looking for a unique piece.

Basic Jewelry Making Kit

A basic jewelry making kit includes pliers such as a chain nose, round nose, side cutter, nylon-jaw flat nose, crimping pliers, knot cutter, and other items such as a tweezers and a scoop. Needle nose pliers are a great tool to use for shaping wire into knots, or twisting earring metal into hooks. Pliers make bending wire easy, and are an essential tool for jewelry makers at any level of skill.

Artisan Jewelry

There are various tools a jewelry craft person uses to make artisan jewelry. Artisan jewelry can sometimes be one-of-a-kind ornate pieces, or a simple quality piece made by hand. Advanced jewelry makers use a soldering kit for melting and piecing together sterling silver jewelry into unique designs and shapes. Sterling silver is the easiest silver to melt and form into jewelry, and requires less reheating and chemical treatment than gold. Other items for advanced jewelry makers include soldering pads, and chemical dioxides for gold.

Burs and drills are used for making holes in shells, sea glass, or polymer clay. This allows the jeweler to thread the items on a string or chain. Burs come in various sizes and shapes, and are handy for jewelry artisans to thread cord, thick string or fine metal through. The artisan must be experienced when using burs, so they don't damage the piece they are drilling. Its always better to drill slowly at first, than to rush and ruin a quality piece.

Resource: RioGrande: Jewelry Making Supplies
http://www.riogrande.com/