6 Essential Jewelry Making Techniques You Need to Know
Follow along as Patti shares her list of top tools and materials every jewelry maker needs for various techniques.
Essential Resources
Explore Resources
Categories
Jewelry Medium (3649)
Bead Mosaics (29)
Resin & Mixed Media (166)
Polymer Clay (235)
Chainmaille (139)
Bead Stringing (1123)
Metalworking (259)
Seed Beading (614)
Wireworking (885)
Fiber & Textile (233)
Design Style (2853)
Awareness & Causes (22)
Boho (226)
Classic (90)
Décor (145)
Men's (91)
Minimalist (241)
Seasonal & Holiday (1366)
Statement (234)
Trends (124)
Vintage (56)
Wedding Jewelry & Décor (220)
Western (195)
Essential Resources (1138)
Charts (68)
Design Principles (40)
EncycloBEADia® (320)
Gemstone Meanings (183)
How-Tos (338)
Tools & Supplies (265)
Working With Color (27)
How to Design Custom Lanyards for ID Cards
Learn to make practical and stylish lanyards with Rose for your identification cards.
Getting Started with Basic Silversmithing
Curious about silversmithing essentials? This article outlines key tools and their uses, giving you the knowledge to start your journey with confidence.
How to Loom Seed Beads
Ready to level up your beading skills? This video tutorial is designed to help you loom with clarity and confidence.
12 Jewelry Myths Debunked
Toothpaste to clean jewelry? Indestructible diamonds? Join us as we debunk these and ten other popular jewelry myths.
DIY Clasps with Artistic Wire® Findings Forms™ Jigs
Learn how to create beautiful, consistently sized wireworked hook-and-eye and toggle clasps using Artistic Wire® Findings Forms™ jigs.
Product Spotlight: Thread Cutter
Patti demonstrates the Clover Quick Cut thread cutter and highlights its advantages.
All About Earnut Jewelry Findings
Here's a helpful guide to the different styles of earring backs to ensure earrings stay in place.
A Jewelry Designer's Wish List
We asked nine jewelry artists what tools are tops on their wish lists. Let this article help you grant wishes for the creatives in your life.
Bracelet
Feeling knotty? Join Rose as she teaches you to create a two-color friendship bracelet. Express your love for friends with this heartfelt accessory.
The Modern Locket
The modern locket takes a time-honored and traditional piece of jewelry and offers up fresh versions for the modern world. See what the locket's gotten up to these days.
Metal Jewelry: Finishing and Polishing
Jewelry-making expert Tammy Honaman shows how to finish and polish metal jewelry.
The Talk About Pliers
Explore the many types of pliers to help you find the right one for every project.
What Is a Cabochon?
Take a deep dive into the marvelous cabochon and its sister the cameo. Learn about how they're created and dozens of ways a designer can use them.
Bezels
Bezels are an ideal finding to use when you're working with cabochons and flat back crystals. Tammy Honaman, author and jewelry-making expert, is here to tell you all about them.
Metaphysical Properties
When jewelry makers encounter information about gemstones, they frequently discover where a stone is mined, what it's made of and the phrase "metaphysical properties." What is that information and how can a jewelry maker use it in designs?
Loving Lavender
Fall in love with lavender! See how these soothing shades can enhance your designs to create for a number of styles and timeless appeal.
Everything You Need to Know About Thread Conditioners
Feeling all tangled up in a sea of rough, frayed thread? Thread conditioners could be just the solution you need to get back on course.
Choosing Jewelry for Your Color Season
Color seasons have been applied to jewelry and fashion for decades. Find ways to match your designs to the 12 designations in this article.
Beginner's Guide to Loomwork
Explore the world of loomwork, where each bead is a pixel in your artistic vision. Learn about the looms, materials and resources you'll need in this article.
Which Metals Should You Use?
Choosing the right metal to use in your jewelry involves balancing a number of factors beyond gold vs. silver. Get the lowdown on all metal materials.
Double-Strand Bracelet and Earring Set
Add a splash of color to your life with rainbow fluorite! Join Patti in the video as she shows you how to make this stunning jewelry set.
Organic
Refers to a bead made of a carbon-based material. Many jewelry-making components composed of pearl, wood, bone, horn and shell fall into this category.
How Many Beads per Strand?
Use this handy chart to determine the number of beads per strand according to bead size and strand length, which can vary from batch to batch.
The Right Adhesive for the Job
This detailed article explains the best adhesives for a variety of projects. Learn tips and techniques suited to your design needs.
Non-Marring Wire-Wrapping Pliers
Looking for pliers that won’t mar wire or metal? Jewelry-making expert Tammy Honaman shares her top picks for clean, mark-free wireworking.
A Pastel Mood
Embrace a romantic sensibility for your wedding with the pastel mood wedding style.
Single-Strand Necklace
Learn how to create a stunning wire-wrapped crazy lace agate pendant necklace using ParaWire™ in the accompanying how-to video for a beautiful presentation.
Monochromatic Jewelry
Discover why designers and style-savvy patrons around the world are embracing the modernity of this controlled-color trend.
Single-Strand Necklace and Earring Set
Hand-cut rhodochrosite rondelles pair natural beauty with luxe glow, accented by warm 14Kt gold-filled beads for a soft, peachy elegance.
Earrings
Fuse sleek geometric shapes into an organic whole in these striking gold-filled and black onyx earrings. Embrace sophistication with this stunning pair.
An Earring Finding Guide
Different earring styles suit different needs, and the findings make all the difference! This handy guide explains the unique benefits of each type of earring finding.
Wireworking Tips: Wire Coils, Pliers and Jigs
Jewelry-making expert Sandra Lupo gives us the scoop on Beadalon® tools, including their banding pliers and improved Coiling Gizmo®. Learn all about these popular tools and tips for using them in this illustrated article.
Independent Lab Report
See the results of an independent lab study on Comparison Testing of three types of coated beading wires.
Product Spotlight: Celestial Crystal®
Celestial Crystal® is our line of crystal beads and components. Explore a few of our favorites and discover how to bring their dazzling versatility to your jewelry designs.
Upcycled Jewelry: Sustainable Beading for the Eco-Minded
Upcycling jewelry is an eco-minded trend that everyone can get behind. Just take existing materials and repurpose them into jewelry!
Minerals, Rocks, Gemstones, Crystals - What’s the Difference?
Looking to brush up on your understanding of geology? Dive into this informative article that explores the distinctions among rocks, minerals, crystals and gemstones.
I Dream of Druzy
Get excited about druzy jewelry! Adorned with tiny, glistening crystals, these gemstones have the potential to become the focal point of your latest jewelry masterpiece.
Learn Simmon's Polymer Clay Blend
Take your polymer clay blending skills to the next level with Simmon's polymer clay blend. Witness firsthand how this technique creates a stunningly balanced spectrum of colors.
How To Care For Plated Jewelry
This article will teach you the best practices for preserving the beauty and quality of your gold- and silver-plated jewelry pieces over time.
Negative Space in Jewelry Design
Incorporating negative space into your jewelry designs adds a distinctive touch that will set your creative efforts apart. This article explains how.
Pearl Jewelry Guide
Explore the beauty of pearls with this complete guide to types, grading, care, pricing and stylish ways to wear them.
Everything You Need to Know About Jeweler's Saws
Find everything you need know about jeweler's saws in this video and informative article. Learn the tips and tricks to using a jeweler's saw to get the design you want.
Ergonomics for Beaders
Ergonomics involves tools and techniques that help prevent injury. This article covers why jewelry makers should consider how repetitive motion, vibration, and posture affect their health, productivity, and enjoyment.
Accu-Flex® Professional Quality Beading Wire Review
Read what Paula S. Morgan of about.com has to say about Fire Mountain's Accu-Flex Professional-Quality Beading Wire in her expert review.
Face Shape and Jewelry Choices
Learn how to create beautiful jewelry to flatter any face shape.
Size Does Matter: Making Jewelry with the Proper Fit
It's an old joke, in some circles: size doesn't matter. Yet, jewelry that doesn't fit simply doesn't get purchased. And if purchased, could get returned, with cost to the jewelry maker in both money and reputation. This is especially important for...
PANTONE® 2026 Color of the Year: Cloud Dancer
Discover how PANTONE® 11-4201 Cloud Dancer—the serene, airy white chosen as the 2026 Color of the Year—inspires jewelry designs with clarity, calm and limitless creative possibility.
You supply the creativity, we supply everything else! ®