The advantages of making your own jewellery

If you're always searching for the ideal necklace or pair of earrings, only to find that they're the right shape, or colour, but something about them just doesn't sit right, then consider making your own. At first, it sounds like a crazy amount of work considering the effort that goes into making the jewellery you wear on a daily basis, but realistically, this is a myth.

Some of the nicest jewellery you will ever own will be hand-made, and this is a skill that can be learnt in the same way as any craft, from carpentry to leather working, whether you want to make jewellery for yourself or maybe to eventually work as a designer for a company like Seventy Seven Diamonds. Of course, you'll also able to incorporateany materials you like, nearly without limits, because you're both the designer and the manufacturer, not just buying something ready made.

If you've got old or new components sitting around, whether it's a pair of earrings or a ring you don't wear any more, it can always be repurposed to suit yourself, for a totally new look. If you live in Nerang come and see me, I have metalworking courses for people looking to learn more about the art of designing and crafting handmade jewellery.

It's best to start with cheaper materials, as if you were building a wardrobe for the first time, using antique oak beams may result in a too-steep learning curve made evn worse by your awareness of the cost of the materials. It's exciting to go shopping for the individual components, however, and you'll soon find that you're saving an amazing amount of money simply by buying a box of beads or some high-qualtiy enamels, especially if you're going to be using them for many different pieces and getting great results.

So if you're really feeling curious, then go for it and be sure to photograph and share your results with the world.