Free Jewelry Design Software For Beginners

[Timothee Cazares]

Thistutorial 2 is for beginners. I talk a lot, but I also explain a lot about basics and specifics. We learn to create a simple real scaled ring design using curves and learn to create the basic gold material and scene settings. The picture is the design made during tutorial.

In this comprehensive guide, I will provide visuals to help demystify the different options so that the next time you purchase materials for a project you can do so in confidence! Whether you're a seasoned artisan or a budding jeweler, understanding the nuances of the different options is crucial for bringing your designs to life.

When it comes to ordering metal for jewelry making all the different options can often become overwhelming. There are so many varieties of sheet metals, wires and decorative metals. So I partnered with Rio Grande to provide a guide with some helpful tips and considerations for confidently buying materials for your next project!

Wire is going to be your next most commonly used form of silver in jewelry making and thankfully it is not as much of an investment to purchase different gauges because you can buy a single foot of wire pretty inexpensively. Wire can be commonly found in even more gauges 0 (8.26mm) - 32 (.2mm). Wire is used in so many different ways you will want to consider once again: what kind of project am I making? Where on the body will it be worn? If we use the image of rings as an example we can see that the 10g (2.5mm) wire will provide us with more strength than the 14g (1.6mm). It is probably that a 14g ring like this in sterling silver would become mishappen in no time at all, but it could make a beautiful hoop earring! So choosing the gauge wire you will need for a project definitely depends on the amount of wear and tear (for example bangles and rings gets more wear and tear than earrings and pendants).

For earring posts and French wires I have found that 20g (0.80mm) is good for most customers. The hardness of the wire you choose is once again all about application, if you are soldering the wire it becomes annealed, but if you are making an earring wire which will simply be formed and cold connected, you could in this case benefit from working with half-hard or hard since it will maintain that hardness and give the earring wire strength! You can also use hard wire for wrapping wire or creating rivets.

I wanted to include an image of half round wire as well because it is extremely popular, and if you order it based off of what you know about round wire you might end up with wire a bit thinner than you expected! Half-round has a flat side and a round sound making it a great option for ring bands and cuffs! The gauge is determined by the thickest part of the wire, but because it doesn't have this thickness throughout it is a daintier wire! So personally I would purchase 8g or thicker for a ring and I'd experiement with gauges 0-4 for cuffs! You want those to be sturdy!

Gallery wires should be annealed (carefully) prior to forming due to how they are produced they can be a bit brittle when you form them, same is true of some of the beaded wires! You want to form all of these gently and be careful not to mar your metal! I know melting is definitely an issue many beginners experience so when you work with decorative wires be gently with your heat. Directing your flame from below instead of putting the flame directly onto the decorative wire can help prevent melting.

This project is probably a bit lofty for my resin experiance, but it has inspired me to dable in resin jewelry making in the first place. I found a Monarch butterfly wing and wanted to preserve it in resin to make a pendant. I have gathered that I will probably have to seal it before casting it in resin. Do you have any suggestions about what the best materials would be to use in this project?

I want to make a necklace using a cockatiel egg (empty and whole) as the main object. Can I use a spray resin to make something this delicate hard enough to work with, or should I try to paint it with epoxy resin first?

I use the waterproof paper with my laserjet printer without any color problems. I have a local printer that will print on waterproof paper for me as well. Maybe there is one in your area that can do that for you?

If you would like a neat project get overhead projector paper that is compatable.for your type of printer. Print photos, seal with something like modge podge and you can have neat transparent pendants. When using them in plastic molds i pour my resin in layers allowing one to mostly set then adding the image and a final layer.

Hello!

I am making letters out of resin and they have color glass chips inside. They seem to come out of the silicone mold well and they look nice but their not rock hard. They sound like their hard but if I was to try and bend it they will bend a little. Is that supposed to happen or are they supposed to be hard? What could I be doing wrong?

If you are wanting to start out using colorant for your first project there are some steps you MUST go through first.

1. Follow through with all the beginner resin steps as outlined above from Katherine Swift, owner of Resin Obsession.

2. Once you have completed those steps then you need to, basically go through beginner steps for using colorant.

3. My words, We (I) all like to start with something big for our first projects. If you take the time to go through the steps for beginners, you will find that you can save a lot on frustration, money, and less garbrish in your brain.

I am trying to figure out which resin to use to coat jewelry and crowns to make them waterproof and how I go about doing so. Can I paint the resin on crowns or does it need to be dipped? Thank you so very much for your time!

Hello, I am new here and new to resin. I imagine that once I start working with it I will find new ways in which to use it. However my initial idea was to use the resin as something I would dip my fiber or fabric covered jewelry in. To make it sound very simple I have fabric wrapped around dowel rods. I want the fabric and the dowel rods be shiny and waterproof. I figured that resin would be a great way to do this and to preserve the pieces. Do I need to paint or spray something on to the fabric first? And is there a specific kind of resin that you think would be best for this?

I just got an old HR lost wax centrifuge. In the deal I found some Ferris mold frames, a Vigor AC mold holder CA-1750, a few wax ring molds and various ring blocks. Also a wax injection pump

Now, I understand the premise of list wax, but I am completely baffled on what Resin misinformation could do short of making some nice cabochons for mounting

Umm this is the first time am gonna be making a comment on anything but I just suddenly took an interest to reisn making jewelry and I have no idea where to even get anything so please if anyone can tell me where to get them that would be very appreciated

Hi Christiana, we have lots of supplies in our store. Perhaps one of our beginner kits would be a good fit: -in-one-kits . We also have an online class to help you get started making resin jewelry as well:

Thank you for having such straightforward advice and clear instructions. I am just starting out and am very aware that whenever I start a new craft the first few things I make are always horrible ? and that research is best beforehand.

Hello, I need some advice. I am making dice in some custom silicone molds I made. I am mixing the resin 1:1 and stirring sufficiently (I assume) and letting my resin cure for at least 24-30 hrs bf I touch them. They remain a little sticky. But the residual resin i had left over I poured into some open faced molds. That resin cured solid but my dice molds are tacky. Any ideas?

I am very new to using resin. I am interested in using resin molds for jewelry making. i would also like to do some resin art on things like trays, vaulted wooden panels. What is the best resin to use.

I have some snakeskin that I would like to put into bezels and cover with resin. Is snakeskin a porous material that I would have to treat first? Also, it is dyed and I wonder if the dye is stable in resin. Do you have any experience with this? I would appreciate any advice.

Or check out the full library of free jewelry making instructions, perfect for beginners. Each easy to follow tutorials includes a materials list and step-by-step directions with images and text. Most of these pieces of jewelry are surprisingly easy to make while also incredibly elegant.

Bluprint offers a wide array of classes, whether you want to learn metalsmithing skills, wire working, or beading. They offer a free course on MicroTorch basics which gave me the confidence to start doing metalsmithing at home.

Just like making jewelry is about making something tangible, nothing compares to the feeling of flipping through the pages of a book. Here you can find some of the best jewelry making books. Many of these are great reference guides to have on hand.

I purchase the majority of my supplies from Rio Grande and Hoover & Strong (which supplies Harmony Metals and Gems: Recycled precious metals and ethical gems). However, you do need to be a business owner to purchase from these companies.

I personally love the Etsy shop CreatingUnkamen for most of my jewelry-making needs. When I first started making jewelry they were my go-to place for supplies. They make jump rings in all sizes, colors, and gauges.

I think one of the most challenging parts about selling your jewelry is knowing how to price it. When I was selling my jewelry, I used this pricing calculator from Etsy. My biggest tip is do NOT undervalue your work. Make sure you pay yourself for your time and not just for materials.

Etsy has this pricing guide to help you get started. Megan Auman, a professional jewelry designer and metalsmith, offers a really in-depth course on CreativeLive that helps you price your work.

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