Jewellery Making - The Crystal Phoenix Guides and Information

If would like to make your own jewellery or make jewellery to sell you will need three basic tools to get you started -

Pliers have noses (tips) and there are several shapes of noses available. Usually they are matching pairs but some speciality pliers have two different noses. For a basic set you will need:

Round nose pliers - These have matching tapered round noses and are used to bend wire into loops. For instance when making earrings you will need to bend the top of a headpin into a round loop to attach it to an earwire or earstud. They are also useful as an extra gripping tool.

Chain nose or flat nose pliers - Both these types of pliers have flat inner edges, chain nose pliers have tapered noses that have curved outer edges and flat nose pliers are usually straight with flat inner and outer edges. I would recommend chain nose pliers for a starter kit although flat nose pliers would be ok too. The benefit of chain nose pliers is the tapered tips which will enable you to grip in tight spaces and also the curved outer edge which you can use to bend and shape wire/headpins.

Cutters - There are many cutters available and you get what you pay for but having said that a basic pair of side cutters (£3-£5) can last for a long time and will do everything you need to make earrings, necklaces and bracelets etc.

Beadsmith produce a number of ranges of pliers from Economy to Deluxe models and a basic set of pliers as described costs £7.95

Beadsmith 3 piece pliers set