Thinking of trying your hand at jewellery-making? Here’s a breakdown of the basic tools every beginner should have to get started. Don’t worry—you don’t need to break the bank to start creating something beautiful!
1. Pliers
Pliers are your new best friend in jewellery-making. You’ll need a few different types, each with its own purpose:
Small Round-nose pliers: Perfect for making loops and curves in wire. I use this tool to make all my jump rings!
Half round pliers: Ideal for gripping, bending, and making bezel setting. I use this one the most as it's half flat and half round, making it the prefect tool to bend my bezel wire.
Cutting pliers/shears: For trimming wire or cutting through soft metals.
2. Jeweller’s Saw
A jeweller’s saw lets you cut through metal with precision, whether you’re shaping a pendant or sawing out intricate designs. It might feel tricky at first, but with a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it. Don’t forget to stock up on extra blades—they can break pretty easily when you’re learning. I use the 2/0 size blades for all my sheet and wire. A little tip is to wax your saw blade with beeswax to lubricate it; this will greatly extend the life of your saw blade!
3. Files
Files help smooth out rough edges and shape your metal pieces. Start with a basic set that includes:
Flat files for general smoothing.
Round files for detailed areas and small spaces.
You can also purchase the set of 6 needle files to cover all your filing needs. Needle files are crucial for smaller tasks.
4. Hammer and Bench Block
For texturing, shaping, or hardening your metal, a good hammer and bench block are key. A ball-peen hammer works well for creating texture, while a Rawhide Mallet or a Dead Blow can shape metal without leaving marks. Pair it with a sturdy steel bench block and a ring mandrel and you’re set for some serious hammering fun.
Shop hammers and bench blocks on Cooksongold
5. Metal Stamps (Optional)
If you’d like to personalise your jewellery with initials or symbols, metal stamps are a great addition. They’re easy to use and add a lovely handmade touch to your designs.
6. Metal!
Practicing with different materials is essential. Start with affordable options like copper or brass before moving on to silver or gold. Sheets of metal are ideal for experimenting with sawing, texturing and ring making. I’ve attached a practice template for you, this is the one I used when I started!
When you start making your piece, you'll need bezel wire for bezel setting, wire for prong setting, and wire for ring making! The size of bezel wire I normally use for my seaglass is 3.0mm x 0.3mm and 5.0mm x 0.3mm. As for the size of wire I use for my rings, it’s round wire in 1.20mm and 1.50mm.
Shop metal sheets and wires on Cooksongold
7. Sandpaper or Polishing Tools
Getting a smooth, mirorr-looking finish is all about polishing. Sandpaper in different grits can help you work your way from rough to silky smooth. The sanding wheels I use with my Dremel are Matador Sanding Roll 800, 600, 280, and 220 grit.
As you progress, you can explore polishing compounds and motorised tools for a mirror-like shine. I use the Dialux set and Wool Pendant Wheel to polish all my work.
8. Tools for Bezel Setting
If you’re planning to set cabonchon stones and seaglass, bezel setting is a great technique to start with. Here’s what you’ll need:
Bezel Roller/Pusher: To gently press the bezel wall around the stone.
Burnisher: For smoothing and polishing the bezel edges.
You can purchase a complete set of Pusher and Burnisher here.
Ring Clamp: For holding your ring when you bezel set.
9. Tools for Soldering
Soldering opens up a whole new world of jewellery-making possibilities. To get started, you’ll need:
Soldering torch: A small, handheld torch for heating your metal.
Soldering block: A heat-resistant surface to work on.
Solder: Available in wire, sheet, or paste form, and comes in different melting points (extra easy, easy, medium, and hard).
Flux: Prevents oxidation and helps the solder flow.
Pickle solution: Metal oxidase when heated, pickle solution is for cleaning your metal after soldering. I use the safe option as it is non-toxic and Biodegradable.
Pickle pot: Pickle solution only works when it heated. You can purchase a Pickle Pot, but I find them quite expensive. You can use any heater for your pickle solution, like a slow cooker, chocolate melting pot, wax melting pot, or wax melt warmer - that's the one I use for all my small pieces!
Plastic tweezer: Plastic tweezers for jewellery making are non-contaminating and prevent chemical reactions when handling precious metals in pickle solutions.
Third hand or tweezers: To hold pieces in place while soldering.
Heatproof tweezer: For safety while handling hot materials.
10. A Workspace
You don’t need a fancy studio to start making jewellery. A sturdy table or desk will do just fine. Just make sure it’s well-lit (you can find my table light here) and has enough room to spread out your tools and materials. Adding a bench peg (a small wooden block to work on) will make tasks like sawing and filing much easier.
My partner made me my jeweller table. We found a solid wooden tabletop on Facebook Marketplace for a great price and cut out a curved surface for my bench peg. It’s so sturdy and wonderful—big thanks to him!
Final Tips
Start small: Start with simple projects like a bezel-setting cabochon ring or a pendant for a necklace. These are easy projects, but you'll gain a lot from them.
Invest wisely: Quality tools make a big difference, but you don’t need the priciest options to get started. I started with beginner tools, and the more I practiced, the more I understood which tools to upgrade to that would suit my practice.
Experiment: Don’t be afraid to try different techniques and materials to find what inspires you. Use copper or brass to practice and make prototypes, and once you’re confident, move on to your precious metals.
Jewellery-making is all about creativity, patience, and practice. With these basic tools, you’re well on your way to making unique, handmade pieces that you’ll be proud of. Happy making!
Please let me know if I have missed anything! I’ll do a how to solder article next, stay tuned ☺️