Jewellery making is such a wonderfully inclusive hobby. As long as you have the right jewellery making tools, you can make beautiful jewellery no matter your age, ability or gender.
One of the best things about jewellery making is that there are so many different mediums and techniques to choose from. They range from making very simple, elegant stretch bracelets to making the crown jewels!
One thing you will need for all mediums and techniques is a set of jewellery making tools. Don’t worry though, they won’t cost you the earth. Here at Rocks n Chains, you can buy a complete jewellery making tools starter kit for £35 which includes all the basic tools that you need.
You may already have jewellery making tools but you don’t know what they are or what they do. Read on to learn all about the basic jewellery making tools and how to use them.
Round Nose Pliers
As the name suggests these pliers have round noses!
So which part is the nose? It’s the metal part of the pliers that are attached to the handles.
Round nose pliers consist of conical metal jaws that you can use to form loops and curves in wire in different sizes, because of the graduated size of the jaw. They are perfect to use for wrapped loops and open loops to attach elements together.
Flat Nose Pliers
You might see a pattern appearing here! These pliers have flat jaws that are smooth on the inside so they don’t mark any thing you are using them for. This makes them perfect for holding something while you are working on it, perfect for putting crisp angles into wire and fabulous for squishing (jewellery making term 😂) crimp beads.
They are also one of the dream team of pliers for chain maille; if you don’t know what chain maille is have a look at the jewellery kits we have available to buy on the website you will see lots in there!
Chain Nose Pliers
Are you wondering what on earth these are? It isn’t as self explanatory as the other pliers in our jewellery making kit!
These are a mix of the the previous pliers. They have smooth flat jaws on the inside, and round on the outside.
They have the same function of the flat nose pliers, but as with the round nose pliers they graduate in size from the handle to the tip of the plier. This means you can get into smaller spaces than with the flat nose pliers.
They are also the second part of the dream team for chain maille.
Flush Cutter Pliers
Yay back to the names that make sense!
As you have probably guessed, these cut beading thread and wire.
They are shaped into a point so that you can get into all the small spaces to trim away the tail end of wire or thread to give a nice neat finish.
The jewellery making tools you need to get started
So it doesn’t seem like there are a lot of tools that you need to get started. To be honest, I have known people make jewellery for years with only these tools and nothing else!
There are obviously loads more tools on the market and they all have their place in the medium that they were made for. I, of course, have all of them as I am a bit of a tool enthusiast. Some of them are really useful and some are a bit of a gimmick but still cool to own. Look out for upcoming blog posts about more tools, when kits are released using different jewellery mediums.
Looking after your jewellery making tools
There is a little bit of tool maintenance to do when you have your tools.
- The first thing to be aware of is: don’t get them wet! If they do get wet make sure you dry them off as soon as possible. Wet tools will result in rust and this can affect the performance of the tools.
- When you buy new tools they will come with a bit of oil on them. If they get exposed to moisture when they are being stored in a warehouse or in transit, take a paper towel and just give them a quick wipe. If you find that your tools are starting to get a little stiff as you use, you’ll need to oil them to keep them moving. Take a little bit of 4 in 1 oil or WD40 and just spray or wipe it into the joint at the top of the handles.
- The main thing is that you use your tools. Don’t let them sit in a draw or a bag gathering dust. That won’t make the inner jewellery maker in you, or the tools, happy! Get them in your hands and make some beautiful jewellery!
Fleur x
A great article – I always wondered what the chain nose pliers were suppose to be used for. Now I know I have been using them correctly – hurrah!
I am so glad that you enjoyed reading the article x
Bought these tools a year or so ago, love them ,fit well in my hands and are easy to use, store them in the bag and always on hand when I need them . Thanks Fleur
Thank you for your fabulous review xx