Hi all. I am new to silver clay bead making and I am hoping I can get some advice from what is clearly a very kind and knowledgeable group.

I am trying to make a necklace of little round face shaped beads out of art silver clay. It is going ok so far - some obvious trial and error re firing etc but middling wise I am ok. The only real issue I am having is keeping the thread holes from closing up during firing. I am punching them out using a thin metal rod and that works fine, but when I fire the holes are sometimes closing up.

Any tips on how to get around this would be so appreciated.

Em xxx

So I am looking to purchase a tennis bracelet from James Allen for my wife as anniversary/birthday/baby gift.. I remember a few years back her eying the 2 prong tennis bracelet so looking to go for that but in my quick research, I am concerned about the 2 prong set up.. 2 prongs is the one she pointed out in the past but I worry about the security of 2 prongs.. Want to surprise her so don't want to voice my concern about it.. Is 2 prongs secure enough, or should I go for a 3 or 4 prong setup..?

https://www.jamesallen.com/bracelets/tennis-bracelets/

I have a string cord that I got from Amazon and I am wondering what is it made of? The seller does not have any material listed anywhere.

I had this pendant custom made to ensure the width would be wide enough to easily slide through my chain, however, the jeweller did not take into consideration the width of the clasp, which as a result is too big for my pendant to slide through. Any ideas? I was thinking to either make the clasp smaller by taking it to a goldsmith, or alternatively, adding a loop to the pendant that can accommodate the width of the chains clasp. If so, what would one of those things be called? Any alternative ideas are much appreciated. Thank you

Hey! I am thinking of making a bracelet and i want to keep the color scheme as gold as possible-- down to the wire! I'm totally comfortable working with fill, plate, and karat gold, but i haven't worked with 49 strand coated beading wire in gold plate before. Obviously its more expensive than your run of the mill stainless steel coated wire, but my question is-- is it worth it? I know that since it is plated and not solid, there won't be a compromise on tensile strength, but since it is coated, do y'all think it matters if its actually gold or if the outer coating is colored gold? very low stakes question, lol, more of a thought experiment more than anything! what do yall think?

Thinking about trying to make a silver titanium alloy to make a womens chain for a pendant. Anyone have any pros or cons to this?

My niece's tiara broke. I have a soldering iron and lead-free electrical solder. Is that a good way to reconnect the metal pieces?

https://preview.redd.it/zlbmhq2g5qzd1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71cac065d335afae80ccd0504997c448478f1d27

I have a rock collection and I would like to convert the rocks (precious and not) into cut stones for jewelry like what one would see inlaid in a crown or something similar thereunto. What tools would I need to cut and polish these stones? Also, how would I go about getting into this specific hobby?

I’m making my own jump rings with brass & copper filled craft wire, but I feel like the 22g is too thin for a jump ring… any suggestions or should I just send it?

Has anyone successfully plated gold with Rhodium and made it stick? My jeweler put Rhodium on my ring numerous times and everything it starts to wear off after a few hours of wearing. It is always in the same spots where it has rubbed off. All help is greatly appreciated!!

Hi everyone! My niece and cousin are into pageantry and I’m looking to try and start making earrings (I feel like it’s hard to find some that goes with a specific outfits). And I would like to see if it’s possible to solder rhinestones to make those gaudy earrings. 🤣

My questions are as follows:

1. Are there specific rhinestones that need to be used or can almost anything be used?

2. What are the best tools in your opinion?

3. What soldering wire would be best?

4. Do you have any extra advice to pass along?

Any help and advice is appreciated! I’m clearly a newb! 🤣 Thanks so much in advance! 🫶

I've seen in several places including in videos like these two, people are making some quite cool rings with inlays using epoxy resins or CA glue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYVXRfH4j6c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HE7OX4zVws

I've spoken to a local jeweller however who is concerned that they wont last well in an everyday wear, with the epoxy/glue either tarnishing over time or weakening and failing altogether as it gets exposed repeatedly to moisture heat etc.

Does anyone have any experience with such designs and any idea of what to expect long term? Any tips for which compounds to use or avoid?

One suggestion from the jeweller was to look at an enamel, but unsure if you can get clear enamel (and the point is to showcase what's in the inlay, not the epoxy itself).

Open to any and all suggestions (including 'this is a bad idea - avoid it' if that's the case)

Hello folks o/

Im planning to get into making ear cuffs for myself, as my body rejects piercing. I'm having trouble figuring out where to even buy charms. More specifically, charms that have that gothic/witchy vibe.

By charms I mean little decorative pieces with loops in them already. Is there a way to attach charms without a loop (my brain goes to super glue).

Im completely new to this, so I apologize if these seem like obvious answers!

Hello!

I am wondering about everyone's experiences with selling their jewelry online. I know that Etsy is a popular one but I am interested in more independent experiences. I am currently looking at Shopify or similar alternatives that allow for much nicer customization options, since I plan on doing all of the marketing and SEO myself. Anyone else has had any positive experiences with Shopify or similar?