How To Reduce Costs When Making Your Own Jewelry
Posted on: 10 May 2016
Making your own jewelry, whether it's to sell or to wear yourself, can be a very rewarding hobby. It can also be an expensive one! If you're not careful, you can end up spending as much on the supplies to make a necklace as you would on a similar necklace from a retailer. If you're looking to keep costs down when purchasing your jewelry-making supplies, here are a few tips that will help.
Buy wholesale when possible.
There are bound to be some items you use regularly when making jewelry -- things like plain, gold chains, leather cords, fasteners, and perhaps some types of beads. If you buy these items one at a time in individual packages from a craft store, you'll end up paying a fortune. Look instead for jewelry wholesalers, like Elite Jewelry and Loan, and buy in bulk. Sure, you have to come up with the cash up front, but you'll save in the long run -- both on the items and on gas to get to and from the craft store!
Go in with other crafters on purchases.
Do you need one brown bead, but they come in packs of twelve? Maybe you can get a bulk order of cord for slightly more than the small order, but you cannot imagine every using all of it. See if any other jewelry-makers you know are willing to share. You can each pay for half and split the supplies. This way, you won't be paying for extras that will just kick around your jewelry-making kit for years.
Keep your eyes open at garage sales.
People pick up jewelry making as a hobby all the time, but few stick with it. Keep your eyes open at garage sales, and you might spot beads, charms, and other supplies that others have purchased and never used. At garage sale prices, you can afford to buy these items "just in case" or style a piece around them. Don't be afraid to make the person selling the items a lower offer if you buy several items or a big collection.
Consider rehabbing old pieces.
Instead of making absolutely every piece of jewelry from scratch, consider re-building and embellishing existing jewelry. You can find a lot of beaded pieces, in particular, at consignment shops and thrift stores. Take them apart, add a few different beads to suit your style, and you have a whole new piece at the fraction of a cost. You could even start buying up older jewelry you see, taking it apart completely, and then combining beads and charms from various pieces in new ways.
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