Jewelry Making with Wire and Beads -- Skills a Beginner Needs to Know

• Cutting Jewelry Wire with Flush Cutters
   
• Straightening Jewelry Wire by Hand or with Nylon Jaw Pliers
   
• How to Bend Jewelry Wire Using Bent Chain Nose Pliers
   
• Making a "P" Loop in Jewelry Wire Using Round Nose Pliers
   
• Making a "P" Loop in Jewelry Wire using Fine Step Jaw Pliers  
   
• Making an Eye Loop in Jewelry Wire Using Round Nose Pliers
   
• Making an Open Loop Using Bent Chain Nose, Round Nose Pliers and Flush Cutter
   
• Making a Wrapped Loop including the Wrapped Bead Loop Using Bent Chain Nose and Round Nose Pliers
   
• Opening and Closing Loops and/or Jump Rings Using Bent Chain Nose Pliers
   
• Making Connectors including the Figure 8 Connector Using Round Nose Pliers and a Flush Cutter
   
• Making Loops in 16 Gauge and Larger Gauges of Jewelry Wire
   
• Making an Open Jump Ring Finding 
   
• Making Wire Components Using a WigJig Jewelry Making Tool
   
• Connecting Components to Make Simple Earrings
   
• Connecting Components to Make Chain for Bracelets, Necklaces and other Jewelry Items.
   
• How to harden wire to make permanent wire components.
  
  Some More Advanced Techniques:
   
• Making a Head Pin Jewelry Finding
   
• Making an Ear Wire Jewelry Finding 
   
• Making a Clasp Jewelry Finding
   
• Making Jewelry with Snap-Fit and other Press to Fit Settings
   
• Making Earrings using Ear Threads

Finally, you can view videos on making jewelry here:

• WigJig Jewelry Making Videos

If you can accomplish the skills identified above you should be able to make jewelry pieces as simple as the earrings shown below left or as complex as the bracelet below right.  Please select any text in red above to view our instructions for that technique.  In many cases the web page associated with the skill above will also have links to additional information on that skill. 

While we have a lot of free information available here, for some people, more detail may be appropriate.  For those people who want more detail on these skills purchase of our online book, "Wire Design Basics", may be appropriate.  You can find this online book in our internet store here.

Please select the next topic below or continue with page 1 of our Beginner's Jewelry Making Instructions. 

You can navigate to all of our free instructions for making jewelry here.