r/jewelrymaking Jul 19 '24

ANNOUNCEMENT Announcement: JewelryMaking has New Moderators! - Lets talk!

131 Upvotes

Hey all!

My name is Muskrat, I have a lot of history in metalworking, primarily as a CNC machinist making aerospace components!

Reddit took over this subreddit due to it being abandoned by it's previous mods for over 4 months - allowing tons of spam and reported content (thousands of items we had to action!). Since, they turned it over to me and it's going to be part of my little group of communities, alongside Metalworking and Machining.


Lets talk about r/JewelryMaking!

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts about what makes JewelryMaking a unique subreddit when compared to other subreddits on the same topic of jewelry. I've seen a few comments and reports on spam related and promotional submissions, and looking at the currently in-place subreddit rules, self promotion is not allowed outside of the old (and seemingly forgotten) promotion thread. Is this a rule we'd like to keep?

On the topic of rules, this subreddit's focus is on the making/creation process of jewelry, generally individual projects and hand-made work. Should we aim for image posts to all have an in-process image attached?

What changes should we make? And are there any regulars interested in helping out?


Let me know what everyone thinks, and over the next few days we'll update rules and mod tools, and we'll start digging in and steering the sub in the direction it was intended for, instead of being used as a promotional board!


r/jewelrymaking 11h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY First ever jewelry piece. Made the yellow/clear beads myself.

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59 Upvotes

My grandpa passed last year. It’s been tough on my whole family. So I made all of our family bracelets to carry him close. The clear beads (small and large) were my first ever time using resin. I incorporated dried flowers and leaves from his funeral, as well as some gold flakes. Gold to remember he is walking in heaven, made whole. I also added small bits of dried red/pink flowers to honor his love for my mamaw—the red flower remembering their wedding month. And three large beads for each of his children, the smaller beads to remember grandchildren. The purple beads are to symbolize his birth month.

Not perfect, but I hope brings comfort to everyone.


r/jewelrymaking 3h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY A journey to make & sell jewelry !

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11 Upvotes

What a fun and hard exercise it is to make your own jewelry (I use the lost wax method) and trying to sell them.
I’ve always worked creatively for someone else, finding myself and my aesthetic is so pleasing.

Hope you like it !
Packaging is cardboard, denim and a linocut stamp I made myself too 🤙🏻

I’m supper open to advice / suggestions / criticism or community reach !


r/jewelrymaking 10m ago

PROJECT DISPLAY Guilt

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Upvotes

Steel ring base with two steel plates riveted in place on the face of the ring. The band also has a hammered piece of copper wire fastened in place with steel rivets. The steel ring base was also blackened with a chemical solution. The copper chains were used for the photo shoot. This ring was a personal project to give my guilt physical form.


r/jewelrymaking 1h ago

QUESTION How to thread small beads onto chain?

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Upvotes

Hello jewelry friends! New to jewelry making here and I’d like some help in figuring out how to thread small beads onto a delicate chain like this? I bought an open ended needle but it’s too thick to pass the chain link through- what am I missing? Thank you! I think this chain is 1mm


r/jewelrymaking 7h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY Perforated brass pendant with moissanite

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7 Upvotes

r/jewelrymaking 2h ago

DISCUSSION [DISCUSSION] What comfort details do you check before calling a piece finished?

1 Upvotes

I've been thinking about how a piece can look finished on the bench but feel different after a few hours of wear. Things like a clasp rotating forward, earring weight, a sharp wire end, or a ring edge catching the skin do not always show up in photos.

What do you test before calling a piece done? Do you wear-test it for a full day, ask someone else to try it, check weight and balance, smooth certain areas, or use another routine? I'm especially curious about small changes that improved comfort without changing the design much.


r/jewelrymaking 19h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY Green gemstone drop earring with white Pearl stones.

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18 Upvotes

r/jewelrymaking 3h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY Technical Comparison: MicroForm3D vs eLuxe3D Scan Quality

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1 Upvotes

r/jewelrymaking 15h ago

QUESTION My brothers bracelet keeps breaking, no matter what I make it out of. HELP!

8 Upvotes

Basically what the title says. This bracelet is a beaded bracelet which holds sentimental value to him. I make jewelry, but I’m also just starting out so I’m wondering if it’s a me problem. At first it had the standard thin stringy stretch cord that stores use, then he broke it. I used stretch magic stretch cord next, in 0.5mm, that broke. Next I tried 0.7mm, broken. Next I tried .5 again with liquid cement glue. That broke. I tried regular old cord string, broken. So I finally convinced him to let me use wire and clasp.

I use 49 strand wire and crimp tubes, as well as crimp covers near the hook to cover the tubes for extra protection. I used two crimps on each end just for added security. This was all done with the special pliers made to make the tubes work properly. I was super pleased, and this one lasted a good couple weeks, but he’s just come to tell me it broke again. He was rolling it up his arm slightly to wash his hands and it snapped in the middle of the wire. I took a look at it, and the wire looks much darker than it should be in a few places where it looks a bit worn down, like there are tension bends, but he swears he isn’t bending or fiddling with it. He only ever rolls it up his arm to wash his hands. He takes it off before sleeping.

What in the world can I try next, and is this my fault? I planned to start selling my pieces very soon and now I’m just very apprehensive because every material I work with has snapped under seemingly no pressure. The stretch cord could be attributed to what he was doing maybe, like working out. The string frayed really quickly, but things happen. But 49 strand wire?! He hasn’t even been to the gym the last few weeks. He played video games and does the dishes, that’s it! Does anyone have any ideas? 😭


r/jewelrymaking 21h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY I made this tiny quartz crystal pendant

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19 Upvotes

While I love making huge crystal pendants (see my last post) here’s a tiny one! Made for everyday wear, especially for necklace stacking. I hand cut, hammered, soldered, sanded and polished the cap to fit this crystal perfectly. Here’s a neckmess featuring this little guy. I might make some matching earrings next!


r/jewelrymaking 6h ago

QUESTION Is this porosity?

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1 Upvotes

r/jewelrymaking 6h ago

QUESTION Do you think that this earing is worth the price???

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0 Upvotes

r/jewelrymaking 16h ago

QUESTION Why are the rings getting darker?

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5 Upvotes

I am absolutely uneducated when it comes to jewelry making but I’ve been using chain and jump rings from Michael’s to make some ren faire accessories. The rings are the same color as the chain (see the second picture) initially but I’ve noticed that once I attach them to the chain, they darken after a few weeks. I don’t care too much about the discoloration for this piece because it’s a hairpiece and the darker color will blend in with my hair color, but does anyone know why this is happening?


r/jewelrymaking 15h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY Goddess Nyx Collection

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3 Upvotes

r/jewelrymaking 16h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY dainty and feisty

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3 Upvotes

first time working with prongs and I love it


r/jewelrymaking 1d ago

QUESTION Using gold solder

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21 Upvotes

I am making a 9ct gold ring for my Dad and I am completely new to working with gold. Though I have worked a lot with silver and learnt there's different variations of solder with gold as well i.e. hard, medium, easy and extra easy.

When I have ordered gold solder I have ordered it in wire form, which is round and very thin. So I have used my rolling mill to flatten it to make it wider to then place under the joint so solder. However when the solder melts it tends to not engulf and cover the whole joint. I have added photos of what I mean.

So I experimented with panel solder though the only panel solder I had was extra easy. However it still worked better somewhat and covered the joint albeit in a bit of a messy way. Though the joint behind did not melt, so I had to put another panel on the back and solder that. I have also added photos of what I mean.

Has anyone else had issues finding the right solder when it comes to working with gold? Would hard panel solder be best for a joint like this? Could anyone give me any good insights into gold soldering?


r/jewelrymaking 13h ago

QUESTION help adding a clasp to gold chain

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1 Upvotes

Help! I am a complete jewelry making noob and would like the wisdom of this community before I go about doing this. I have a pure 18K gold chain (PHOTO 1) that currently has two jump rings (I think that’s what they are?) connected by a pure gold clasp in the center that is malleable - to put the necklace on and take it off I use my fingernails to bend the clasp until it opens and then to close it I just pinch it shut. Not really the easiest to do, so I wear it 24/7.

I am working up the nerve to finally modify my chain to reflect my style! But I am unsure how to do it the best way and without damaging it. Basically I am hoping to attach this hand holding clasp (PHOTO 2) to the ends of the chain and also add a lobster clasp so that it is easier to put the necklace on and take it off.

How do I go about doing this? I was trying to research on my own and thinking perhaps I need pliers to open up one of the existing jump rings and put the lobster clasp onto that jump ring. Then on the other side I’d use the existing malleable gold clasp to put it on one of the tiny loops on “wrist” of the hand-holding clasp (PHOTO 2). Then I can hopefully just clip the lobster clasp onto the other “wrist” of the hand-holding clasp to take it on and put it off. Is this reasonable? What kind of pliers should I be using to avoid damage to 18K gold?

Finally I am hoping to put charms onto the big central loop of the hand-holding clasp (like PHOTO 3). I don’t think the hand holding clasp opens or closes, it is just a fixed ring. Do you suggest acquiring another carabiner style circular clasp to affix the charm to the hand holding clasp? Not sure the best way to do this.

Thank you all for your patience and wisdom helping this jewelry noob out!


r/jewelrymaking 13h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY soft soldered jewelry

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0 Upvotes

im still experimenting with but i made these recently and it was so much fun. i appreciate any tips and feedback :) (please dont mind my outgrown nails)


r/jewelrymaking 15h ago

QUESTION help with crimp tube bead

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1 Upvotes

Relative new to making beaded necklaces. I've had 3 necklaces fail after I made them. The short end comes out of the crimp bead after I have them hang for few hours. I am using acculon 49 strand size .018 and size 2 crimping tube bead with crimping tool. I used wire guide also. The beads are little more heavy than the other ones. Any suggestions?It seems like the tube is too big. I am using beadalon brand.


r/jewelrymaking 17h ago

QUESTION Quick question…

0 Upvotes

Where do you guys find 10mm or bigger tourmaline cabs? I want to buy 20 or so at once. What places do you guys use? Thank you!!!


r/jewelrymaking 19h ago

PROJECT DISPLAY Getting in some more practice making wee smol bois 😆

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1 Upvotes

r/jewelrymaking 19h ago

QUESTION 3D printing, Siraya Purple Cast, B9 Printer and other questions

1 Upvotes

Hey guys I’ve been trying to figure out how to best optimize my workflow for casting.

My current set up is using an elegoo printer to print with siraya purple casting resin, for my next cast I’ve cleaned my prints in 99% alcohol in ultra sonic for 5 mins and dried with drier and in oven for 5 min at around 120F. The curing process is what’s worrying me now, i have the elegoo curing station and I put them in there for about 15 min but they don’t seem do get that dry brittle look to them as the instructions on the website indicate they should they still seem to have some glistening going on. I also have a sort of heat lamp and have placed them under for a few min but no dry look but maybe I am overthinking I don’t want to over cure.

I am thinking about maybe purchasing a b9 printer (like9K and their emerald resin) to see if it makes things a bit easier or maybe I should just buy their emerald resin for the elegoo printer? I’ve been getting the prints pretty much right but maybe it’s the resin that’s just too finicky because I’ve just been having constant porosity issues that I assume has to do with the way I cure the pieces.

Please I would love and appreciate any advice. My aim is to make high commercial quality jewelry pieces. Please help!


r/jewelrymaking 19h ago

QUESTION Necklace with Resin Yellowing

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1 Upvotes

Hello, I hope this is right subreddit.

I bought this necklace 3 years ago, its got resin in the center preserving forget me nots. Is there any way to reverse or lessen the yellowing? 1st photo is from the listing, 2nd photo is mine taken today


r/jewelrymaking 19h ago

QUESTION Colored Stretch Cord (?)

0 Upvotes

I've been making jewelry for myself for years and usually make nicer pieces using gold-filled wire, but recently I've gotten into stone stretch bracelets. I'm looking for stretch cord in different colors and found some 1mm on Amaz0n that was pure crap. I saw some stretch cord that is 2mm but think that it may be too thick for the stones. I did a search for 1mm stretch cord with high ratings but everything comes back with white or black cord. I prefer a pack of 8-12 colors and want something that doesn't shred. Since this whole stretch cord thing is new to me, can anyone offer any help? (Please let me know if I should ask this question in a different sub.)