When I talk to people who are just thinking about getting into jewelry making, I often get asked, “Is jewelry making expensive?”
A reader named Francine just asked me again by email so I thought I’d share my reply for you newbies out there who are wondering too.
Here’s the answer I gave Francine:
“Hi Francine,
Creating your own jewelry definitely can be expensive. Many people start out with this hobby to save money but end of spending way more than they would ever pay for a finished piece of jewelry! In fact, many people start selling jewelry for no other reason than to support their bead addiction.
That said, it doesn’t have to be costly depending on what style of jewelry you like.
Here’s an example of pricey: my mommy bracelets are made of highest quality sterling silver and swarovski crystal and they cost me $40-$80 per bracelet just for supplies.
Then again, you can easily make jewelry from inexpensive supplies for $5 or less.
The good quality tools are costly though. You certainly don’t need really expensive tools to make nice jewelry, but you do get what you pay for!
If you are just going to try it out you might want to take a class at a bead store before you invest in tools. They’ll usually let you use theirs.”