If you’ve decided to pursue jewelry making as a hobby or business, you might be wondering what materials you should pick up to get started. First, you’ll need various metals and decorative pieces to construct your jewelry. Certain metals can be difficult to obtain, so here is a quick list of some of the best metals for beginner jewelry makers to use.
Plated Gold and Silver
Gold and silver are some of the highest-quality metals for jewelry making. However, unless you have old gold jewelry lying around and a smelting equipment kit, gold can be difficult to obtain and work with. You wouldn’t want to waste these precious metals while you’re learning, so consider obtaining plated gold and silver for practice. These plated metals boast the same beautiful appearance without the steep price tag.
Copper
Compared with gold and silver, copper is a much more affordable choice for beginner jewelry makers. It is also malleable, which makes it easy to manipulate without smelting and complex metalworking tools. Many beginners’ jewelry-making courses have students practice with copper wire due to its ease of use. However, if you want to use copper for more advanced methods, one of the ways to use smelted copper in blacksmithing is making jewelry. This means you can continue to experiment with this metal as your skills grow.
Brass
Brass is another affordable option for beginners getting into jewelry making. It has a yellow, warm tone resembling gold. So if you’re looking for a cheaper gold alternative, consider using brass. Brass is also a common metal for costume jewelry applications, which is a great area for beginners to start creating in.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is a metal that is popular in appliances and manufacturing for its strength; however, this metal is also popular in fashion jewelry and watchmaking. Stainless steel makes an ideal jewelry base because of its scratch-resistant properties and shiny appearance. In fact, at a passing glance, stainless steel can look like silver and other precious metals. It also has built-in corrosion resistance to help prevent rust and breakdowns from age.
Use this list of the best metals for beginner jewelry making as you start to obtain the tools and materials you need. Having a variety of metals from this list allows you to experiment with different metallic strengths, flexibility, and other qualities to practice your skills.
