I haven't, but, strangely enough, the same thought struck me this summer. Perhaps because I often try to fix wire jewelry that has bent or broken, and don't have the right tools or technique. It would be a great skill to make jewelry.

I've made some in the past - beaded bracelets and earrings. Beading requires some specific tools I didn't know what to do with, so I had some help from an experienced friend when getting started. After that I just experimented on my own to figure out what worked and bought lots of PRETTY BEADS!

Some years ago I found many Mallard feathers and I went about the business of making some earnings with them. I had no idea what I was doing but that was part of the fun. I also did some bead-work; necklaces, bracelets, some weaving.

I started by going to the craft store and just looking at all the supplies and figuring out what each was for. There are so many fancier choices and bead colors and types. Just immerse yourself in it all and do it to have fun.

Funny you should mention this. My wife likes to shop at Michaels and I, being a dutiful hubby, will often go with her. Last trip I decided to buy a bunch of different beads, wire and findings to make a necklace and a pair of earrings. I carefully designed the necklace and then put it in a box and forgot it. This post may just get me to look for that box.

What kind of jewelry do you want to make? There's beaded jewelry, knit/crocheted wire jewelry, carved or cast stuff... I have a friend who makes her own glass beads, too, using lampworking and fused glass, which is pretty awesome.

I did art metal in high school. Doing things with a jeweler's saw (cutting flat metal), pounding pieces into 3D shapes, using patinas, etc. was super, super fun. We also did stained glass, which was pretty easy (but, you know, sometimes hard to get right!). Then we moved into lost wax casting, which was also super fun, and in some ways easier: we did the carving, smoothing, etc. with different kinds of wax and tools we heated over a relatively small flame (basically an oil lamp), then cast them by literally throwing the molten metal into them with centrifugal force. It made me feel very Thor-like :)

I'll bet you could get into some of those things. Obviously not everyone has a centrifugal casting setup, but if you live near a college or university, they sometimes offer different ways to provide access to a craftshop. Most stained glass places have setups, too.

Also, you could, um, string stuff on cords, and it would look neat.

I'm thinking wire and beads, but I'm not really sure. I don't really like carving, though, so probably nothing that involves carving.

I haven't done any jewellery making in a long time. I'm self-taught, but I've never made anything very complicated. Michaels is a good place to start unless you have a bead shop in your area. They're more likely to have a better selection and better quality of beads and findings. They are also, usually, staffed with people who know what they're doing. And, of course, there are lots of online bead shops (I haven't used any so I can't give any recommendations).

The Michaels link in my previous post has video tutorials. Haven't looked at them yet, but they may be a good starting point.

My mom beads a lot, it's a nice hobby and she likes giving them away as gifts. She doesn't take classes but she "beads" with some girls at work and they've been getting increasingly ambitious and discussing the differences between types of wire and so on.

deborah, there is a Michael's very nearby, as well as a few indie bead shops. It looks like one of the independent shops has a beginner's class, so maybe that's the place to start for me.

I do a little beading. I got into it very reluctantly, because I already have so many hobbies that I try not to acquire anymore, but I had some thrift shop necklaces I wanted to rework and then some strings of beads in the shops I visited looked just irresistible, so I bit the bullet and bought some basic tools and supplies. Besides making a number of things for me, I've made a couple of necklaces for some of my nieces for this Christmas. It's easy and quick and can be very cost-efficient.

I'm planning on giving my mother some basic beading supplies and equipment for Christmas as she has spoken of wanting to update some of her old jewelry by reworking it a little.