If you are like me then half of the excitement in starting a new hobby comes from buying all the equipment that is needed! But if you are starting out in jewelry making this can be a costly affair, and this article looks at what you really need to make your first beautiful pieces. I strongly recommend buying equipment only as you need it because one of the things you will learn along the way is that it is well worth saving up for high quality tools.

The first thing you need is a workspace, but rather than buy a dedicated workbench you can just make use of any flat table that you have. You will want to add a desk lamp as working under good light is very important, and you may want to add some mats, or cloth, on which to rest your elbows as you work. When you are soldering and polishing you should do so over a protective ceramic or metal plate.

You probably want to rush out and buy a polishing motor, but as cool as they are you can make do with polishing by hand on your first projects. Also, a small portable soldering set is all you need initially so don’t be rushing out to buy an industrial strength torch. So what the heck should you buy? Well let’s get on with that now…

One set of pliers is not enough, you should invest in: round-nosed pliers, flat-nosed pliers, half-round pliers, and serrated edge pliers. Your round-nosed pliers will be used in wire jewelry, and to make curves and circles. If you want to make a curve without marking the outside then that’s where your half-round pliers come in handy. Flat-nosed pliers are used to hold and bend jewelry. Serrated-edge pliers offer the firmest grip, and are use for manipulating wire jewelry in situations when leaving a mark is not a problem, for example in pulling a wire through an object.

A jeweler’s saw is the most important tools for jewelry making that you will buy, and you should buy the highest quality one that you can afford. They come in a range of different sizes, and to start out a grade 1 blade would be suitable.

These needle files come in packs with a variety of shapes. Those you will use most initially are a flat file, triangular, oval, and half-round so make sure that those are in your pack.

You need two large files: a large flat file, and a large half-round file. You will use the large flat file to remove lumps of solder and make sure that your edges are straight. The half-round file is used for cleaning the inside of jewelry with curves, such as rings.

As I mentioned earlier you don’t need anything of industrial strength. Something that runs off a portable gas cylinder is all you will need at first. Of course, you still need to be careful using it. Other equipment that you will need:

• Binding wire is used to hold the metal pieces together before they are soldered
• A charcoal block is needed for placing objects on before soldering commences
• Insulated tweezers should be used to handle the object during the soldering process
• Rub a borax cone in a dish of water to make the soldering flux
• After soldering you will need a safety pickle, or alum, and some liquid metal cleaner to polish the piece

This classic piece of equipment may seem familiar because it looks like a ring-sizing stick. It is a steel rod that is used to shape rings post-soldering.

It won’t take long for you to realize that you need a hammer. Who would have thought that a regular hammer could have so many uses!?

The great thing about a wooden mallet is that it does not leave marks, and it is often used for shaping and flattening silver. It doesn't spring to mind as one of the classic tools for jewelry making, but it is!

Every good jeweler has a range of wet and dry sandpaper in grades 240 to 1200.

You will find these heavy-duty scissors invaluable for cutting soldering wire, binding wire, jewelry wire, and more.

A vice is a vice, and it has multiple uses in the jewelry-making process, from holding metal to bending it in right angles, need I go on?!

A leather or felt stick is just the thing for the final buffing before you jewelry is ready to be worn. A polishing cloth can also be used.