When first starting beading as a hobby the first thing you need to do is learn all about jewelry making tools and their proper usage. Some of the tools are very easy to use and you will pick it up fairly quickly. However some tools take longer to become skilled at using. Your first jewelry project won’t require too much knowledge with regards the basic tools, but as you advance in your craft you will start to want to make more intricate pieces and this is where some knowledge of some safety tips in jewelry making will be needed.
Most of the time working safely is down to common sense and just being careful. The real problems of safety can start when you start producing your own materials. For custom jewelry most jewelers will make some of their own materials, like handmade glass beads. These are very beautiful when custom made and add that extra touch of class to your designs. The process and techniques needed to make these require more sophisticated tools and this is where safety is extremely important. Tools requires for glass beads are of an extremely high temperature and as such it is vital that you take all necessary precautions not only to protect yourself from injury, but also to ensure that there is no chance of any fire starting in your workshop. You don’t want to lose all your hard work due to negligence.
To create a simple loop you should use 20 gauge wire or a head pin. You would use a head pin if you only need one side of your bead(s) to have a loop. You would use the wire if you need to create loops on both ends of the bead. As you can see, a head pin is perfect for creating dangles for earrings and for dangles to hang off your necklace. A loop on each end of a bead allows that bead to be hooked on both ends for creative design purposes.
The instructions here for a simple wire loop will show a 2? head pin… but you can use this method on your wire of choice.
Step 1. With your flat-nose pliers, grasp the wire at least 1/2? from the end.
Step 2. Using your finger, press the wire over the pliers creating a 90 degree angle
Step 3. With your round-nose pliers, grasp the wire close to the bend, with the wire close to tips of the pliers. (Where the wire is located on the round-nose pliers will determine the diameter of the loop. You should have the wire where the arrow is pointing in the photo.)
Step 4. Roll the pliers toward the bend… use your finger to press the wire around the pliers to form a loop… with the tail of the wire laying at a 90 degree angle across the bend.
Step 5. Cut the wire close to the bend.
