Don't be fooled: I don't own a soldering iron or have a drawer full of gemstones (though that is the eventual goal). I wouldn't even say that jewellery making is a full-on hobby of mine, but it is something I want to develop and get better at. I have made a few bits of jewellery before, and though it can be quite fiddly and difficult, there's nothing more rewarding than being complimented on something you created yourself!
Given that I didn’t properly start wearing jewellery until coming to university, I had no other reason to make jewellery than to gift it to other people (thank you loom bands for all the creations I made in primary school).
It was a trip to Seaburn that lit the jewellery-making flame inside me. I went with some friends at the start of this year to search for sea glass, another satisfying hobby, to collect some gorgeous pieces to make jewellery with.
With just some pliable wire, pliers, earring hooks and necklace chains, I was able to create several items from the sea glass I collected. Pliable wire (the best being a 1-2mm wire) is perfect for winding around sea glass or stones, enabling you to create spirals or unique designs for necklaces and earrings. I will note that if you want to make rings, you may need a thicker wire for more durability (I learnt this the hard way: through many a squashed ring).
Over the summer I made some toadstool mushroom earrings out of air-dry clay, which I painted myself and glazed with clear nail varnish. I’m not lying when I say that one of the highlights of this year was being complimented by a stranger on my mushroom earrings.
More recently, I attended a jewellery-making workshop where an actual jeweller taught us some tricks for making wire rings and earrings! It was a very inspiring workshop, and I came out of it with a cute pair of earrings and some rings (which are now unfortunately squashed, like the other rings) that I made myself. It’s safe to say that jewellery making is slowly becoming a hobby of mine, and it’s certainly something I want to try more of, not only as I’m eager to get back to Seaburn to search for more sea glass, but because it’s a creative and rewarding past time.
