Human ornamentation is a vast and limitless topic — so it can be a little overwhelming to try to figure out which supplies you might need to get started with jewelry making.
Even if you’re a billionaire, you could go broke buying all the interesting jewelry making supplies the world has to offer — especially if you want to make jewelry using precious metals and precious stones.
So, the first lesson you need to learn when shopping for jewelry supplies: You should consciously select the supplies you want to used based on the type of jewelry project you want to make. This will help you avoid wasting money on extra, unnecessary supplies that won’t actually get used.
It’s important to resist the urge to go crazy buying all the pretty beads and jewelry supplies that look interesting. There are lots of different supplies out there to tempt you, but you don’t need them all. You can be selective.
The jewelry making supplies you’ll need really depend on what type of jewelry you want to make.
A few examples:
Do you want to make beaded jewelry?
If so, you’ll need beads, a beading needle, findings, wire, fiber or cord. Depending on the specifics of the design you have in mind, you’ll probably also need a few tools and a few other supplies.
But if you don’t want your jewelry to be beaded, obviously, you can skip buying the beading needle and the beads; you won’t need them.
Do you want to make wire-wrapped jewelry? If wire wrapping is your art form of choice, you’ll need wire plus objects to wrap it around — perhaps polished stones or similar pretties. You’ll also need findings, tools and a few other supplies.
But wire isn’t a necessity for all types of jewelry making, so if you aren’t interested in wire wrapping or crocheting with wire, you can skip buying it.
Do you want to crochet jewelry? If so, you’ll need a material to crochet with — perhaps crochet thread, embroidery floss, wire or some other similar material; a hook to crochet it with; and a few other findings, tools and supplies.
But if you don’t want to crochet your jewelry, obviously, you won’t need the crochet hook; furthermore, you’ll probably be better off buying cord that’s specifically made for jewelry projects, rather than crochet thread.
And then there’s also the possibility of combining multiple jewelry making techniques in the same project — for example, you can combine beads, crochet and wire wrapping, all into the same jewelry piece. So in that case, you’d need to buy the necessary supplies for doing all of those techniques.
Imporant Takeaway: there is no easy way to make one single list covering all the possibilities for different supplies you might want.
Here’s what I suggest: If you’re new to jewelry making, pick a project you want to make — and then start out by buying the supplies you need for making just that one specific project.
Then, make the project and see how you enjoy the process.
Then, from there, you can decide whether you want to keep going with that same technique, or try something different.
Crochet was one of the first craft techniques I learned how to do as a young child. So, I tend to prefer making crocheted jewelry. If you spend some time looking around the jewelry making project ideas I’ve posted at this website, you’ll quickly realize that most of them are crochet projects.
If you’d enjoy crocheting your jewelry, I invite you to take a look around at the projects and pick one that you might like to make. The projects all include supply lists you’ll need for making the projects. I recommend adding crimp beads and a crimping tool to the supplies list if I didn’t include them.
But otherwise, the following general list of supplies might spark some ideas for projects you’ll want to make.
A General List of Useful Jewelry Making Supplies to Keep on Hand
Gold Beads
If you enjoy beadwork, bead knitting, bead crochet or bead embroidery, consider using gold beads to make your project. These beads have intrinsic value that will help to ensure your projects will turn out to be valuable ones. Search, in particular, for genuine 14 karat gold beads, because 14-karat gold jewelry is highly sought after with the fashionable set.
Silver Beads
Silver beads are stylish yet timeless. They, too, make gifts that will have lasting value, particularly if you choose high quality sterling silver beads.
Dichroic Glass Pendants
Do you enjoy making unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry, bead knitting or bead crochet projects? And does your sense of style include lots of sparkly, eye-catching details? If you need to find a truly impressive focal point for a jewelry making project, a dichroic glass pendant might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Jewelry Tools
There are countless jewelry tools that are useful to have on hand when you’re making jewelry. I invite you to check out this beginner’s guide to jewelry tools to find the most important essential basics.
Thanks for checking out this list of suggestions for jewelry making supplies. I hope this information is helpful to you as you get set up to make exquisite new jewelry pieces.
You’re Invited to Stay Awhile, and to Come Back Again Soon!
If you love jewelry making, and you’re interested in building both your jewelry making skills and your library of project ideas, I invite you to become a regular reader of this website. I don’t want you to miss out on seeing the latest project ideas, book reviews, and tutorials I’ll be posting. You can make sure you don’t lose track of this site by signing up for my newsletter and community at Substack.
Basic subscriptions are free; I send out regular newsletters to let my subscribers know about new craft articles and tutorials as they are posted. I also share details about the craft projects I’m working on, and invite my readers to share their projects, too. So there is no need to feel like it’s just you, crafting all alone at home. I’d love to have you join us! You’re invited!!
By Amy Solovay
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About Your Book Reviewer:
Amy Solovay is a real, live, human content creator and educator who holds an Associate of Arts degree in Textile Design from FIDM LA (The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Sweet Briar College. She is NOT a robot and does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to write book reviews or articles for this website.
Amy learned to crochet as a small child, and she still enjoys crocheting jewelry all these years later.
As an educator, Amy Solovay used to teach in-person college courses in trend forecasting, marketing and surface design at California Design College in Los Angeles. Nowadays she uses online platforms for sharing her knowledge about textiles, crafts, current color trends and current design trends.
This page was last updated on 1-7-2026.