those of you that make jewelry

[OnlyWantsOne]

Where is the best place to buy the basics to get satarted making things?

• and what would I need to start making bracelets etc

bump

Ebay,or JBS beads are very good.Depends on what sort of bracelets you want to make.Memory wire is very easy,it comes in coils and you cut off as many coils as you need,but you will need special memory wire cutters to cut it with-it will ruin any other tools.If you want to make things out of seed beads [the tiny ones] you will need beading thread [nymo] and beading needles,plus whatever clasps you prefer.I'll go and look at my jewellery making books to see what the best one for beginners is.

www.beads.co.uk are good too and reasonably priced :)

www.creativebeadcraft.co.uk are well priced.

The Stone Corner in Hastings, or beads.co.uk. Or buy old beaded jewellery from charity shops etc and remake it into something fab.

and what tools do you think I need?

(God I am useless)

Needle nose pliers - at least 2 pairs.
Epoxy glue
Drug bags to keep all your bits neat

any good books?

Mine are all packed away pending turning the spare room into a craft room,but a good all rounder is 'a compendium of beading techniques' by Jean Power,and also 'The beader's bible',by Dorothy Wood.

Have a look on Aunties Beads, www.auntiesbeads.com/Beading-Center.html an american bead shop. They do video demos for all kinds of things. They don't ship to the UK but the tutorials are really good. On e-bay KS2 and Ang's Attic are reliable shops with very reasonable prices when you first start.

Only, depends what you want to do. Example, for stringing or working with wire, you'd need cutting pliers as well as round nose and chain nose pliers. If you do beadweaving you only need needles and thread (nymo or fireline).

I have a thick book on different techniques but will have to give you the title tomorrow. Also check the web and you tube, there are lots of free tutorials. Enjoy! :)