Written by Jood, Teen Volunteer
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I recently fell into a Pinterest loop of endless DIY jewelry designs and ended up finding something that I really enjoyed making. Not only have I created traditional gold wire rings, but I’ve also designed earrings, necklaces, clay rings, and ring holders.
As a lot of videos online only show you the outcome and not so much the process—which is what I like to look into more—I’ve decided to share my ideas, opinions, and processes of how I created my own jewelry.
Ideas
My sense of style tends to change almost weekly, so I decided to create jewelry based on a variety of fashion styles and aesthetics. For inspiration I saved photos from multiple social media platforms, and even simple Google searches with the main colour combinations in mind being black, white, blue, green, and pink, paired with gold.
Some of the main aesthetics I wanted to try and match these colours to, were dark winter themes and light spring themes.
The Process
1. Wire Creations
I started off by making wire jewelry as it only required pliers, gold wire, and beads with a hole big enough for the wire to fit through. For the pliers, I used a pack of three smaller sized ones from Dollarama, all with different noses so I could cut, shape, and flatten the wire easily. I then used gold wire and beads from my local Michaels craft store.
As for actually creating the rings, it was much easier than I thought it would be. Once I figured out how to make one, I automatically started piecing together new ideas for how to make more and it started coming naturally to me, the more rings I made.
I also found that every now and then I got a ring design that seemed to go completely south—but don’t throw those away! I ended up making gold butterfly earrings out of a ring that did not go my way at all, really the best way to get an outcome like this is just to fidget with your failed ring until you end up with a unique design that you love even more.
Lastly, the best way to get your jewelry to match your outfits or aesthetic is to add beads. I found that smaller and matte beads made my rings have an expensive look to them and made it easier to mix them in with gold coloured rings I already owned. I would also recommend buying a small pack of jewelry clasps and necklace chain to make a matching set of rings, earrings, and a necklace.
2. Clay Creations
I then began making ring holders and a few clay rings using polyester clay and baking it in the oven, making sure to only leave the rings in there for just ten minutes.
It definitely took longer than I thought but I’d say the best advice for making ring holders is to keep in mind that they could be absolutely anything. For example, the biggest jewelry tray I made was about 5X2 inches big, and included three cacti to hold the rings on. Each cacti being coloured and sized a bit differently and the floor of the tray being a few shades of pink.
Another tray I made was a flat circle with a little face outlined by a thin strip of rolled clay, which I coloured a deep cyan. I also recreated some trending ring designs I found on social media which included really bright tones that I hadn’t had much experience working with, like lime green, but would definitely recommend trying.
As you can see, the ring holders and clay rings are where you can really get creative with the shapes, colours, and sizes to match your aesthetic or even take your room décor to a new level. I would also recommend always using a final coat of Mod Podge over your clay jewelry holders and rings if you decide to paint them.
My thoughts
I think that there’s something for everyone when it comes to jewelry making. Of course, you can make jewelry to match your aesthetic, outfit, or even nail colour; but you can also use the same supplies to make something to add to your key chain or even make your own pant chain design. We also can’t forget about the fact that homemade gifts are usually the ones people love most and you can easily make matching jewelry for you and your friends or family.
As for my own experience, I found a new hobby for myself in jewelry making! I find that nowadays, as I’m doing my homework, I’ll spend the twenty-minute breaks I give myself making a ring or scrolling through my phone for more inspiration.
I would definitely recommend jewelry making for anyone who wants to take their fashion game to the next level, get better at designing or coming up with your own ideas, likes to constantly change up your style, or just trying to stay creative when school starts to get too busy.
About the writer
My name is Jood Shikara and I’m 16 years old. I have a dwarf hamster named Sesame who lives luxuriously. My life these days tends to centre around him and I am not mad about it! I’ve always thought learning was really fun but I like learning specifically about things that they don't teach you in school, like how to take care of a hamster! I love trying and learning about different styles of art because I want to channel my creativity in new and interesting ways.
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