Tags
accessories, Budget, Colours, DIY, Fashion, Fashion General, jewellery, jewelry, outfit ideas, Polymer Clay, Skin tone, Statement jewellery, style, What to Wear
Anyone who has read a few of our blog posts knows how important accessories are to our approach to fashion and you may have picked up that I can’t resist an opportunity to look at YouTube clips. Which is my way of trying to legitimize the HOURS I have spent looking at clips of people making their own accessories, you see if I write a blog post about it, it was “research” and not “a total waste of time when I should have been doing something much more worthwhile”.
The major advantage of hand-made jewellery is that it is always one of a kind, even if you have got your inspiration from some one else or pop culture it will still have little quirks that make it yours. Another advantage is cost, despite the fact that some DIY methods require a cost outlay to begin with the variety, uniqueness and quality of the pieces help make it money well spent. The final factor I would mention is fun, I had a blast making my own pieces and I am sure you would too.
There are a number of ways you can make your own pieces of jewellery and the results really come down to your level of creativity and skill. I have limited supplies of both but my, albeit limited, successes gives me hope for the future.
How to get started:
Recycle what you already have – I had a lot of jewellery that was languishing due to one minor fault or another.
Because I have large wrists a lot of my bracelets were a bit stretched or I couldn’t wear then because they were tight. So I re-threaded a number of my bracelets to come up with some cute new designs that are comfortable. Given my limited creativity it was a perfect and simple project and the results have encouraged me to take a plunge into the slightly deeper waters of actual jewellery making.
I unfortunately have a habit of losing earrings which means I have some beautiful “strays” that I like too much to part with, I used a few really cute earrings to create some new pendants.
Start from scratch – Depending on your budget there are so many ways you can go with this and literally millions of sites willing to offer advice and the tools to get you started.
I am particularly drawn the cute whimsy of Polymer clay pieces as seen here for example but probably would never have the skill or patience required to recreate my favourite designs.
I like the idea of creating my own pieces around pop culture references (I am a nerd and I’m proud of it), these types of items use prefabricated parts and I think even I could handle the assembly required to make these types of necklaces and bracelets.
If you like hand-made jewellery but don’t think you could do it yourself, sites like Etsy and madeit offer an excellent handmade alternative. Just be careful to shop around as Etsy in particular is host to plenty of resellers and you may be able to get the same “One of a kind” item at a much cheaper price elsewhere.
How to wear it:
Bold choices can help make an outfit go from average to awesome!
Jewellery choices define and complement your personal style, they are also a sustained celebrity trend.
Are you crafty, have you ever made your own jewellery?
Where do you stand on the “statement piece” concept, do take risks with your accessories or do you prefer to play it safe?
ABCs of Style. 
Great ideas. I too lack creativity and skill, but I would love to try making my own jewellry one day.
Do it!!!!! You won’t regret it.
I only did a few items but I was ridiculously proud of myself :p
Whoa. I didn’t even think to make rogue earrings into pendants. Thanks for the idea Bec.
Also on this note – “Just be careful to shop around as Etsy in particular is host to plenty of resellers and you may be able to get the same “One of a kind” item at a much cheaper price elsewhere.”
^ Have a look at http://www.regretsy.com/category/compare-and-save/ and see what some sellers get up too!
I love regretsy! So funny.
I have always been in the conservative jewellery category. I keep it really simple, so much so that I wondered why after reading your awesome post Bec. I have come to the conclusion that it’s more about me not wanting to draw attention to myself in any way, shape or form. I have loads of beautiful jewellery that I have been given over the years, but if it wasn’t simple enough for me to consider it, it has been left gathering dust in my jewellery box.
Your beautiful collections and design ideas have inspired to me to try stepping out of my comfort zone and put some of those pieces to use, and use it as a tester for colours and styles that I wouldn’t have considered for myself before.
I am also going to gather up my broken and damaged pieces and spend an afternoon on my upcoming holiday with my daughter, working on making something new and special out of what we have.
Sounds great Maz! I would recommend in investing in a cheap pair of needle nose pliers, thin silver tone/ gold tone wire and very thin elastic (fishing line or dental floss is also a good low budget alternative) for the jewellery reinvention project. You’ll have such a great time. I pulled the beads off 4 bracelets I never wore and made one necklace and two other bracelets that I really love, its cheap and fun. Imagine if you got together with a bunch of people and pooled your “resources” the possibilities for creation would be endless.
I used to have a theory that I would only wear real gems (only proper diamonds for example) and I think it came from the same place of not wanting to look like I was showing off or if I was discreet enough people might not notice I wasn’t perfect (to be honest I was hoping they wouldn’t notice I was fat, but the premise still applies regardless of what part of yourself you see as less than perfect).
I gave up on it eventually because I LOVE bright colours and experimenting with jewellery and I was sick of missing out.
I still forget that I have the right to enjoy myself from time to time but in general the fun of putting something together every day keeps me motivated.