Go on, then! I’ll even get you started.
We hear that a lot – both directly and indirectly – us jewellery makers. Anyone crafty, really. That someone else could make the thing we made. And yeah, they probably could make that thing, but 1) pointing it out is a little rude, and 2) they should know it’s a really lovely feeling knowing that, of all the handcrafted pieces available to them, somebody else chose the thing I made, to own for themselves even though they also could probably make the thing too.
Right now I’m working on putting together jewellery making kits for beaded bracelets and necklaces that you will be able to make for someone special. Yourself can be that someone special, if you like.
There are lots of kits available elsewhere already, but more often than not, once you have your completed piece, you’re left with a load of bits and bobs that might be useless to you and will just end up being chucked away. Also, they tend to be aimed at children or younger teens, so the packaging reflects this.
And it’s the packaging that I gave the most of my focus to when I started jotting down my ideas about the kits. I want it to look “grown up”, but more importantly, I want to be sure that anything left over can be recycled or disposed of with minimal waste.
Let’s start with the sleeve box it all arrives in:
- Slim enough to fit through a letterbox; ideal if you’re sending it as a surprise gift to someone else who likes to make things, or if it’s for you and you know you won’t be in to collect it.
- Made from Kraft card that is 100% recyclable. And roomy enough to use it to store other bits and pieces, so you might want to keep it for storage. Somewhere to keep other jewellery, pehaps? Makeup? Sweets? Sewing stuff? It’s 2022, we can give the Danish biscuit tins a rest now. Maybe glue a fabric tab on the sleeve to keep it easy to open? You could discard the outer sleeve bit and just use the box as a little tray for bedside stuff.
- If you are giving it as a gift, cover it – sleeve and all – with wrapping paper, tie a pretty ribbon around it, et voilà! Now it’s a gift box! And someone else’s problem!
- For what it’s worth, my personal advice would be to put the empty box on the floor and see how long it takes for your cat to try getting in it. You should then tag me in any pics or videos you post.
What other packaging paraphernalia will you find in the box?
- A little square of Kraft card to keep the beading needles in one place while you’re not using them. Once the jewellery piece is made, keep the little card so you don’t lose the needles, or repurpose it as a bookmark or something.
- A cute little velvety pouch which serves as an easy gift-wrap option if you’ve made the jewellery as a present for someone else. Or as something to store it in if it’s for yourself. If you have somewhere else to store your new handcrafted jewellery piece though, there are still plenty of ways you can make use of the pouch. You could fill it with cedar and hang it in your wardrobe to keep moths out. Or keep your crystals in there. Or other jewellery? Not with the piece you made, though. It’s best to store jewellery pieces on their own if you can help it.
And now it’s time to talk about the jewellery you’re making. There will be a few options. Whether you choose precious metal or precious metal-plated, or semi-precious stone beads or synthetic, everything will still have been packed with the same care for quality and ease of use.
As you will know from my previous posts, I’m a fan of a particular type of synthetic pearls, so I want you to be aware that any pearls in my kits or ready-finished pieces of jewellery will be these synthetic ones. For one, it will keep the kits and pieces far more affordable than if they were genuine pearls.
I am looking at other stones – genuine semi-precious stones – and crystals, to include in the kits in case pearls are not your thing. My favourite is labradorite, but I find it makes more of an impact in a piece when used as an accent rather than the main feature.
I want to include birthstones, especially if I can get my hands on the real thing. But April, June and September babies, I will be making sure you get a beautiful alternative. Comment below what your favourite gemstone is, and is it your birthstone?
You can choose whether your kit will be for a bracelet, a necklace, or both, or even an anklet, and it will include pretty much all you need: thread, beads, clasp. If this feels limiting, it is intentional. Taking into consideration both the reusability and user-friendliness of the kits’ contents, it is important that things are kept as simple as possible, so you won’t need to get hold of any specialist equipment just to make these one or two lovely pieces of jewellery.
That’s all from me for now. I still have some more fine-tuning and R&D to be getting on with before my kits are ready for you. In the meantime, I want to say thanks so much for popping in and having a read. Have a lovely rest of your day!
If you’d like to see more from me, there are other posts on the blog to read if you haven’t already. Plus, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and of course, you can treat yourself and visit my Shop!
featured image by AlisonHShaw (via canva.com)
BRIDGE JEWELLERY 