Hi Everyone,
I’m completely new to the world of jewelry making and metalsmithing, and I’m both excited and a little overwhelmed to start this journey. I recently joined this community because I’ve heard it’s a treasure trove of knowledge and full of helpful people, and honestly, I could really use some guidance as I get started.
A bit about me—I don’t have any experience with jewelry making, metallurgy, or anything like that. I’ve always been fascinated by the craft and the artistry behind it, though, and now I’m finally ready to jump in and learn. I don’t have the budget to attend a formal school, so I’m teaching myself through free resources, online tutorials, and whatever I can find.
That said, I’d love to hear from you. How did you get started? What do you wish you had known when you were just beginning? Are there tools you’d recommend investing in right away, or techniques that are worth mastering early on? I’m trying to start with the basics, but it’s hard to know where to focus when there’s so much to learn.
I’ve already picked up a few tips here and there, but I know there’s no substitute for advice from people who’ve been through it. If you have any insights, stories, or even “what not to do” lessons, I’d be so grateful if you shared them.
Thanks for taking the time to read this—I’m looking forward to learning from all of you and hopefully contributing something back to the community as I grow.
Welcome. My advice is to pick one specific beginner friendly project. Gather the materials and tools for it. Struggle and struggle and succeed making that one thing. Ask questions along the way.
I joined this forum when I was learning to join silver and gold. That specific challenge opened up a lot of skills using torch control, fitment, soldering order…
Good luck!
You are asking a fair question of people who, by various paths, arrived at a point where they could make what they planned on making with the occasional oh shit moment. Believe me, they will always happen. Not knowing the setting in which you live. I will assume that you are setting up shop in a domestic setting where what you do might have an impact on others. That being the case, plan on noise, smells and other distractions that might make your jewelry making presence less than friendly to others. You need to sort this out before you go much further. I have been making jewelry in a very nice shop separate from the rest of the house for over 50 years and I still hear complaints about noise, smells and other disruptions to include the cost of the electricity that I use and that I rarely come out of my shop. All that aside, build yourself a place where you can work. You will need a little bit of ventilation as soldering and polishing create gases and dust that you don’t want to breath. After that, start accumulating tools and materials that will support what aspects of jewelry metal working that you want to pursue. Start by spending a lot of time looking at sites like ganoksin and asking more and more specific questions to help you tune your entry into jewelry metal working. If you can get them, look at catalogs as they are more easily navigated than websites. I say that as a 75 year old who had been making jewelry for over 50 years. If you learn better by looking at websites, blogs and other online resources, go for it. Don’t stress about making your first piece. Use copper and brass first to get over the cost of silver. This will allow you to try things that you wouldn’t if you had the potential to screw up an expensive piece of precious metal. Try to find others near you who do this kind of work. Look for classes, rock and mineral clubs , college courses or some mentor who will help you along. It is a long road, so be patient. Expect to make mistakes. We all still make them and sometimes they result in something good that you didn’t expect. Keep us posted and don’t be shy about asking specific questions. Good luck…Rob
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Hi and welcome i’m a noobie too! I started at the beginning of this year and let me tell you what you have heard is true, this community has quite literally saved me many a time. I never imagined I’d be in the position to give anyone advice in the world of jewelry and that leads me to my advice: don’t forget to enjoy the journey, if you’re anything like me you probably have a goal of where you want to be and it’s going to feel like you’re moving at a snails pace, and then one day you’ll meet someone who’s just starting and it will shock you when you realize how far you’ve come. also don’t forget when you totally eff shit up that precious metals are always recyclable and even if you feel like you’ve thrown hours in the trash, you can just simply start over 
what are you interested in making? do you want to learn it all, or focus on a specific part of the process?
Thank you so much for the feedback so far! I suppose I should have given a little more detail about myself. I’ll try to answer a few of the questions. I will be working in a residential area (my home), but I do have a detached shed that I can set up a bench in after I clear it out. There’s a front door on it and windows, so I’d assume that would be good for ventilation? It’s also equipped with electricity, so I won’t have to run any cords from the house.
I was talking with a friend at his home recently, and he’s a huge orchid cultivist. He’s got orchids all over his home, including a small greenhouse set up in one of his bedrooms. We were talking about passion and doing things just for the love of doing it (he does sell the orchids, but it’s not about the money - it’s the passion of the process). It got me thinking. What would I do if I were rich and didn’t need to work - what would I do just for me with my time. Goldsmithing and working with metals kept coming to mind. I’m not interested in making large metal items (blacksmithing and the like), but the thought of creating small, elegant, beautiful designs with precious metals kept popping into my head. What facinates me about the process is the combination of precision and art. The craft of it all. Beauty through creativity and process. Telling a story with a piece. Can I do that? I want to find out. So here I am.
So I guess to say, I don’t know that I want to start a business, or start a career. I just want to create. I’ll let fate take it from there.
Jewelry has been my creative outlet for over 50 years. It is also something that I learned from my father. For me it is a combination of creativity, art and the chance to run a small business that is of no consequence to our family finances. I am also very much a mechanic and it satisfies the need for mechanical expression too. If you haven’t started to collect a small library of general books and then books that cover whatever specific interests you might have, I recommend The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight as a first book. My copy is worn, dog eared and has a number of sticky notes all over it. Then get a journal. I use old marble notebooks and start keeping track of your experiences, what you make, how you made it, what worked, what didn’t work, drawings and so on. If you don’t learn to draw. Take pictures and keep an album of your work. Develop a commercial relationship with some suppliers, but don’t rely just on one. You might also take a look at the benches on Orchid. They can give you some good ideas. Good luck and keep us posted…Rob
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It is overwhelming! That’s okay. Just start anywhere! If you try and “learn” everything before you start in an effort to “be prepared” you’ll end up going nowhere. You’ll spend all your time reading and researching when you could be designing or making. Most of the best lessons are taught through experience, so your best bet is to just start creating. Pick something relatively simple, and go from there. A simple band ring, or a pair of earrings made from sheet or wire. Maybe a necklace pendant. Just start building your portfolio! Every little thing you create gives you experience points 
and you’ll know when you level up because you’ll figure something out or discover some way you could so something better.
It’s affordable to make jewelry out of brass and copper, maybe even aluminum. It’s a great way to get your feet wet. Buy tools as you need them, not because you think you might. The cornerstone to any fabrication journey is a jewelers saw which you can find cheaply. A drill and bits for holes, sharpie for marking and a couple pairs of chain nose pliers. After a while you’ll want to start soldering, for which you’ll then need a torch, station, solder, flux, pickle, tweezers etc.
My own personal journey was jumping head first into cad design and casting years ago. My first ever piece was a ring I cast in sand out of zinc. Followed by a small bell, some tools I needed but didn’t want to pay for, and a metal “crewmate” from Among Us. Casting has been incredibly expensive, difficult and information is hard to come by, but the rewards have been well worth it. I learned fabrication techniques along the way as I needed for my projects.