What’s better than making jewelry? How about saving money on jewelry supplies while you’re doing it? Here are some saving tips for you:

1. It’s good to shop around

Us creative folks tend to be quite loyal, but there is nothing wrong with looking outside your usual supplier for your beading needs. There are a lot of great sources online and offline that have weekly and monthly coupons, deals and discounts, free shipping, and great products. Signing up for newsletters will alert you to deals when they happen, and sometimes these sales and discounts are offered exclusively to newsletter subscribers.

2. Buying in bulk can save you a bundle

This doesn’t only apply to rice and toilet paper. You’d be amazed of how much you can save by buying a certain amount of beads, wire, chain… and you’ll need this stuff eventually, so in the long run, you save time too!

3. Copper, Steel, and Brass are metals too

Sometimes artisans that sell jewelry think only silver and gold can command the kind of retail sales prices that can actually pay the bills but that is not always true. I must admit, I do have a special place in my heart for sterling silver, but the possibilities of brass, copper and steel beads, charms, and findings should not be overlooked. There are a number of well respected and renowned artists making beautiful jewelry using these metals in their work. And the variety of beads and findings in these metals are growing by leaps and bounds as silver and gold continue to rise in price.

4. Watch for Garage Sales

Other people’s junk is a jewelry maker’s treasure. Don’t necessarily look at an item “as is”. Old costume necklaces are a great example. Remember that everything can be taken apart and used for its spare parts.

5. Check out Thrift stores

Other than bell-bottoms and romance novels, there are other great finds in those mothball-smelling treasure troves. They are one of the best places to find old costume jewelry, and I’m talking CHEAP! And if you’re really lucky and determined, you might even find some actual vintage pieces.

6. Think outside of beads

Ever heard the term greencraft or eco-jewelry? Go green in your hunt for jewelry making components by reusing and recycling. Jewelry can literally be made out of anything, so look around! Old CDs, bottle caps, Christmas ornaments, games pieces, and old watch parts are great components for creative jewelry. Reusing and repurposing will save you money and result in a truly one-of-a-kind piece.

7. Go to a Hardware Store

If you need wire, chains, links and the like, head to the source! Amid countless racks, rolls and hardware bins you will find jewelry making supplies and fixings at rock-bottom prices. You will also find other things you can’t live without, such as storage bins and baskets, small hand tools, torches and daylight lightbulbs for your photography setup.

Your engagement ring can be incredibly beautiful, and is an important part of your life. However, there are lots of rings out there and a lot of terms that you might not be familiar with. That makes picking your engagement ring rather tricky.

There are three main components to any engagement ring – stone, metal, and design. The stone is usually a diamond, and the metal is traditionally gold, but there are also other options.

Choosing A Stone

You may already be aware of the diamond grading system. It’s based on what are called the four Cs – Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat.

Pay close attention to the quality of your diamond when you buy, but don’t necessarily insist on the best. Buying a somewhat lower quality diamond can save you money, even though the stone looks the same to the naked eye.

Choosing Metals

Most engagement rings have bands and settings in either gold or platinum. You can get gold in levels of quality from ten to twenty-four karats, and in many colors, ranging from yellow to white to rose.

Eighteen karat gold is the most popular choice for many people, though some choose lower grades like ten or fourteen for their higher durability. These less pure types of gold are less likely to dent or scratch.

Platinum is an intriguing, though more expensive, alternative to gold. It looks similar to white gold, but it’s much harder, and if you learn to look, you can tell the difference between the two metals.

Engagement Ring Design

Your engagement ring design is a very personal choice. It doesn’t matter whether you pick an existing ring or have a custom piece created to your specifications. Semi-custom rings are also available – you pick the band size and stone, as well as other design elements, to create your perfect ring.

Remember that there are four basic elements to a good engagement ring design. These are practicality and comfort, strength, and appearance. Without these four elements, your ring just won’t live up to its potential.

Likewise, if you’re a mechanic, you’re going to be putting your engagement ring through more rough wear than if you’re an office assistant. Think hard about how and wear you’ll be wearing your ring when you choose its design.

That means that if you’re a mechanic, you’ll be putting your engagement ring through a lot more than you would if you worked in an office. Think about how and where your ring will be worn when you pick out the design. This is the reason that some people pick a less pure alloy when they decide on gold for their rings. This is a stronger material. Sturdier ring designs and the choice of platinum for the metal can also help.

The setting determines how secure the stones are, with prong settings being less secure. More prongs makes a stronger setting, and a bezel type is even stronger. Look for low, heavy settings if you’re looking for strength, and light, high settings for appearance.

Diamonds are idolized for their extreme beauty and everlasting durability.

As a buyer of diamonds for engagement rings, whether past, present or future, one may wonder why there is such variation in price from store to store. What characteristics constitute a $5,000 diamond versus one that costs only $500?

The physical weight of a diamond is referred to as its “carat”. The value of a diamond is directly proportional to its size. The larger the diamond, the more valuable it is, because larger diamonds are less common. Greater size makes the diamond more spectacular, and therefore increases the purchase price.

Carat size may push the price up, but only slightly if there is no clarity. Several facets determine clarity on both an internal and external basis. Internal aspects, dubbed inclusions, and external aspects, dubbed blemishes, all contribute to the overall clarity score.

The clarity of a diamond can vary from ‘pure’ to heavily included. This designation is arrived at after analyzing the how many inclusions are found as well where the inclusions are located, whether they are tinted, and how large they are.

These differences are due to the cooling process of the diamonds against other materials. Lack of clarity is a lack of perfection. A diamond is forever, and no one wants to be stuck with an imperfect one forever; therefore, this impacts the price.

Color is the next factor that determines a diamond’s overall value. If possible, a diamond should be as clear as water, but this is not always the case. Colors from other gases and minerals around during the time of the diamond’s formation may have altered its clean appearance and left the gem tinted.

There is a scale of coloration that ranges from “D,” where no color is present, to “Z,” where color is easily visible. There is a spectrum known as “beyond Z,” where the colors are rich and vibrant within the diamond and are referred to as fancy colors.

The cost of a diamond is also determined by one final factor, the cut. The cut of a diamond gives it the ability to glitter by reflecting the light back out in very precise ways.

“Fire” is the ability to flash and flicker upon sight. Cut varies from “excellent,” followed by “good,” “average,” “commercial,” and then irregular. If the diamond is not dazzling, the cut is most likely very poor.

So there you have it, the 4 C’s of choosing a diamond: carat, clarity, color and cut. Understanding these basic concepts before you enter a diamond store will go a long way towards making an astute purchase decision.