For those of you who make jewelry, did you take a jewelry class?

practise make perfect venshida !

I did take a one jewelry making class and I absolutely believe it was worth it. I learned so much in that class and the techniques can use ued on all sorts of jewelry types (earrings, bracelets, necklaces). Thebest thing about a live class is that there is a teacher there who you can ask questions of, andlearn a few extra things from. I'm not a great book or video learner, I really like the live interaction. if you can afford it, I deffinately reccomend the class.

have you tried your local library? that might be a solution...also there are bead stores (in larger centres) that hold classes, but they are not all that cheap either...do you have a crafty friend? maybe he/she could teach you?

I learned it on vacation when I was 12 but rarely do it. In addition I learned from Art club since that was partly crafts as well. I think the live courses would do you well since you get to ask a teacher. Personally, I prefer learning through any method but mostly through self experimentation after any type of observation. Its how I learned cooking, stitching/sewing, cleaning, chemistry, autowork and computers (and of course jewelry/light metallurgy.

I make jewelry and have never taken a class, though I want to. The best way to learn off the internet is to decide *exactly* what techniques you want to learn and then search for instructions for those techniques. Do one at a time, and be specific. If instructions for one say that you need to know another first, learn that other first. I've managed to learn a lot that way and even just by looking at what people are wearing on the bus, but I'm very visually oriented. My other suggestion would be to start with nonprecious materials. That way, if you completely screw up the mistake is cheap, and you still learn. When you have a design you like, then do it with the good materials.

If you feel being there and watching the tips and ideas will help you, then do it! It may spark your creativity and you never know who you'll meet. I haven't taken a class to learn jewelry making, but I love picking up tips from craft magazines or other crafters. I say if you think it'll help you, it probably will!!

I go to a few craft markets and I see the what I call funky jewellery very popular and at rather good prices for the maker, this is like charm jewellery with lot diamonties included, I think bling and sparkles is very popular now, I love anything that sparkles....

I have bought a few books about native American crafts and I experimented with it and found that I can do a lot of the different crafts. I also look at crafts fairs and pow wows to get more ideas. Some ideas I get out of my head (they just appear in my mind) and I try to figure out how to put them together. One thing that I put together that is totally different for anything that I have ever found is a large (12 inches by about 9 inches high) sharks jaw that I put into a dream catcher. I have put together a few other smaller dream catcher with smaller sharks jaws and people love them.