A Jewelry Designer's Wish List
Everyone has a wish list, a mental collection of shiny things they long for. Things that would make their life or activities that much more enjoyable. Things that would spark joy. Those with a creative bent are no exception. We've interviewed nine professional jewelry designer-artists and jewelry makers to find out what you can expect to find at the top of a jewelry maker's wish list. As a bonus, this article might show you how to play Fairy Godmother (or -father) and grant the wishes of the jewelry makers in your life, too!
Q: If you could have any one or two tools or supplies from FMG, what would be at the top of your list?
Topping Patti's list is a set of jewelry-making pliers by Lindstrom. "A good precision quality set of pliers and cutters are imperative in making quality jewelry.," Patti says. "Lindstrom is one of the best and this set has four of the main tools needed—flush cutters, round nose, flat nose and chain nose."
Patti's second wish-list item is a disc cutter. According to Patti, this high-quality set comes with a broad range of sizes for cutting flat and domed round, donut, half or partial round and moon shapes. "It also clamps your sheet metal in place," Patti informed us, "so it doesn’t move when cutting your disc."
Elaine's wish list starts off with this tool set, equipped with wooden handles and sturdy steel implements. Elaine told us, "This tool set is a must in providing a clean finish on your pieces." It came as no surprise that Elaine, a polymer clay specialist, added that these tools are "great for adding texture to polymer or metal clays," too.
Speaking of polymer clay, another wish list item for Elaine is liquid polymer clay. "Having this in your polymer clay tool supplies is amazing!" says Elaine. This versatile medium can be used as a glaze, mixed with colors, added to polymer clay to achieve different consistencies, and it is often used to glue polymer clay pieces together prior to baking.
Since Elaine's skills also include working with resin, she added resin tape to her wish list. She describes it as "an amazing product" that allows the artist to pour resin into open-backed earring and pendant settings and more. "But it is also great for sectioning off areas where you don't want resin to flow," she remarked.
Rose was ecstatic to share her wish list. "Wow, if I could wish for anything in our product line!!!! Hmmm... " She decided on the Clover brand beading loom, and Rose went into great detail about why. "I had the opportunity to use this loom to make illustrated uses here at FMG and I love it. It is lightweight and yet very well built. It is super versatile and the grooves to hold your warp threads are nice and deep, unlikely to let threads slip out. It is super easy to adjust the tension." She even loves the purple color scheme.
Her runner-up gift request is a rock and jewelry tumbler and accompanying tumbling supplies. "I have always wanted to take mysterious rocks, tumble them, polish them and see how they turn out. It is also great for shining up metal pieces."
Curved chain-nose pliers were the first tools that came to Caitlyn's mind. "These are my most often used pliers," she declared. "Almost everything I create has been made with these. They are the easiest to maneuver with small materials and closing jump rings is a breeze!"
Also on Caitlyn's wish list are Wide Eye Needles™. According to Caitlyn, "Any kind of seed bead work or threaded projects like pearls become fun and simple with these needles. The way they open makes threading easy and they make even complicated designs seem doable!"
What makes Wide Eye Needles special is that the whole needle is one large eye for easy threading. Simply twist the needle or use your nail to open the "eye," slide your thread through the opening and you're ready to go.
When we asked Susanne what her favorite tool is, she replied enthusiastically, "This is easy! 1-Step Looper® pliers!" These handy pliers are at the top of Susanne’s list and make creating simple loops a breeze. "These tools have boosted my jewelry-making confidence, knowing that I can make consistent loops in no time for a professional-looking finish." 1-Step Looper pliers create and trim eye pins in one smooth, easy motion. No cutting tools necessary!
Susanne also pointed out that Looper pliers make a great gift for jewelry makers just starting out or for professional designers looking for a time-saving solution. Shop the different size options for use with dead-soft or half-hard wire in 18 to 26 gauge and surprise the jewelry makers in your life. They will love how easy they are to use and the perfect loops they create every time.
We think Esther said it best: "I want everything! LOL." But, knowing she had to narrow it down to one or two items, Esther picked the Torch Burner Professional torch. "We have this in our work room and it is awesome!" This twist-on head turns a butane can into a torch. Reaching temperatures of 2300°F (1260°C), this torch is great for firing silver metal clays, repairing jewelry, metal sculpting, wax working, enameling and some glass uses. It's easy to start, has an ergonomic pistol-grip handle and features a flame adjustment knob that lets you fine-tune the flame.
To go with the torch, Esther's second wish list item is the Vitrearc© and Thompson opaque enameling starter set. This set provides an ideal way to start an enameling workshop or to round out enameling supplies already owned.
It's "very difficult to choose one," said Anna, but she chose the same torch as Esther, plus a tripod and mesh screen set. Anna loves to enamel glass and this lightweight torch would make the process at home much easier. The steel tripod and mesh screen complement the torch, making it easy to evenly heat glass on all sides—even underneath. The set is also great for forming bezels and soldering metal. The tripod is 9 inches tall, easy to assemble (or disassemble) and comes with two 5x5-inch square mesh screens.
Extra mesh screens are also available.
The full set of Wubbers® jewelry-making pliers is "what I really, really want," says Jude. "I like the way they fit in my hand." The inventor of Wubbers pliers—Patti Bullard, PhD—designed these pliers with angled handles for a powerful grip, while padded, no-slip textured surfaces reduce hand fatigue. Another benefit is the satin finish on the jaws, improving hold and minimizing the chance of marring wire. This set features chain-nose, round-nose, bent chain-nose and flat-nose pliers, all made from stainless steel with lap joint jaws and double- leaf springs. Plus, they come in a snazzy black zippered case for safe storage and travel—even on bumpy rides .
The Universal Gift
If you're unsure what your creative friends would like, why not give them a great big Fire Mountain Gems Gift Certificate to buy anything they want? After all, you can't go wrong with a one-size-fits-all gift certificate.
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