Antique jewelry is typically very valuable, and
purchasing such jewelry costs quite a bit of money.
But then again, it is possible to buy antique jewelry
wholesale as well – if you know where to look.

Most people think that online auctions, such as
eBay is the way to go. While this is true
occasionally, you will usually find that the seller
knows the value of what they are selling, and the
price is quite high. There are other ways to find
antique jewelry at wholesale prices – or below.

Keep an eye on your newspaper for advertised
estate sales and garage sales. Typically, at these
sales, the people holding the sale really don’t know
the value of what they have. You can literally
purchase hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of
antique jewelry for just a few dollars on a typical
Saturday morning.

It is important that you not look too closely at the
jewelry when you are buying it. If the piece is
valuable, you don’t want the seller to know how
valuable it is! It isn’t your fault that they didn’t get it
appraised – as you will as soon as you leave! Keep
a straight face, keep your happiness and joy to
yourself, and pay the fifty cents or two bucks that
they want for the piece, get in your car and head to
a trusted jeweler for an appraisal!

It is possible that the piece isn’t worth anything –
but occasionally, you will stumble across some real
finds! Even if the piece isn’t worth anything, if you
make jewelry, you may be able to disassemble it
for the parts.

Finding antique jewelry wholesale is very exciting.
In fact, spending those Saturday mornings at the
yard sales and estate sales may even become
addicting! Yard sales and estate sales – especially
estate sales where grandchildren are not interested
in their grandma’s old ugly jewelry are the best
sources for antique jewelry at wholesale prices – or
below wholesale prices.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t some real find
on eBay as well, so don’t discount it. Keep an eye
on the jewelry categories, as well as the antique or
vintage categories. When you do find something
you want to bid on, make sure that the seller has a
good reputation. If the piece is very expensive, use
the escrow service that is recommended by eBay.
Also talk to the seller quite a bit to be sure that you
understand exactly what is being advertised!

Jewelry making has long been an art form passed on from father to son, all the way back to ancient times; people have adorned themselves in Silver, Gold, and Gemstone Jewelry,

African tribes, the Native American Indian tribes and numerous ethnic tribes have used Bone carved pendants, Animal Ivory, Bird feathers and Seashells, to fashion accessories to use as jewelry.

Today we give our Jewelry titles ,such as Ethnic Jewelry ,Tribal Jewelry ,Antique Jewelry, Fashion Jewelry and so on .In this article we are going to Talk about Designer Hand made jewelry ,How to make it either for fun or for those really keen students how to do it and make money from your hobby .

Right lets get going .You have two options to start with, you can either buy raw silver from your local distributor, or find a Jewelry Manufacture that will supply you with the materials, there is a choice between 925 or 985 in the grade of silver you buy, I prefer to work in Fine silver 985, but you may find this a little difficult to buy. For the purpose of this article we are going to choose the second option and buy our material from a reputable Jewelry Manufacture and we are going to start with making a simple Sterling silver 925 pendant with a Turquoise cabochon Gemstone.

The majority of tools needed can be purchased form a good hardware store and some of the more hard to find items you will be able to get from either a Silver Jewelry Manufacture or Supplier.

Your heat source can be either a gas bottle with extension hose and flame adjusting nozzle or as we use in our workshop a petrol bellows and hose set with adjustable nozzle, its important witch ever set you buy that you can regulate the flame and heat .Next comes the hand tools you will need a small brass hammer, tweezers about 7inches long, small tin snips, brass block 4inches by 4inches and 1inch thick ,rags,2part epoxy, battery acid, fine grade file , a flexible shaft grinder and a ceramic base to heat your silver on ,here is a handy tip a house brick and unglazed roof tile work just great. That should be enough for you to get started.

Step1 is to cut a strip of silver slightly wider then the thickness of the turquoise and long enough to wrap around the diameter of the gemstone, and carefully cut it so as the 2 ends meet tightly around the gemstone.

Step2, take your solder and place a small amount of flux on the two joins, heat the silver strip till red, apply the solder carefully, and it’s joined. If you haven’t done any soldering before try a few practice runs first, you will be able to use that silver later on.

Step3, take your sterling silver band and place it on a flat piece of silver plate, check that the turquoise still fits, then as in step 2 apply flux and solder the band to the plate.

Step4, remove the excess silver with your tin snips and sand off any rough edges.

Step5,decide on a shape for your bail and cut it out of silver accordingly, bend into shape .now solder that to the pendant ,and while hot dip the whole pendant into a small jar of acid ,rinse in a jar of clear water and dry.

Step6, Place your turquoise into you silver and carefully trim away any surplus silver. Once your happy with the fit you can sand the silver again with fine grade emery paper, give a small amount of epoxy to the inside of the pendant and insert the turquoise stone .Now take a spoon and using the back work it around the pendant to give a snug fit with the silver and allow to dry.

Step7, Using your flexi grinder insert a polishing cloth disc, add some silver polish and buff the silver to the required finish.

The principles above are applied to all silver work; no it’s up to the imagination of the jewelry designer and skillfulness of the jeweler.

Many people think that if they try to talk to a
jewelry wholesale dealer that they will get better
bargains. In the case of buying in bulk, they are
absolutely right! Most jewelry wholesale dealers
will offer you a lower price if you are buying in
bulk – but if you are just buying one or two pieces,
it really doesn’t pay for them to offer you prices
below the wholesale price.

Other than getting a good price, you want to make
sure that you are getting quality jewelry. If you can
deal with the jewelry wholesale dealer in person,
you should. But in most situations, this will not be
the case. Instead, contact the dealer by phone
and talk to them. Establish a relationship, and
keep that relationship on good terms at all times.
As time goes by, you may be able to get even
better deals from the wholesaler, and you can
probably work out credit terms as well.

Just remember that your jewelry wholesale dealer
is a human being, and treat them as such. If you
ever find that your dealer isn’t being honest with you,
or is selling low quality jewelry, look for a new
wholesaler.

If you plan to export jewelry wholesale, you may
need to find out if it is legal. First you must
understand that sending just one piece of jewelry to
another country is in fact ‘exporting goods.’ This is
true even if the country is Mexico or Canada! No
matter where it is going, if it is outside of the United
States, or the country that you live in, it is
exporting.

You can find out if exporting certain pieces of
jewelry is legal by calling the customs agency in
your state, or by calling the United States Customs
Office. Describe the jewelry and as well as the
precious stones it contains, and tell them where it
is being sent. They will be able to tell you if shipping
it is legal, and what problems may be encountered
at customs in the country it is being shipped to.

Take shipping costs into consideration, and make
sure that your customer pays for that! Shipping to
other countries can be quite costly, and if you pay
for that shipping, you probably won’t realize any
profits on the jewelry wholesale that you are
shipping out of the country!

Silver jewelry is not only beautiful, it is very much in
style these days. Silver jewelry compliments
anything you wear, and it is usually less expensive
than gold jewelry. There are many sources from
which you can buy silver jewelry wholesale, but the
Internet will offer you the biggest selection possible.
After all – you will have the whole world at your feet
– or fingertips.

As with any other jewelry, begin your search online.
There are countless jewelry wholesalers online, and
many of them specialize in silver jewelry. When you
buy your jewelry from jewelry wholesale sources,
you will pay a fraction of the cost that you would
pay at a retailer’s place of business, such as a
jewelry store.

When you purchase silver jewelry wholesale, make
sure that you are purchasing sterling silver jewelry.
Sterling silver is almost always marked with the
numbers ‘925.’ This is the highest quality of silver
that you can buy – wholesale or retail. Note that
there is no such thing as ‘high quality sterling
silver’ and ‘lower quality sterling silver.’ Sterling
silver comes in one quality – sterling silver. The
weight of the sterling silver used in the piece should
be the determining factor in the cost, unless the
item was hand-made, in which case it will cost
considerably more than similar pieces that were
not hand made.

Silver jewelry tarnishes – whether it is sterling silver
or not. You must clean and polish your silver
jewelry on a regular basis to help it keep its shine.
There are many different brands of silver polish on
the market that can be used to accomplish this.
You should plan to clean your silver jewelry on a
weekly basis.

Buying silver jewelry wholesale is the best way to
go. Silver is already relatively inexpensive – even at
wholesale prices. When purchasing such jewelry,
the silver or quality of the silver is not what you
need to concern yourself with – again, silver is
silver, just make sure it is sterling silver. The
settings and stones that are used in the piece
should be your concern.

You need to insure that the piece is solidly
constructed, and you need to make sure that the
gems used are not simulated gems – unless that is
what you want. Of course, when real gems are used,
such as diamonds, the cost of the jewelry will rise
considerably. But as long as you are buying jewelry
wholesale, the price will still be the lowest price you
will find.

If you are considering importing jewelry wholesale,
you might want to see what your other options are.
When jewelry is imported, there are additional
costs, such as high shipping costs, that you may
not be prepared to pay. There are also other issues
to consider as well.

Customs is a major issue, because some materials
that come from endangered animals are outlawed in
the United States – ivory for example. When
importing jewelry, you need to be sure that all of
the materials that make up the jewelry can be
legally imported.

The possibility of not getting what you paid for is
another consideration that you must think about. If
you order from someone outside of the United
States – where the United States has no legal
jurisdiction – there won’t be anything you can do if
you are ripped off. If you are importing jewelry
wholesale, make sure that you are dealing with a
reputable company.

Usually, if you can find the same pieces of jewelry
for sale in the United States, at a slightly higher
cost, you will be better off making your purchase in
the US. By the time you add shipping to the
imported jewelry, it will probably cost more.
However, there are many pieces that can only be
found in other countries.

eBay is a great place to find almost any item that
you can imagine. Jewelry wholesale auctions are
quite common on eBay, and in many cases, you
cannot beat the deals that are offered here.
However, there are also many con artists that
operate through eBay, and you have to use caution.

Start by reading all of the fine details about the
jewelry wholesale lots that you are purchasing. If
you still have questions, send those questions to
the seller through eBay’s website. Make sure that
you keep all of your contact with the seller through
the website so that there is documentation.

Check out the person or company that is offering
the jewelry wholesale. Look at their ratings and their
feedback. Has there been any negative feedback?
If so, you may want to reconsider your options and
look into other auctions. If the feedback is all
positive, and the seller’s rating is high, doing
business with them should not be a problem.

Make sure that you are clear about shipment costs
and the shipment time frame, as well as the
payment options offered. Usually, the buyer is
responsible for the shipment costs, and this is
added to the total and paid before the item ships.
In the case of high ticket items, insurance may
be required on the item as well. The seller seldom
pays the shipping costs.

If the jewelry wholesale is a high ticket item, such
as jewelry that is bought in bulk or rare pieces of
expensive jewelry, you should strongly consider
using the escrow service that is recommended by
eBay. If the seller recommends any escrow service
other than the one that eBay recommends, you
might not want to do business with this seller – it
could be a scam.

Beware of sniper’s on eBay! Sniping is against the
rules at eBay, but a large group of people do it
anyway. Sniping is automatic bidding, which is not
against the rules, but the software or service is
instructed to place the highest bid in the last
possible minute of the auction – leaving no time for
anyone else to place a higher bid. Again, this is
against eBay’s rules.

Instead of sniping, place your first bid at the
maximum amount that you are willing to pay for
the jewelry wholesale lot. Each time the bid is
raised, your bid will automatically be raised – until
your limit is reached. This is not sniping, and it is
a perfectly legal way to bid on auctions at eBay.

There may come a time in your jewelry making
career when you need to select diamonds for a
special piece you are working on. Buying diamonds
is much like buying any other gem – you find one
that is the right size or shape for the piece you are
making and you purchase it. WRONG. Much more
thought and consideration must go into purchasing
a diamond. After all – Diamonds are forever, and
you want your jewelry wholesale to last forever too.

There are four C’s when it comes to buying a
diamond: cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. All of
these must be considered because you want the
diamond used in your jewelry wholesale to be as
beautiful as possible. Remember that the diamond
should not overpower the entire piece, but it should
be the main attraction and compliment the rest of
the piece as well.

The cut of the diamond does not refer to the shape
of it. It refers to the way that it was cut – the quality
of the cut. The shine and fluorescence of the
diamond is determined by how it was cut. The
shape of the diamond is only a second factor – or
an after thought – in terms of the quality of the cut.

The clarity of a diamond does not refer to how clear
it is. Instead, it refers to how perfect or flawless –
or imperfect – a diamond is. There are internal
imperfections and external imperfections. A
diamond that has no imperfections is flawless –
and expensive.

Diamonds come in many colors. The most common
are white and yellow. Other colors are available, but
they are rare and expensive. The only color you
should never consider is a ‘blue white’ diamond. A
jeweler may try to tell you that this is a rare quality
diamond, but it is in fact an inferior diamond, and
you have no use for it.

The carat weight of the diamond will be important to
your customer. Large diamonds should come with
a certificate. You should request this from the
company that you are purchasing the diamond from.
If they refuse to give you a certificate from a
reputable grading company such as GIA, walk
away.

The chances are good that you will put more work
and thought into purchasing diamonds for your
jewelry wholesale than in any other gem or stone.
Diamonds are by far the most popular gemstones
in the world – and with good reason. Not only are
they the most beautiful stones, but they are also
the most durable stones on the face of the earth –
or under the earth for that matter!

If you have a great sense of style and creativity,
you should consider constructing quality custom
jewelry wholesale for individual clients. If you are
good at it, you will find that you have customers
calling you over and over again to construct special
pieces for them, or as gifts for others.

Making custom jewelry wholesale isn’t hard. Again,
you need a sense of style and creativity – but the
skills needed to make jewelry are very easy to
learn. The object is to make your pieces unique –
exclusive. When a client wears custom jewelry
that you designed and constructed, they should
wear it knowing that there is none other like it in
the whole world!

Working with clients is actually the hardest part.
You need to get a picture in your mind that
matches the picture that is in their minds. Never
construct the piece while they are watching – this
is in effect teaching them how to do it themselves,
and you will probably lose a customer. Never let
them know just how easy it is!

Talk at length with the client. This is the only way
that you can design custom jewelry that matches
their likes, dislikes, and personality. If the piece is
to be a gift for someone else, ask lots of questions
about that person, and if possible, meet them in
person yourself. Remember that uniqueness and
exclusivity are the key to making this type of
business successful – but great communication
with the clients is vitally important as well.

Many clients will want you to make custom jewelry
wholesale using stones or gems that they already
have. They may even want you to just enhance a
piece that they already have. Before you start doing
this, make sure that you have the skill and
qualifications necessary to do this work. You do
not want to destroy a client’s beloved jewelry! Make
sure that you ask about the history of the piece,
and find out what special meaning that piece holds
for your client as well.

Of course, you will purchase the pieces that you
need to make the custom jewelry from wholesale
resources. Just make sure that you are buying
quality parts – and look for sources for unique
jewelry making supplies as well – imported pieces
are great sources for uniqueness. You will have to
quote your client a price before you start, so be
careful here. You don’t want to lose money. Once
you’ve quoted a price, deduct 15% to 30% from it.
Think of the remainder as your ‘budget’ when
buying supplies to make the custom jewelry
wholesale.

If you search the phrase “Fair Trade Jewelry” you will find a long list of websites that claim to sell the jewelry based on the fair trade sprits. However, this doesn’t mean that what they claim is true. Unlike other fair trade such as handicrafts, coffee, bananas and fresh food that are relatively recognized in applying the spirit of fair trade, jewelry is more complicated than that.

Some requirements for cooperatives to be classified as fair trade are that they musn’t use any under-aged labors, pay fair wages and are friendly to the environment in making the jewelry. The thing that makes fair trade jewelry hard to classify is that jewelry need to be mined. The process of mining is quite difficult to monitor.

However, once a cooperative from the developing countries able to put their jewelry in the fair trade market, they will get better price and hence they can make more money and have decent living. As a result, they can create other high quality jewelry since they won’t have to worry about money anymore.

Making the craftsmen to have an independent life is the original purpose of fair trade jewelry. It grows eve bigger when some people starting to established some organizations for this purpose.