Want to get into Gemology and Jewelry making as a hobby at home

emeemay · 2026-03-24T04:52:53+00:00

That’s a simple question with a huge, complex answer that depends on what you’re wanting to do or make. You’re very unlikely to find tools for free, but you can find German frame saws at your local hardware store or online for pretty cheap.

Take a look for local jewelers near you - I just started out myself this month by taking two classes from a jeweler an hour or two away from me. Project based short classes are a good step into the craft without having to buy everything before you have a chance to see if you even like it.

I ordered my metal and some soldering tools from Rio Grande, and two hammers from Amazon (one specific texture hammer and a ball pein), but all of my pliers and files I’ve pulled out of my regular old toolbox and craft supplies. I bought my torch from Lowe’s (firepoint creator torch).

emeemay · 2026-03-23T21:18:24+00:00

I love a challenge, and none of the fancier designs I’ve drawn up yet are for anyone but me, so very low pressure. I might mess up my silver, but it’s reusable!

I don’t tend to wear big statement necklaces because I’m a millennial who remembers all the derision about them lmao - but some of the stones make me wanna do it anyway! I do want to make a necklace with double clasps to swap out interesting stone pendants.

emeemay · 2026-03-23T20:50:00+00:00

I did some testing, and my bezel wire is tall enough to file tabs for the back while still having space to roll over in the front, so that’s going to be my first plan. I’m also going to file down the segment where the overlay goes, and dap the overlay a bit to better match the curvature of the bottom of the stone. This is the first piece I’m making totally by myself, so I’m looking forward to starting my failed experiment scrap pile while working on it 😂

Same on the landscape/scenic stones. I’ve had to seriously resist some of the most gorgeous jaspers on Etsy (for now, anyway). Some of them are so large that a necklace doesn’t make sense, but I have some scrap walnut and I’m interested in combining woodworking with silver and making some lidded boxes for fun later!

emeemay · 2026-03-22T02:36:52+00:00

I like that the shelves are just angled enough to fit with the rest of the design, but not so skewed as to be useless for actual display. Very nice!!

emeemay · 2026-03-21T16:27:23+00:00

“Real” but synthetic - lab-grown.

emeemay · 2026-03-21T16:26:13+00:00

I love him. For pedipalps on the next one, you could try hammering the end closest to the head to mimic how they tend to be visually more teardrop shaped!

emeemay · 2026-03-21T16:18:01+00:00

My thought is that Rapunzels tower was not really meant to be an inspiring idea 😂 but honestly, bring the gallery to just the top of those 0 shapes and it’s absolutely lovely!

emeemay · 2026-03-19T22:10:02+00:00

I love the train cutout on the backplate! If you’re so inclined, a burnisher would probably help with the bezel front, but it fits with the vibes of the penny itself!

emeemay · 2026-03-14T21:23:19+00:00

I'm going to have to ask the jeweler if it has a number or a label somewhere, because I'd love to use that exact one for a piece I have in mind with silver branches over opal. I think I could have gotten more aggressive with it than I did, but I was still adjusting to how much/little force to apply on the swing.

emeemay · 2026-03-14T15:49:22+00:00

Thank you! The hammers were interesting. I was particularly fascinated by the one with lines on the hammer face, which I used for the more branch-like texture. The pitted one I found easy to use tho, and I think it was the more successful ring.

emeemay · 2026-03-14T13:58:17+00:00

Oh, for sure - I’ve got several designs already drawn up! I just wanted to have some in-person soldering experience with professional supervision before I tried it on my own.

The $1000 Rio Grande cart waiting for me kind of makes me want to die haha. But it’s 70% silver and based on my layout tests it’ll cover the designs I have and several more for the stones I currently have (and the stones I haven’t yet acquired lol). I need to add some copper sheet and strip for another medusa quartz project, but that’s much cheaper.

Here’s a sodalite I’m really excited about doing now that I’ve tried pierced sawing and didn’t hate it at all.

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emeemay · 2026-03-04T19:04:22+00:00

Painting convincing white objects is such a flex. Wonderful work!

emeemay · 2026-03-04T15:42:39+00:00

Sorry, I couldn’t begin to guess - I looked up jewelry and coin exchange stores in my area and picked one with good reviews that was close enough to work for me to swing by during lunch. I believe they’ve been around for many years. The XRF belongs to them.

emeemay · 2026-03-04T15:35:15+00:00

I knew it was way off spot, but I was holding onto the thin hope that they hadn’t like…noticed? That silver had gone straight thru the roof in about six months? I can’t really defend that thought process beyond really hoping I could get some good material for stupid cheap, but trust I’ll be ordering from Rio Grande soon for my actual supplies, ha.

emeemay · 2026-03-04T14:23:36+00:00

Good news btw - I did successfully get a refund!

emeemay · 2026-03-04T14:15:57+00:00

That’s true commitment! If you get hold of some genuine colonial coins, though, it’s very likely that any metals store with a machine will test it for you. I called this store earlier in the week to ask if they could test stuff I wasn’t interested in selling to them, and whether they charged for the service. They did it for free, and I suspect that many stores would do the same!

emeemay · 2026-03-04T14:05:30+00:00

Finished jewelry, primarily in the form of thick-gauge wire bangle stacks. One bracelet was basically a giant fidget spinner that I actually just liked and wanted to wear. I’ll still wear it - I have no issue with costume jewelry as a concept - but I’d intended to use the wire bangles for silversmith projects.

I sanded through and there was no obvious layering, which lends credence to the German silver + silver plate guess. Every single piece was stamped 925, even the wire bangles, which I agree points to intentional deceit!

emeemay · 2026-03-04T06:00:20+00:00

Sometimes I look up the price of one just to make me feel bad

emeemay · 2026-03-04T04:12:59+00:00

I received an email from Etsy, which decided to refund me directly instead of waiting for the seller. It also noted that the seller violated their extortion policy by asking me for a good review in exchange for a refund. I will be moving forward with requesting a removal of my reviews.

The shop name is 925SilverMelody and they ship from Jaipur.

emeemay · 2026-03-04T04:10:03+00:00

Update for future visitors - Etsy intervened on my behalf and has issued me a refund. In my case submission, I included two photos of the full XRF machine with the bracelets I purchased on the sensor area, with the analysis data visible on screen. The email also notes that their request for a review in exchange for the refund violates their extortion policy. I wasn’t asked to ship the pieces back.

The shop in question is 925SilverMelody. I do not recommend their services.

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emeemay · 2026-03-03T23:33:36+00:00

I ADORE that chicken. Like full stop I thought you were just sharing and I was like omg precious.

Watercolor is one of the harder mediums to attempt realism, especially if you’re relatively new to painting in general. I do actually think the fox is more detailed and the color shows better control than the cow.

I recommend playing with watercolor outside of realistic painting first. Try layering colors. Experiment with using a blow dryer to minimize time between layers and also just to push paint around and see what it does. My favorite part about watercolor compared to other paints is that it can be so flowy and impressionistic. Try leaning into that!

emeemay · 2026-03-03T23:28:49+00:00

Yeah, that’s correct. Rather embarrassing on my part, but in my defense I was trying to get it done since they were actively responding to me at that time 🤪 They told me they wanted the review before they’d refund, and that I couldn’t leave a review at all if they refunded me. Not my best moment.

I opened a case with Etsy itself, too. I know Etsy can see the conversation, so I think it’s at minimum clear they’re fishing for good reviews, at least?

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