Jewellery Making Equipment Suppliers
Jewellery making does need some specialist tools and equipment, but thankfully the internet has made it much easier to source them - and to compare prices too.
But how can you tell which suppliers have the best quality and the best customer service?
I can help you out there.
Below are lists of suppliers in the UK and the US used by myself and my students.....
UK Suppliers
Cookson Gold - a good all-round supplier of tools and materials for all types of jewellery making. They pride themselves on holding a big stock of almost everything and dispatching it quickly!
HS Walsh and Sons - a more traditional jewellery equipment supplier, and a great source of more specialist equipment. Very helpful and knowledgeable with very good dispatch rates.
Betts Metal Sales - much the same as HS Walsh, another very reliable supplier.
Kernow Craft - best known for their gemstones and beads but also a ggod supplier of tools. Helpful, knowledgeable and quick dispatch times.
Proops Brothers - a great range of affordable tools. Not always the highest quality but great for beginners, great prices and speedy dispatch times.
Cousins UK - a source of more affordable tools, but do be aware that they only operate business-to-business. It is relatively easy to open an account with them, but making returns is not always easy as business-to-business terms are different to thos for business-to-customer.
Palmer Metals - useful handtools, and one of the Ultralite Kiln suppliers in the UK for Keum Boo work.
Tools N Tools UK - a great range of hand tools, especially hammers and unusually shaped disc cutters.
AL Findings - a family-run business with a good range of affordable tools and same day dispatch.
Metal Clay Ltd - best known for metal clay supplies and tools but also a good supplier of general jewellery making tools. Helpful, knowledgeable and quick dispatch times. One of the Ultralite Kiln suppliers in the UK for Keum Boo work.
Shesto - a great range of hand tools, small electrical tools and a supplier of parts for Foredom drills.
US Suppliers
Rio Grande - virtually everything a jeweller could want! A fantastic range of tools and equipment with speedy dispatch.
Fire Mountain Gems - mainly known for their supply of gems, beads and charms, but also stocking an increasing range of wirework and silversmithing tools.
Cool Tools - a good range of hand tools and smaller pieces of equipment such as drills. Well known for their Cool Tool range of templates and metal clay textures.
Seattle Findings - a great range of hand tools and larger equipment such as rolling mills and pendant drills.
Looking for some more information about tools?Here are some useful blog posts and tutorials.
What soldering equipment do I need?
Learning how to solder is wonderful! It opens up a whole new world of jewellery making.
In this blog post I'm going to show you my soldering set up in my studio and the equipment I use with my students.
Make a simple ring mandrel holder
Ring mandrels are essential pieces of kit for a jeweller, but sometimes it feels as though you need a third hand to hold one! In this tutorial I'll show you how to quickly and cheaply make one.
Tiny Flower Stud Earrings
Find out how to make beautiful earrings from scrap silver and how to solder stud earring fittings securely in place.
Hammered Chain Bracelet
Learn how to turn a length of wire into a beautiful chain bracelet, and practise your soldering at the same time!
And for weekly jewellery making tips and a place to share your work and ask for advice join The Jeweller's Bench Café facebook group!
Joanne Tinley
The Jeweller's Bench is run by Joanne Tinley. She has been making her own jewellery for as long as she can remember and left her first career as a school teacher to set up business as a jewellery designer and tutor nearly 15 years ago. She is self-taught and like many people started with wire and beads. Learning how to solder, however, opened up a whole new world of jewellery making, one that she is keen to share! There is something so magical about watching solder flow through a seam, joining two pieces of metal together smoothly.