Whether you are a professional jewelry maker or just a beginning hobbyist, you will eventually need to think about one of the most important concerns for jewelry making which is obtaining cheaper jewelry making supplies than those sold in the stores. Here are some tips for getting jewelry supplies at wholesale or close to wholesale prices:
Buy Supplies Online
With so many online jewelry supply stores nowadays, it’s quite easy to get some decent deals on supplies online. In the past, you had to be an established jewelry maker or even a full fledged shop to get any sort of discount on supplies like beads, crystals, stones, and jewelry tools. Or, you had to send away for jewelry catalogs through the mail.
Nowadays, it’s simply a matter of going to a store’s website and buying through the online shop there. Indeed, some online supply stores don’t even have a physical brick and mortar presence in order to keep costs down. Which online jewelry stores have the cheapest prices? This can depend on the type of things you are buying, the store in question, whether or not they have sales running, and whether you are getting the items in bulk or not.
Two of the biggest online jewelry supply dealers are Rings ‘N Things and Fire Mountain. I’ve ordered many time from both of these sites with excellent, prompt service and near wholesale prices. For bulk items, it is certainly cheaper than going to your local bead store.
The Fire Mountain website is a bit more well designed and easier to navigate than the Rings ‘N Things website. However, I’ve found that certain things, like sterling wire, are sometimes cheaper at Rings ‘N Things.
Sometimes, you may need something in a hurry that is either out of stock or is not being made any longer. In that case, it may be a good idea to look for jewelry supplies on Ebay While Ebay can be difficult for obtaining a REGULAR supply for a particular item you are going to mass produce, it can be good for one-off projects or limited quantity items.
