I’m sure you’ve seen the latest jewelry trends on the runway and in the stores. Did you know half of the trends you see started at someone’s kitchen table? Jewelry is no different. Visit any arts and crafts show or festival this year, and next year you will see the same designs being sold for retail. If you have any kind of creativity you can design and make handmade jewelry.
Materials for Handmade Jewelry Side Hustle
To get started you need basic tools including:
- Needle nose pliers or other multi-use tool
- Multi-gauge wires
- Chains
- Charms
- Beads
- Closures / Findings
How Much to Start this Side Hustle
If you are starting out making simple jewelry pieces your investment can be as little as $20. It will depend on the complexity of your pieces and the quality of your materials. There are jewelry kits for beginners that you can get on Amazon, at Michael’s, or other craft stores.
Level of Difficulty of this Side Hustle
The level of difficulty for making jewelry ranges from super easy to challenging. It will depend on what you are making. A simple pair of earrings can take less than a minute to make. If you are making your own crystals it could take weeks because you have to go through an intense process and a lot of heat to make them.
Where to Sell Handmade Jewelry
The number of places to sell your jewelry seems endless. You have the choice to see at arts and crafts shows, at yard sales, on consignment, hair salons, home parties or on your own website. You can also sell on numerous craft selling marketplaces such as:
Etsy
Yardsellr
Art Fire
Lily Shop
Bonanza
Jewelry Wonder
How Much Money Can You Make Selling Handmade Jewelry?
You can make as much or as little as you want selling handmade jewelry. It will depend on the uniqueness and quality of your pieces. For example, if you see a simple pair of dragonfly earrings for $10 each you could make $100 if you sell 10 pair. Depending on if you sell on your own website or through one of the online marketplaces listed above, you may or may not have to give up a small percentage of your sales. The faster you can make jewelry and the higher the demand for your pieces the better your chance of making a nice profit. Of course you have to let people know that you have amazing handmade jewelry for sale. Do this through social media, advertising, offering specials and discounts, and using a variety of marketing methods.
How to Make Handmade Jewelry
Additional Handmade Jewelry Resources
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
Thank you for this article, I’ve been thinking about doing this lately!