How to Make Home-Made Jewelry More Beautiful with Hand-Painting
There has been a recent surge in the costume jewelry business. Costume jewelry, also known as fashion jewelry, refers to pieces made of non-precious metals, such as steel or brass and decorated with materials, like simulated stones or plastic. These are the type of jewelry people wear everyday even on casual occasions.
According to expert research, the market for fashion jewelry was at approximately $32.9 billion in 2019 alone. This means there has been a remarkable increase in interest. Homemade costume jewelry is also a rising trend among fashionistas and jewelers. If you want to launch your own homemade jewelry business, you need to make your product as unique and beautiful as possible.
Although you can stick to metalworking and using plastic components to make your jewelry, hand painting them will give them a personalized appeal.
Here are some best tips and practices to keep in mind when you’re painting home-made jewelry by hand.
Find the Right Paint
Resist the temptation to just buy any paint off the rack. There are hundreds of types of paints, each with different uses and properties. The kind used by road painting companies and construction services won’t be right for your jewelry making projects. The kinds of paints used on canvas and paper are similarly out of the question. When looking for the perfect paint to use on jewelry, consider the following factors.
- Resistance
Unlike fine jewelry, costume jewelry will be used heavily by your customers. Whether they wear it every day, these pieces will see a lot of wear, which means the paint you use must be very durable. Water-resistance takes priority because you don’t want it washing away from a light drizzle or even your customer’s sweat. Another type of resistance you should look for is lightfastness. This refers to the ability of the paint to resist bleaching under the glare of ultraviolet lighting. If your paint isn’t lightfast, customers may notice your products will start to look pale and discolor after only a few weeks or months of use.
- Chemical Components
Jewelry is worn right on the skin and you don’t want to use any material that may react negatively on your customer’s bodies. Allergens and harsh chemicals can cause skin irritation and worse even in small quantities if the person in question is sufficiently sensitives. You should also research on possible chemical reactions between your chosen materials and paints. Using the wrong paints on the wrong material may end up releasing harmful chemicals or damaging your products.
- Drying
There are some paints that require baking or heating to dry, and these can add a lot of time and expense to your production process. There are also paints that will dry on their own but can take a longer time. The drying time of the paint you use will not only affect your manufacturing process but also the durability of your product. Paints with longer drying time may tend to be stronger and more resistance. Weight these factors carefully before making your choice.
The Perfect Medium
Once you’ve chosen your painting material, you should also exhibit the same level of care when picking your jewelry medium. Popular materials for jewelry making include wooden beads, plastic components and base metals. Remember that the type of paint you plan on using must work well with the medium you’re choosing. For example, non-bake enamel paints are perfect for use on metallic jewelry because of their vivid colors and the lack of heat in their drying process. On the other hand, acetone-based paints like aerosol and similar substances will melt and degrade plastic jewelry components.
The Appropriate Designs
The paint and the medium aren’t the only important components in hand-painting jewelry. The designs you plan on using are just as crucial. Some paints are better for vivid colors than others, which is something you need to consider when coming up with the design. Other patterns and color schemes will work better with certain mediums than others. For example, bright, enamel-like colors will look great on metalwork but can look cheap on wood.
Furthermore, the design has to be tasteful and appropriate. A mandala flower pattern may seem eye-catching, but it carries deep spiritual meaning and could offend certain sensibilities if used frivolously. Monitor any patterns or symbols you use in the design for anything that could reflect badly on your company.
Keep an Eye on Trends
Finally, always watch out for what’s trendy in the home-made jewelry world. Your designs may be unique, but if you’re hand-painting patterns and using materials that are no longer in vogue, you could be looking at a massive loss of business.
You should also keep an eye out on what types of clothes are in style for the year. This can help you create the perfect accessories to match them. For example, if trends indicate that sleeveless blouses will be popular soon, you could head it off by making hand-painted arm bangles and bracelets.
Costume jewelry is so much more fun when its customized. Your buyers will love the personalization hand-painting your products afford and your humble home-made jewelry business may just hit it big, thanks to these tips.
