If you're someone who has an eye for fashion and enjoys making their own things, why not save yourself money by making your own costume jewelry. Even the simplest pieces of costume jewelry can be overpriced so why spend money on such accessories when making them for yourself could save you a great deal of money. Of course when it comes to making your own jewelry there are certain things you need to consider before you do. The first thing you need to consider before you begin the process of learning how to make costume jewelry is what type you wish to make. The best way of determining what style of jewelry you want to make is to look through various magazines and see what's on offer in stores locally. It's also a good idea to gain inspiration for your costume jewelry designs by visiting museums or art galleries. You may even gain inspiration for your designs when out for a walk. It's a good idea as you go through various magazines, newspapers or when you look online you keep copies of images of costume jewelry that you like. Then look at these images to help you to come up with your own unique designs. In this book we offer help about how to go about making costume jewelry including some projects you may want to try. However if you can, see whether there are any jewelry making classes close to where you live. Of course if you cannot find any locally then there are plenty of classes to be found online as well. Another thing you should be doing is to designate a particular area in your home where you'll work on your jewelry pieces. It's important to remember, even when making the simplest of pieces you'll require lots of different items to complete the project. Plus you need plenty of space to be able to work on each piece of jewelry comfortably. If you have a small room in your home that's used for storing things in then this would be the perfect place for setting up as your jewelry workspace. It's a good idea to spend money not only investing in the tools you need to create your designs with but also a good table and chair. You want the space where you're sitting to be comfortable and also allow you to not place too much stress on your body as you do work. Remember you're going to be working with very small items so make sure the area in which you are working is well lit. If you need to purchase a good standard lamp or reading lamp that can direct light straight on to the work surface from above. Also investing in a light that contains LED bulbs rather than conventional incandescent or halogen bulbs should be considered. This is because these types of lights actually produce a form of lighting that's very similar to natural sunlight, so it means far less strain is being placed on your eyes as you work on very small and delicate parts of the jewelry. As for the chair, make sure you choose one that offers your back plenty of support. So investing in a good quality typist's type chair should be considered. Not only do they provide support to the upper part of the back but also the lower part. Also make sure you look for a store that can reliably provide you with all the materials you need when making costume jewelry. If you're having problems sourcing what you need locally there are plenty of online stores you can use instead.