5 ways people react when you start making jewellery

​If you’re thinking about taking up the rewarding and creative process of making jewellery, be it beading or goldsmithing, for fun or to sell, you may want to brace yourself for some changes in behaviour from some of your friends and family. Perhaps you aren’t a maker, but you have friends who are, well, it’s wise to make sure that you don’t make these assumptions and vex your creative friends!

The interest people take when you start making jewellery is always well meaning but sometimes a bit misguided, so it pays to be ready with a suitably considered polite (or wittily pithy) response. I’m not going to suggest the exit strategies, as that depends on your own loved ones, but here are 5 vexations I’ve come across, so read on and prepare yourself.

1. “Can you make me a…?” ​

Some people expect you to be able to create anything, all of a sudden, using any technique or material. Folk don’t realise that making jewellery is a very broad discipline, with a lot of very different skills, and it can take a long time to build those skills up.

2. ​“Ohhh aren’t you successful!”

​If you’re making jewellery to sell, some people assume you have money rolling in hand over fist as soon as you sell just three things, because jewellery is expensive right? Yes, large designers and companies can rake it in, but it’s not like that for most people.

3. "​People would love this!...” 

If you’re making jewellery for fun, some people assume you must be able to make money from it, and that surely you want to make money from it, as that’s the measure of success in our society. Nope, you can measure your enjoyment and skills.

4. “I know you like jewellery so I got you this…”

​Some people suddenly buy you a lot more handmade jewellery, because “it’s what you’re interested in”. It won’t always be jewellery you actually like, or in painful moments it’ll be something you know you could make a better quality version of.

5. ​“I got you this to use in your jewellery...” 

​Some people buy you things to make jewellery, because “it’s what you’re interested in”. They often don’t understand just how many different types of jewellery making there are, and the type and quality of specific parts and equipment you need.

Now of course, I’m being a little tongue in cheek here, as I LOVE when my friends and family take an interest in what I do, and many of them are my biggest cheerleaders and supporters. But, I have had to gently explain the limits of what I can actually do multiple times, covertly regift jewellery which is totally not my style of thing, and work out who can use those strange lime green cheap plastic beads in some meaningful way.

​Perhaps my experiences can help you pre-empt the people in your life who may drop these bombs on you, or help you check first before trying to be “helpful” to your own maker. Either way, carry on being enthusiastic!

---

I'd love to know if you've experienced any of these, or perhaps you have a different set of skills people misunderstand in unusual ways? Do share in the comments below.