Don't get stuck with the wrong chain length! A fantastic way to upsell your jewelry is by offering necklace chain extenders which will exten

3 Types of Necklace Chain Extenders

Don't get stuck with a too-short necklace! Whether it's by a customer's need or desire, longer necklaces are a must to carry. Necklace extenders can help take any pre-made design and add length. Learn about some of the most popular types of extenders Halstead offers.

Learn about Halstead's Jewelry Quality Assurance Program using precious metal lab testing as part of a regular quality control plan.

by Ashley Maldonado

Halstead Lab Testing for Quality Control: A Jewelry Quality Assurance Program

We understand you only want to give your customers the best. That’s why we take great care in our jewelry quality assurance so all items we sell are up to standards. In addition to only buying from reputable vendors, we send items for quality control lab testing. Read more about our quality control procedures.

Best how-to necklace lengths guide. Match neckline styles to necklace lengths! Learn the official names of the various necklace lengths. Download the guide.

by Erica Stice

Necklace Lengths Guide - How to Measure & Choose a Necklace Length

Our necklace length guide can help you and our customers quickly make jewelry decisions based on the neckline style you're wearing. Read the article, watch the video and save the infographic. Print it today!

Learn tips on untangling jewelry chain! Jewelry footage and finished chain tend to tangle also we'll cover how to package and store them to prevent tangles.

by Erica Stice

Untangling Jewelry Chain: Tips, Tricks & More

Read Tips & Tricks from the Halstead team on untangling chain plus how to properly store chain to prevent further tangles from happening. We've added a few tangled horror chain stories as well.

Learn about metal alloys for jewelry making including the atomic structure and other properties that impact the material.

by Erica Stice

Metal Alloys Used in Jewelry

Learn how the structure of metal and the properties of different alloys impact common materials in jewelry creation. As a jeweler, there is nothing more rewarding than learning how to take your designs from paper to metal form.

Learn about different types of gold material used to make jewelry. The nine options explored in this article include alloys as well as layered materials and base metals.

by Erica Stice

9 Types of Gold Metal Used in Jewelry

Gold is seductive. The luminous metal has inspired artists and wearers throughout human history. This reference article will explore different golden materials used in the jewelry arts.

Keeping your flex shaft in peak condition is a must for any jeweler. Follow these 14 easy steps to maintaining your jewelry making flex shaft.

by Erica Stice

Flex Shaft Maintenance

Keeping your flex shaft in peak condition is a must for any jeweler. Follow these 14 easy steps to maintaining your jewelry making flex shaft.

Casey Sheppard of Case of the Nomads shares bangle bracelet making tips to inspire your jewelry collection designs in this tutorial.

by Katie Hacker

Tips for Making Bangle Bracelets with Casey Sheppard

Learn tips for making riveted wire bangles with guest contributor Casey Sheppard.

Flex shaft attachments can be overwhelming! Learn which ones you need in your jewelry studio along with techniques and tips for jewelry finishing.

by Erica Stice

Flex Shaft Attachments for Finishing -

A flex shaft (or Dremel) rotary is one of the most indispensable metalsmithing tools in the jewelry studio . We use flex shafts for sanding, polishing, cutting and drilling. They shave time off in the studio so we can move on to other projects. I love our flex shaft but ...

by Erica Stice

Glossary of Hammers Used in Jewelry Making

Read all about the types of hammers used in the jewelry studio & check out our Facebook LIVE videos for tips, techniques & more!

Need a new jewelry soldering station? Read Erica's article to learn how to choose the right soldering fuel and torch tips for your home studio.

by Erica Stice

Solders, Torches & Fuels Used in a Jewelry Studio

Picking a fuel type for your jewelry studio can be an arduous research session. We've narrowed it down with the pros and cons for each type, with additional information on torch tips included - updated February 2019.

Review our quick quide to ready-made stone settings to make your jewelry fabrication time more efficient so you can focus on your custom work.

by Erica Stice

Jeweler's Guide to Types of Ready Made Settings

Interested in ready-made stone settings? We cover a wide range of pre-made jewelry settings and tools in this guide, which also include hints and favorite new tools.

Xuron made in the USA jewelry pliers and cutters will quickly become your favorite jewelry tools. Check out some of Halstead's favorite Xuron Tools.

by Katie Hacker

Xuron: Your New Favorite Jewelry Tools

People are passionate about their Xuron jewelry tools. Find out why these Made in the USA line of pliers and cutters will soon be your favorite new jewelry tools too.

Learn how to select jewelry wire gauge thickness and hardness temper for your material needs in this handy guide to jewelry metals properties.

by Erica Stice

What Jewelry Wire Gauge & Hardness Do You Need?

Learn the ins and outs of sheet and wire gauges and metal tempers so you can make the right choices for your jewelry designs. This popular blog post was updated in 2019.

Firescale naturally occurs while soldering silver. Learn about the pickling process to remove firescale from your silver jewelry pieces.

by Erica Stice

Jewelry Soldering 101: Firescale & Pickling

Firescale naturally occurs during the soldering process. Read on to learn what firescale is and how to pickle it off your jewelry.

Birthstones have always had special meanings. Learn about the history and meanings of each month's birthstones in this article.

by Ashley Maldonado

Add Meaning to Your Jewelry with Birthstones

Birthstones have always had special meanings, though they haven’t always been the same. Learn about the history and meaning of birthstones in this article. This blog was updated in 2020.

by Hilary Halstead Scott

Selecting the Right Beadalon Stringing Wire

Watch our Beadalon video with BB&J's Katie Hacker!

Liver of sulfur is perfect for adding oxidized patinas to your brass, copper or silver jewelry designs. Learn our top tips for getting the best results.

by Hilary Halstead Scott

6 Tips for Using Liver of Sulfur

From set-up to helpful tips, read why Liver of Sulfer makes such a great jewelry patina and is an essential product to have in your jewelry studio!

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