A Jewelry Studio in My Home

© by Ellen Leonard; all rights reserved

Your jewelry studio needs the right space, and finding that space can be challenging. You have several options, depending on your needs.

The easiest solution for your jewelry studio is to simply rent space in an existing studio at a local art center, or from another artist. This requires minimal investment because all of the tools and the space are already provided.

Trinket Charm by Ellen Leonard

Another option is to rent a space in a building that provides studio space to artists. It can be expensive, but the interaction between artists in these kinds of communities is wonderful and fun. This is the perfect plan if you live in a small house or apartment. This option, however, would require you to pay rent. Most jewelers starting out have limited funds and would probably prefer to spend the rent money on supplies.

This article focuses on yet another option: creating a jewelry studio in your home! The idea of having a studio convieniently located in my home was far too tempting for me to pass up. But which room should I convert to a studio? Here are some things that I took into consideration.

First of all, you need to think about how much space you will need. If you are doing smaller projects, such as beading, you will need less space than an artist setting up a complete metalsmithing studio. Also, think about the future. Do you plan on teaching classes someday? Do you want to host open studios?

Every house has limited space, so you need to consider what you are willing to give up. Small business is full of sacrifices, and you should be prepared to sacrifice an entire room. Simply because convention states that a specific space is a dining room, but you never use it for that purpose, doesn't mean that it can't become a studio.

Also, don't overlook the garage as a possible studio space. If it is possible to leave your car outside then this is a great option. This is a small sacrifice to make for your passion of jewelry making.

You must also consider whether you will have access to things that you need in the room you choose. For my jewelry studio I need access to lots of electrical outlets, both hot and cold water, and enough space to teach classes, so my options were limited. My basement was being used for storage, laundry, and my Tae Kwon Do training area. It was extremely difficult to give up the training area, but I really wanted my studio so I dismantled it. My jewelry studio has now taken over my entire basement!

1. Do you really have enough space?

2. Are there too many risks involved, such as children or pets?

3. Can you afford the insurance?

4. Are you really safety-conscious enough to have an at-home jewelry studio?

5. Can you afford to purchase the equipment you'll need for your studio, or should you find a local studio that you can use?

6. Would you rather rent a space?

7. Does your state/city/county have regulations against operating a studio in your home?

Safety should be your primary concern when starting a home jewelry studio, and should be one of the first things you think about even before starting.

Do you have children? Pets? If you are going to be working with dangerous chemicals, gas, or torches, then you need to decide if having a studio in your home is really something you want to do.

If you do decide to have your own jewelry studio, then you need to be a vigilant safety inspector in your own house. Remember, you own the house and if you do things to damage it, then you are going to have to pay for it.

Also, you need to be careful of any chemicals. Always clean up before you leave the studio. Always wash your hands to remove any chemicals before leaving the studio area. You never know what you will be touching next.

You do not want to begin any home based business without first discussing your options with your homeowner's insurance agent. Most homeowners policies do not cover any incidents that are related to your business. This is especially important if your jewelry studio will include any tools that could potentially burn down your house, such as a torch or a kiln.

Before setting up my studio I first called my insurance agent and discussed with him exactly what I wanted to do. I only use a small electrical kiln in my studio, and I explained the specifics of the item to him. He seemed concerned at first, but after making several phone calls he called me back to let me know that the kiln would be easy to cover.

Personally, I pay around $100 more per year in addition to my regular homeowner's insurance premium to cover my business liability and property, and this includes any kiln related accidents.

If you are like me you have a busy life and a seemingly impossible accumulation of stuff. My basement was far too cluttered to really set up the studio.

Solution: Yard Sale. You get rid of all of that junk you've been meaning to get rid of anyway, and you get to make some money that can help with funding your studio set up.

After I cleaned up the space, I set to work finding things in my house that would be useful in the studio. This includes everything from Tupperware with lost tops or bottoms, extra chairs, an old card table - basically anything and everything that I could think of went into my future studio.

This of course did not provide everything that I needed. The basic jewelry bench, lighting, organizational containers, etc. I still didn't have.

There are many people starting out who can afford to spend lots of money on these items, and if you are one of them, many vendors such as Rio Grande and Thunderbird have amazing jewelry benches and organizational containers perfect for you.

However, if you are like me and don't want to spend a lot of money, this next plan is for you: Yard Sales. It's all about yard sales. I found lights and tables and chairs and lots of organizational items at yard sales for next to nothing. So, now the space was really starting to come together!

However, I did not yet have a jewelry bench or workbench of any kind. I found a design for one in Tim McCreight's perfect book, The Complete Metalsmith: An Illustrated Handbook. Then I somehow convinced some friends of mine to build some version of the bench from the scrap wood I had in my house. You would be surprised how excited some of your friends may be to help you realize your dream!

If you are planning on having guests or customers visiting your jewelry studio, there are things you can do to make it look more professional.

First of all, you really need to keep everything clean and organized. Organization is especially important if you are using chemicals or gas.

If you host events or classes in your jewelry studio, people will notice if you're extremely disorganized. Although people visiting realize that this is your home, they don't want to look at your junk (and you probably don't want them to, either).

Using a simple dowel rod and some curtains I found at a yard sale, I erected a barrier between my junk and my studio. It makes such a difference.

It is a lot of work to get your own jewelry studio up and running, but once you do, the reward is worth all of the struggle. I love having my jewelry studio in my home!