**Help Me Build My Dream Silversmith Jewelry Studio**

Hello, my name is Angelique, I am metal smith and Mom a four year old girl and nine year old boy. I have been married thirteen years and I have been making jewelry since 2017. What started as a creative hobby quickly became something much deeper for me. I fell in love with the entire process—designing pieces, working with metal, and bringing an idea to life with my hands.

**Why Supporting Handmade Matters**

Supporting a handmade business means supporting creativity, craftsmanship, and local artistic entrepreneurship. Every piece of jewelry I create is designed and made by hand, using traditional silversmithing techniques that take time, patience, and skill.

Unlike mass-produced jewelry, handmade pieces carry the story of the maker and the care that went into creating them.

When you support this fundraiser, you’re not just helping purchase tools or materials—you’re helping build a small creative business and supporting the continuation of handmade artistry in our community. Your support helps turn passion, skill, and dedication into a sustainable livelihood.

One of my favorite parts of making jewelry is seeing someone light up when they find a piece that feels like it was made just for them.

I am now taking the next step toward turning my passion into a small business by building a dedicated silversmith studio. This space will allow me to create handmade rings, pendants, and earrings using traditional metalworking techniques.

The funds raised will help me purchase essential jewelry tools, silver materials, and cover my first few months of studio rent and insurance so I can begin producing jewelry professionally.

Every donation, no matter the size, helps bring this dream closer to reality. Thank you for supporting my creative journey and helping me build something meaningful.

**Ways You Can Support This Jewelry Studio**

Every contribution helps bring this jewelry studio to life. Whether big or small, your support helps purchase the tools, silver materials, and studio space needed to begin producing handmade jewelry.

**$10 – Supporter**

Helps purchase small studio supplies like solder, sandpaper, and polishing materials.

**$25 – Studio Helper**

Contributes toward essential tools used daily at the jewelry bench.

**$50 – Materials Supporter**

Helps purchase sterling silver wire used to create rings, earrings, and pendants.

**$100 – Silversmith Supporter**

Supports the purchase of sterling silver sheet used to fabricate handmade jewelry pieces.

**$250 – Jewelry Maker Sponsor**

Helps fund larger equipment and tools used in the silversmith studio.

**$500+ – Studio Builder**

Supports major equipment and helps make the jewelry studio possible.

Every donation brings me one step closer to building a working silversmith studio and creating handmade jewelry to share with others. Check below for a full cost break down of the needed funds!

**Jewelry Studio Startup Budget**

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**Studio Equipment – $830**

Rolling mill for shaping and texturing metal – $350

Swivel vise for holding work pieces – $100

Ergonomic bench chair – $100

Soldering fume extractor for safety – $100

Commercial ultrasonic jewelry cleaner – $150

Thermo-Loc work holding material – $30

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**Specialty Tools – $480**

Metal plate shear for cutting sheet metal – $300

Jewelry bench anvil – $100

Tin snips (heavy-duty metal cutters) – $25

Steel ring mandrel – $35

Rotating drill bit storage case – $20

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**Soldering & Fabrication Supplies – $130**

Soldering tripod with mesh screen – $60

Pumice soldering pan – $50

Curved copper pickle tongs – $20

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**Design & Surface Tools – $280**

Metal etching kit – $100

Vinyl stencil starter kit – $180

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**Precious Metal Materials (Current Market Prices) – $1,050**

Two sheets sterling silver sheet metal – $550

Two rolls sterling silver wire – $300

Half-round sterling silver wire for ring bands – $120

Fine silver bezel wire – $40

Brass sheet metal for practice and mixed-metal designs – $40

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**Studio Startup Costs – $1,900**

3 months studio rent ($550 per month) – $1,650

One year business insurance – $250

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**Total Startup Goal: $4,670** (Goal set at 4,000 to start)

These tools, materials, and studio costs will allow me to begin producing handmade sterling silver rings, pendants, and earrings using traditional silversmithing techniques. With your support, I will be able to build inventory, sell locally and online, and grow my jewelry business.

**Why Rising Gold and Silver Prices Affect This Fundraiser**

The current market price of Gold and Silver has skyrocketed at $87.00 in Silver per ounce, and $5,114.00 in Gold per ounce.

Only in few years ago it sat at $1,400 of Gold per ounce and $16.00 of Silver per ounce.

Precious metals like gold and silver are the primary materials used in the jewelry I create. Because silver and gold are traded globally as commodities, their prices change based on supply, demand, inflation, and economic uncertainty.

When the price per ounce rises, the cost of raw materials for jewelry makers rises as well. This means that every sheet of sterling silver, every length of wire, and every casting grain used to make a ring, pendant, or pair of earrings becomes more expensive.

For small independent makers like me who are starting a studio, these price increases make it much harder to purchase enough metal to build inventory and start a business. Even basic starter supplies of sterling silver can cost hundreds of dollars, and the price fluctuates regularly.

The goal of this fundraiser is to help offset those rising material costs so I can purchase the silver needed to create jewelry pieces while also covering the essential tools and studio expenses required to begin production.

Your support helps make it possible to continue working with high-quality materials and build a responsible, sustainable handmade jewelry business.

**Other Ways You Can Help**

Not everyone is able to donate, and that’s completely okay. There are still meaningful ways you can help support this jewelry studio project.

**Share the campaign**

Sharing this fundraiser with friends, family, and social media helps it reach more people who may want to support handmade artists and small businesses.

**Follow my jewelry journey**

Watching the studio grow and sharing the progress helps spread the word about handmade jewelry and the work that goes into creating each piece. Please be patient with our website and socials they are under complete reconstruction. If you would like to be notified when they finished please leave a comment next to the donation and I will send you both the website link and social tags!

**Encourage handmade businesses**

Supporting artists and makers helps keep traditional craftsmanship alive and strengthens small creative communities.

Even a simple share can make a big difference. Thank you for helping support my dream of building a small silversmith jewelry studio.

If you read this entire thing and made it to this sentence. Thanks from the bottom of my heart! You mean so much to this dream come true

Angelique Harding