1. Quiz
  2. Your result
  3. Your plan
  4. Your guide

Step-by-step guide

Wire and metal art: from your first piece to your first sales

Make wire and bead animals, key rings, frames and decor and sell them at markets, to curio shops and online. This guide covers kit, what SA wire art sells for in 2026 (beaded wire animals about R120 to R140, key rings from about R40), wire and bead costs, market and marketplace fees, why you should only use new wire with a receipt, and a worked rand example with clearly labelled example figures.

  • 23 lessons
  • 5 modules
  • About 2 hours
  • First lesson free

Is this guide for you?

Good fit if

  • You are good with your hands and pliers.
  • You can repeat a design neatly.
  • You enjoy markets, tourists and talking about your work.

Think twice if

  • You want income without making stock first.
  • You have trouble with hand or wrist strain.
  • You plan to use scrap copper or cable you cannot prove you bought.

Honest expectations

  • SA curio sellers list beaded wire animals at about R120 to R140, and small pieces from about R40 (African Curios, Earth Africa, Crafty Market).
  • South African Tourism says wire art ranges from about R20 for a key ring to R20,000 for collector pieces, so skill and size drive price.
  • Your first sales usually come from people you know and one market day.

What is inside

  1. Module 1

    Is this right for you?

    What it involves, who pays, and honest expectations.

    1. How a wire and metal art business worksFree · 5 min
    2. Honest expectations4 min (in the full guide)
  2. Module 2

    Set up and price

    What you need and what to charge.

    1. Your startup kit, costs and skills5 min (in the full guide)
    2. Set up step by step: ready to sell6 min (in the full guide)
    3. Pricing and getting paid: real 2026 figures5 min (in the full guide)
    4. Your numbers: a worked example in rands5 min (in the full guide)
  3. Module 3

    Your first week

    The first steps, in order.

    1. Your first week, step by step6 min (in the full guide)
    2. Week one, step 2: Buy wire and make one simple piece3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Week one, step 3: Cost it and set a price3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Finding your first customers5 min (in the full guide)
    5. Your 14-day playbook to your first paying customers6 min (in the full guide)
    6. Messages to copy: your first customers5 min (in the full guide)
  4. Module 4

    Your first month

    A routine that brings in customers.

    1. Your first 30 days: build a routine4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Month one, task 1: Book a market day or visit a curio shop3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Month one, task 2: Set up a WhatsApp catalogue3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Common mistakes in wire art4 min (in the full guide)
  5. Module 5

    Months two and three

    Repeat what works, grow and stay safe.

    1. Days 31 to 90: repeat what works and grow4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Months two and three, task 1: Offer custom and event orders3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Months two and three, task 2: Keep the designs that sell3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Free courses to fill your skill gaps4 min (in the full guide)
    5. Getting paid safely and spotting scams4 min (in the full guide)
    6. Tax: what to put aside, with worked examples6 min (in the full guide)
    7. Risks, rules, tax and staying safe5 min (in the full guide)

What it costs to start

ItemCostNote
Wire (for example 500 g galvanised binding wire R50 to R62.90)R100 to R400Buy new wire with a receipt.
Pliers and side cutters (example range)R150 to R600Example range.
Beads and display (example range)R50 to R500Example range. Seed beads from R28 per 100 g at Beads and More.

Try it before you buy

Lesson one is free. If it helps, the whole guide is R149 once-off.

Start the free lesson

Reviewed 26 October 2026 by the Earn Path team. Next review due 26 April 2027.