Jewelry Software - Bead Manager Pro

Owning and operating a home-based business takes a special kind of person. Home-based businesses are—at best—challenging. Even if selling your handmade jewelry at home is an ideal situation for you, for it to be successful requires hard work, dedication, and the ability to keep your business and home lives separate. You may ask yourself if you’re really up to this challenge. If your answer is “yes,” and you have the determination to make your business work for you, you’re already off to a good start!

How many hours per day will your shop be open? How many hours per day can you spend on designing and making jewelry? When will you do housework and run errands? Do you have small children at home? These are all things you need to take into consideration when you sit down to plan your schedule. You may have to re-work your schedule once or twice, but the important thing is to make a schedule that works for you, and discipline yourself to stick to it!

The old adage “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy,” applies to running your home-based business. Having a new home-based business is rather like having a new baby; you love it to pieces, but you still need a full night’s sleep! Don’t let your business run your life: you own it; it doesn’t own you! Don’t answer your business phone after hours, and give yourself the luxury of spending time with friends and family instead of being stuck in your studio all the time. There’s a world outside that needs you in it!

After making the decision to running a home-based jewelry business it should be confined to your workspace and not allowed to intrude upon your living space. Your business and your home both need privacy. Whether you work in your basement, garage, or a spare room in your house, it should have a separate entrance for customers and deliveries. It provides a more professional environment in which you can nicely display your jewelry, and gives your family the privacy they need. Keeping your business in, but separate from, your home sets boundaries for both customers and family members, and one is less likely to intrude upon the other. Your business should have its own mailing address, phone line and bank account, making it easier to have your personal and business records already separated come tax time.

It’s not unusual for home-based business owners to be unaware of Federal, State and local regulations. There are zoning restrictions, and building and safety codes, all of which you must be in compliance before your business license is granted. Go to your CPA, City Hall, or County or Parrish Courthouse to learn what you must do to get a business license. Inspection and license fees usually apply, so be sure you have enough cash in reserve to pay the necessary costs.

Now, you need to make a few business contacts, but how do you go about it? Your local Chamber of Commerce is a good place to start. The Chamber can give you valuable information about your state’s jewelers and crafting guild, and local groups where you can meet other business people from your area. Go to an online community forum for jewelry makers and crafts people, especially if you need answers to any questions you may have right away. Other artists at arts and crafts fairs, shows and festivals can teach you almost everything you need to know about having a home-based jewelry business, and you may get ideas for designs you’d like to add to your jewelry collection. Best of all, your network contacts are people who understand the joys and frustrations experienced by business owners, with whom you have a lot in common, some of which may become your greatest supporters and friends!

Ask yourself: “What will the neighbors think?!” Traffic on your street will increase because of your customers and suppliers, so take care they don’t intrude upon your neighbors. Remember, those who live around you aren’t just neighbors, they’re potential customers. Having their goodwill and patronage contributes to the success of your home-based jewelry business!

The easiest way to keep track of information about your customers, and acquire the information you need to maximize your business profits is to use jewelry software. By entering information on your computer, you can create detailed “Rolodex” information about your customers, their preferences, and keep track of what and how they purchase from you. You can collect and organize other data, generate and analyze reports, and learn how to better market your jewelry for maximum profits.

In almost any store where you shop, you will be asked at check-out for your name or telephone number, or if you have a store card. Most people comply and whip out that card, because it entitles them to sale prices or special discounts. The requested information or the card keeps track of customer purchases, and the information is automatically entered into the store’s database. The collected data is used to determine and implement more productive marketing strategies.

Use your jewelry software to create an account for each customer. Along with the usual name, address and phone number, enter the following information:

· E-mail addresses
· Product purchased
· Purchase price
· Services, including repairs and appraisals
· Purchases of warranties and insurance
· Style preferences
· Special requests for items of information

With the jewelry software, you can assess relevant market conditions and sales data to determine your marketing strategies. You will see what items sell well, and which don’t. This will help you determine what inventory should be increased or decreased. The average price of items being sold tells you in what price range customers are most likely to make a purchase. Whether you make you own jewelry or purchase your stock, some items will have higher rates of return or need for repairs. If you make your jewelry and reports show that a certain brand or type of clasp or crimping bead breaks quite often, you will know to change to a more reliable brand. The same applies to brands or styles of ready-made jewelry.

Set specific goals for you business. For instance, you may want to increase the percentage of sales for a certain item, or phase out a product that doesn’t sell well to make room for a new line. Use the jewelry software to help you determine where to apply the correct strategies for attaining your business goals. As you become more experienced in using the software, you will be able to determine where to increase product investments and view your available assets, such as liquid assets, cash flow, equity and inventory. You may find jewelry software such a valuable tool that you’ll wonder how your business ever got along without it!

When your studio starts to look like a dragon’s treasure stash, it’s time to start selling your handmade jewelry! Why not? You’ve been making jewelry for some time now, and all your friends and family have hinted they have all the jewelry they need for now. You’re so addicted to the relaxation and enjoyment of creating lovely pieces of jewelry that there is no way you can, or want to, stop. It’s really time to make your hobby pay for itself and earn some cash for yourself, too!

Assigning prices to your jewelry can be fun once you know the basics of how to do it. Use these three steps as you guideline.

· Add the costs of the materials and tools for the pieces you want to sell.

· Pay yourself for your time and labor. Your hourly rate need not be extravagant. To start, $10 an hour, although it may seem low, is a good place to start. You can give yourself a raise once your business is off the ground.

· Since you work from your home, your overhead expenses may not be much, but don’t ignore them. Overhead expenses include a business phone line, costs of utilities rental fees for booths at crafting fairs and shows, and web site rental and maintenance fees if you decide to have a web site or open an e-Bay shop. The best way to estimate these costs is to allow one quarter of the sum of your other costs.

From hereon, keep records of all of the above expenses, plus any extra costs, such as shipping costs on orders for supplies, office equipment and business-related software . Keep all invoices and receipts, and be sure to record your time and wage for each jewelry item.

If you’re thinking of starting your jewelry business by opening a shop outside your home, you may want to reconsider. It takes a great deal of hard work and time—not to mention money from your own pocket—before you will see any monetary rewards. Why not start small, first? You can make your community aware of your jewelry business, and quite likely build a solid customer base before you even open your shop doors! Here are a few inexpensive, but profitable venues to try.

Home Jewelry Parties: This is one of the least expensive, fun and profitable bases from which to start your home-based jewelry business. You can host the party yourself or have someone you know host it for you. Invite several people, serve refreshments and show off your jewelry to your guests. Let the guests try on the jewelry, and provide mirrors large enough to allow them to see how well a necklace fits. Have a receipt book and plenty of cash change on hand, because you’re sure to sell some of your beautiful jewelry items!

Fairs and Festivals are great places for novices in the business of making and selling jewelry to learn the ropes. With vast exposure to customers and other artisans, you’re sure to pick up a few tips for making your business a success. Customers may so impressed by your lovely work that they ask for custom-made jewelry, or contact information to share with family and friends. Other jewelry crafters are good sources of business contacts, such as the best supplies wholesalers, setting up an attractive web site, and for learning new design ideas and the most popular current trends in jewelry and other accessories. The overhead is low and the profits are usually quite satisfying, if not downright lucrative!

Online Jewelry Shops are relatively low-overhead/high exposure venues for selling jewelry without leaving your home. You can join an online shops network that specializes in jewelry and accessories, or build your own web site shop. Online auctions are immensely popular, and generate tremendous exposure! E-Bay shops are one of the most cost-effective ways of displaying your jewelry, especially since e-Bay has such a vast customer base.

Home jewelry parties, virtual shops and auctions and crafts fairs are the best ways to build your home-based jewelry business. You can try concentrating on just one, or combine two or all three venues for maximum profit. Once you learn how to sell your jewelry, you may still want to open a brick and mortar shop or boutique, but then again, you may be so hooked on the fun, excitement and excellent profits you can earn by using the above methods that you may never consider having a “real” shop again!

Do you remember the popularity of “love beads” in the late 1960s and ‘70’s? Everyone wore bead earrings, wrist and ankle bracelets, and of course, several strands of long bead necklaces that swayed and rattled out their message of peace and love with every movement the wearer made. Well, beads are back! If you’re looking for a hobby that brings out your creative flair, reduces stress and results in fun creations that you can wear yourself, give to relatives and friends, or even to sell for extra cash, stringing beads is the hobby for you.

Not only is basic beading easy and fun, but it doesn’t cost much to get started. A wide variety of beading supplies are readily available at crafts and art supplies stores, discount stores and specialty bead boutiques that carry both basic beads and the more expensive beads that are often used by professional beaders. Many beading supply warehoused will mail free color catalogues to you, upon request. A search for “beading supplies” on the Internet will give you many great resources for what you need to get started beading.

To get started on beading, you will need a few basic tools and supplies. Here is a checklist of what you will need:

Beads: The beautiful fancy beads, made from glass, wood, semi-precious gemstones, hand-painted and cloisonné are so very tempting for beaders at any skill level. However, mistakes made while using finer beads can be costly. Avoid unnecessary expenses by starting with simple plastic beads. They come in many different shapes, colors, sizes and styles. Start off with plastic beads in a few of your favorite colors. Jewelry made from inexpensive pony beads are a great hit with children and teens. Experimenting with your beads will teach you color coordination and how to apply the finishing touches. After you become more skilled, you will be able to work with those tempting fancy beads.

Clasps: “Findings” is another name for jewelry clasps, clamps and closures, and can be purchased at most stores that sell beading supplies, both off- and online. There is a wide variety from which to choose, and beginners should start with the less expensive findings. Most findings products have instructions on the package, but, again, advice can be found in beading catalogues or magazines sold online or in crafts stores.

Crimping Beads: Crimping beads are made of flexible metal that are clamped shut to help keep clasps attached to jewelry. An essential to beaded jewelry projects, crimping beads are gold or silver and are available in different sizes.

Tools: Purchasing the right tools for your beading is a must! At the most basic, you will need round-nosed pliers that can be used for crimping. If you can afford it, add smooth edged needle-nosed pliers, a bead crimper, light wire cutter, wire straightener and jewelers tweezers. These tools are not required, but they do make stringing beads easier. Before making a purchase, choose the size and style of tools that best fit your hand, and make sure that your hands are strong enough to easily use the tools.

Beading Boards: Beading boards make pre-selecting and measuring beads and working with multiple strands much easier. Most beading boards are made of plastic and are equipped with a device that measures in inches, millimeters, or both. Although any segmented plastic tray can be used, a beading board is highly recommended.

Stringing Materials: These come in a variety of sizes and types. Beading strings are made of silk, nylon, leather cord and coated wire, just to name a few. Fishing line (monofilaments) is less expensive than many other kinds of string, but beginners may want to use flexible wire. It is easier to use, and doesn’t shrink, stretch or curl. Working with thread requires special large-eye or curved needles made for beading, and can be found in most stores that sell beading supplies.

Beading is a hobby that is enjoyed by people of all ages and sizes. Making beaded jewelry and accessories is a good hobby for the elderly. Using the appropriate tools can aid in improved grip and hand coordination, while magnifiers make small parts easier to see. Children love stringing beads and it will keep them occupied while you work. Allowing your children to work alongside you is not only fun, but is one way to spend quality time together. Beading supplies for children can be found alongside those for adults. Be sure to check package labels for recommended user ages; many beading supplies should be kept away from babies and toddlers.

Beading pattern books and magazines can be purchased at craft stores or online. Free patterns can be found on the Internet, on beading forums, message boards and pattern sharing web sites. You will also find tutorials and help with new techniques on these sites, as well as tips and tricks for using tools more efficiently.

Beading is a hobby that will provide you with hours of fun while creating beautiful jewelry and other items that you and your family will love. You can bead clothing and handbags, make amazing wall hangings, curtains, sun catchers, plant holders, and even key chains and bookmarks! Do extra projects and sell them for supplemental income, as so many beaders have done. Beading is a great way to have fun, relieve stress, make a little money, by just staying home with your family and doing what you love!

Stringing beads is one of those simple pleasures in life that almost anyone can enjoy. It doesn’t require a lot of skill to begin, but when it comes to making beaded jewelry, it certainly can’t hurt to have some experience under your belt! Start with simple patterns and once you’ve mastered the basics, go to more advanced patterns. From there, it won’t be long before you’re making beautiful jewelry that anyone would love to wear!

In addition to great beads, you need a few stringing and hand tools. At the minimum, you need a pair each of round nosed and flat nosed pliers, a crimping tool for fastening clasps to jewelry, wire cutters, jeweler’s tweezers for picking up and holding beads in place while you work with them, clasps, stringing materials and needles. Selecting beads for your project is the fun part! There are so many kinds! Glass beads, pearl beads, wooden beads, brightly colored plastic beads, beads made of semi-precious stones and metals, crystal beads, and the list goes on and on! In fact, just looking at beads can inspire the creation of original designs! But, getting your feet back on the ground, start simply and work your way up.

Nylon and other synthetic strings, such as monofilament (a/k/a fishing line), are less expensive than wire or silk thread, but they can be cut or frayed, and unlike wire, they stretch and have a tendency to curl, especially at the ends, making it difficult to securely knot and attach clasps, fasteners and other jewelry findings. It’s best not to use synthetic threads with beads that are more than moderately abrasive or beads with too-large holes. Because of its resilience, ease of use and the variety of bead materials it can be used with, jeweler’s wire is preferred by many bead jewelry makers, while those who work with small, smooth beads, other than glass, prefer silk thread because it is small enough to fit through the holes of smaller beads. Wherever your beading fancy lies, you can be sure there is a string for it!

There is nothing quite as frustrating as having a nearly completed piece of jewelry and find that you don’t have enough beads to finish! This is why you should buy all the project beads and supplies you need, plus a few extra beads and needles, at once. When you buy everything you need at once, you eliminate the chance of not being able to get more beads at crafts or discount stores because they are sold out, or that you will have to wait a few days for a warehouse shipment to arrive. Buying from crafts and discount department stores is handy in a pinch, but you pay for that “convenience.” A far better way to purchase beads and other jewelry supplies is through a crafts supplies wholesaler. An Internet search will turn up dozens of crafts supplies wholesalers, but you should take time to comparison shop, because some who claim to be wholesalers are actually retailers in disguise. Buying from an online wholesaler is the quickest, easiest and, often, least expensive way to purchase bead jewelry supplies. You have the advantage of being able to comparison shop, browse at leisure, order and pay for your supplies all from your home PC!

Your workspace should be comfortable, well-lighted and preferably isolated from the main parts of your home. Choose a comfortably high stool or chair and a spacious flat-topped work bench or table. You need sealable containers to keep your beads, small tools and supplies neatly organized and within easy reach. Other things you need storage space for are patterns, completed projects, and larger hand tools. One of the great things about having a separate workspace is that you can hang enlarged pictures of your favorite hand-made jewelry on the walls, make long strings of inexpensive beads, or allow your children to make them, to loop along a wall or from the ceiling or use any other decorations yow want! This makes your studio a comfortable, fun and inspiring place in which to make your bead jewelry!

It’s a very common question for beginner beaders to want to know all the tools you will need to start beading. (and what they can live without)

To be successful with your beading projects, it’s a good idea to understand the beading tools available to you… and what they are used for. Plus, next to each “must have” tool is an **. The other tools you can pick up as you gain more experience.

**Wire Cutters

Wire cutters are used to cut your wire. They have sharp edges that snap your wire clean. Be sure to get good quality cutters that cut close and clean.

**Crimping Pliers

Crimping pliers are used to flatten crimp beads to then end of your stringing wire. Crimping pliers create neat, round crimps using a 2 step process. They are very easy to use! Use the standard crimping plier for 2mm crimp tubes. Use the Micro Crimper for 1mm crimp tubes. And if you have a need for a 3mm crimp tube, try using the Mighty Crimper.

Round-Nose Pliers (needle nose pliers)

Round nose pliers have rounded ends designed to create smooth tight loops in your wire. Choose a good quality set that provides a tight grip, ergonomic handles and a wide range of width on the noses. When first starting out (and on a budget), you can skip this tool at first. But you’ll soon want to advance your skills into creating dangles and wire loops… and you will need these pliers to do that.

Chain Nose Pliers (flat-nose pliers)
These pliers have flat tapered noses that enable you to grip, bend and manipulate your wire. Choose a pair that offer small tips to reach tiny areas and that have comfortable ergonomic handles. If you’re on a budget, you don’t need these pliers right away. But as you work more with stringing beads, you will discover that you will need these pliers to help grip your beads and wire. Plus, when you begin working more with wire, these pliers will become essential.

Beading Needles
There are 2 main types of needles you can use. A beading needle and a Sharps needle. A beading needle is about 2″ long, flexible and are designed for stringing multiple beads, off-loom and loom beadweaving.

A Sharps needle is a shorter more rigid needle… designed for hand bead embroidery into fabric and for off-loom beadweaving.

You typically don’t need a beading needle until you begin creating off-loom stitch designs. Until then, your stringing wire is stiff enough to string beads on.

Happy Beading!

Jennifer Thoden shares her love of beads and creativity with beginner beaders and jewelry designers. Her love of color and unique design shows in her bead patterns. Find her bead patterns and tutorials at http://www.beadpatternsonline.com

Create this simple and elegant purple drop necklace with lovely lilac teardrop beads and amethyst beads.

This pattern will produce one necklace approximately 18″ in length.

Supply List

6″ Silver Cable Chain cut into 4 - 1 1/2″ sections

22 Gauge Silver Wire

1 Silver Lobster Claw Clasp with Tab (clasp pictured is 12mm)

9 - 10mm Opaque Lilac Teardrop Beads

12 - 6/0 Light Amethyst Beads

20 - 6/0 Amethyst Beads

4 - 4mm Silver Heishi Spacer Beads

Step One

Begin by creating all of the wire links that you will need for this necklace. Please reference my January 2003 Looped Bracelet/Chain tip if you are unfamiliar with creating wire links. You will need 23 wire looped sections in all, they break down like this:

12 - Links with a single 6/0 Light Amethyst Bead

9 - Links with an 6/0 Amethyst Bead / 10mm Opaque Lilac Teardrop Bead / 6/0Amethyst Bead

2 - Links with a 4mm Silver Heishi Spacer Bead / 6/0 Amethyst Bead / Silver Heishi Spacer Bead

Step Two

You can now begin assembly of the necklace; you will work from one end of the necklace to the other. Begin by connecting links* and additional materials together in this order:

Connect Clasp to one of the Heishi/Amethyst/Heishi links

Add one chain section

Add a Light Amethyst link

Add one chain section

Add a Light Amethyst link

Step Three

Repeat the following Nine times:

Add a Teardrop link

Add a Light Amethyst link

Repeat Step Two materials in reverse order to complete the necklace.

*Remember to TWIST your link loops open, do not open them by bending the loop open or you will ruin the circular shape of the loop.

Jennifer Thoden shares her love of beads and creativity with beginner beaders and jewelry designers. Her love of color and unique design shows in her bead patterns. Find her bead patterns and tutorials at http://www.beadpatternsonline.com

Crimping is the process of securing your wire to a clasp or creating a stop for a bead on wire. When beading jewelry you will use the crimping skill all the time. The best part about this beading skill is that it is very easy to learn.

Step 1. Thread the wire through the crimp tube, through the ring on the clasp

Step 2. Thread the wire back through the crimp tube beading crimping instructions

Step 3. Lay the crimp tube on the back portion of the crimping pliers

Step 4. Close the crimping pliers to squeeze the crimp tube flat beading crimping instructions

Step 5. Lay the flattened crimp tube on its side in the front space of the pliers

Step 6. Close the crimping pliers again to squeeze the crimp tube in half again beading crimping instructions

You can cover a crimped bead with a crimp cover. This gives the illusion of another bead instead of seeing flattened metal. You can also find crimp beads that have a loop already on them. So instead of looping the wire through the clasp, you would crimp you wire, and cover the crimp bead with the crimp cover. Use a jump ring to hook the crimp cover and clasp together.

Happy Beading!

Jennifer Thoden shares her love of beads and creativity with beginner beaders and jewelry designers. Her love of color and unique design shows in her bead patterns. Find her bead patterns and tutorials at http://www.beadpatternsonline.com

The peyote stitch is an easy and enjoyable bead stitch to learn. Beginner beaders to advanced fall in love with the peyote stitch because of its versatility, flexiblity and beauty. The peyote stitch almost feels like fabric and can be use to make chokers, beaded purses… and endless bead designs.

Supplies:

40″ (60cm) Nylon beading thread
Beading needle
Size 11 seed beads

How To Bead A Peyote Stitch…

Step 1. Thread on a top bead

Step 2. Thread on 7 more

Step3. Thread another bead and then thread your needle through the 3rd bead from the end. Pull the thread so that the new bead sits on top of the 8th bead of the first row.

Step 4. Thread another bead and then thread your needle through the 4th bead from the end of the first row.

Step 5. Repeat Step 4, 2 more times, weaving the thread through every other bead on the first row. You will end the second row with the thread going through the stop bead. (your first bead). You should have added 4 new beads.

Step 6. Now, lets continue with a third row…
Thread another bead and then thread your needle through the first bead on the second row. Pull the thread so that the new bead sits on top of the stop bead

Step 7. Thread another bead and then thread your needle through the next bead on the second row.

Step 8. Continue like this until you have 4 new beads threaded for the third row.

Keep going! The peyote stitch takes a bit of practice at first. The trick is to keep the thread tension tight, and still allow the weave to lay flat. Practice with larger seed beads at first to get the hang of the stitch. Once you learn the peyote stitch, you will be hooked! Bead long strips of seed beads to make a choker!

Happy Beading!

Jennifer Thoden shares her love of beads and creativity with beginner beaders and jewelry designers. Her love of color and unique design shows in her bead patterns. Find her bead patterns and tutorials at http://www.beadpatternsonline.com

Bead weave a beautiful diamond motif that will add dazzle to any bead design. This step by step beading lesson will have you creating a complex looking diamond motif in less than an hour!

Weaving beads into shapes can open up the possibilities for your bead designs. This bead pattern will show you how to weave a diamond motif out of crystal bicones and rounds. You can use this motif as a focal point for a necklace or bracelet… as a dangle for earrings… or repeat the design for a diamond motif choker.

Supplies:

24″ (60cm) Nylon beading thread
Beading needle
4 - 4mm crystal rounds
4 - 4mm crystal bicones
1 - 6mm glass pearl
12 - 3mm silver beads

Refer to the diagrams below to string the beads with the nylon thread.

Knot the 2 ends of the thread together to secure the diamond shape. Then either cut the thread and use the piece as a dangle or focal piece.

Jennifer Thoden shares her love of beads and creativity with beginner beaders and jewelry designers. Her love of color and unique design shows in her bead patterns. Find her bead patterns and tutorials at http://www.beadpatternsonline.com