Thanks to Our friend Dr David Weiman at Jewelry Selling Insights who undertook a recent survey of his readership to find out what the most succesfull jewelry artisans are doing to make their business work.

So if you looking for help and advice from real people who are running their jewelry business just like you read on to find out how to make a success of your passion.

The holidays are, bar none, the prime time of the year for retail sales. But they only last a few weeks, so it’s critical that you, as a jewelry artist, optimize that window of opportunity to maximum effect. However, there are so many possible sales avenues and tactics to choose from that it can be hard to know which ones to pursue, especially in a difficult economy.

So we sent our readers a survey to see which venues they use most and which have been the most successful for them. Eighty-six generous respondents took the time to share their ideas and insights, which we have summed up to help you streamline your efforts.

Here’s the breakdown of their jewelry-selling experience and their holiday sales numbers:

Number of years selling your own jewelry

Less than 1                  5.6%

1-3                               23.6%

4-6                               37.1%

7-9                               15.7%

10 or more                   18%

Percentage of 2010 revenue you gained from holiday selling

Less than 10%                        13.6%

10-24%                       29.5%

25-49%                       25%

50-75%                       26.1%

More than 75%           5.7%

And here’s what they told us about the various holiday selling tactics they’ve tried….

Offering Holiday-Themed Jewelry

One possibility for increasing holiday sales is to make a special line of jewelry with a holiday theme. This tactic was not terribly popular with our respondents, however; only 27.6 percent of them reported doing this regularly, and only two or three cited it as one of their most successful techniques.

One obvious concern that emerges with creating holiday-themed jewelry is that the unsold pieces are not marketable during the rest of the year. Most of our respondents who create special holiday lines reported that they deal with this dilemma in several ways, ranked here in order of popularity:

• Save it for next holiday season

• Rework it into other, non-holiday pieces

• Place it on sale to clear out old stock

• Give it away to friends and family

• Donate it to local charities

• Use it for a promotional giveaway

• Sell it throughout the year

Partnering with Other Types of Merchants

Some jewelry artists have found that it really pays to partner up with merchants who sell different types of products or services, such as florists, hairdressers, gift shops, or candy stores. This technique has been tried by 12.6 percent of our respondents, with varied results.

The merchants with whom our respondents partnered included the following:

• Day spa

• Home décor store

• Gift shops

• Wellness center

• ID tag seller

• Veterinary clinic

• Sports massage therapist

• Stained glass store

• Restaurant

A couple of our readers described very creative cooperative arrangements. Two sold their jewelry in spa-type events that offered a relaxing, pampering atmosphere for customers. Laura Clark Curtis of Laura Clark Curtis Design Studio in Blakeslee, Penn., teamed up with a wellness center that offers massage, holistic healing and yoga.

“I promoted the benefits of healing properties of my stones and jewelry with a ‘Celebration of You’ event to shop and de-stress with massages, herbal teas and healthy food. We held our grand opening twice, as well, with this theme — “Grand YOU Are” —since one was during a blizzard but had a sizeable crowd nonetheless. I promote as to what my jewelry can do for you,” she said.

And Ann Marie Knapp of The Beading Heart in Phoenix, Ariz., joins her husband, a sports massage therapist, in hosting spa parties.

“We do a spa night where we offer massage as well as jewelry for purchase, and wine and snacks are available,” said Knapp. “Sometimes I incorporate a demonstration or lesson, as well. We have relaxing spa music playing and aromatherapy, as well. It’s marketed as ‘Shop & Spa’!”

Another responded reported success from teaming up with a restaurateur.

“My daughter-in-law owns a restaurant and has an evening set aside for a jewelry party during the month of December,” said Cassandra Graham of Wilde Jewels in Dayton, Ohio. “Guests are given free champagne upon arriving. If they purchase something, they also receive a 10% discount on their dinner tab.”

One reader reported sales success from joining forces with a Pampered Chef representative.

“I partnered with a Pampered Chef gal who does many home parties,” said Kathleen Davis of Kathleen Davis Designs in Fiddletown, Calif. “We did combination parties of Pampered Chef and jewelry. It was very successful. People who buy Pampered Chef have money, as their items are expensive. She markets well, and lots of people came and bought a lot. These were some of the best home parties I have ever had.”

Another reader sets up displays in various business entries and gives the business 20% of sales.

“Some places are more successful than others,” said Carolyn Bruce of The Painted Cookie in Canada. “A veterinary clinic was surprisingly successful, with the 20% going to help their Angel Fund for stray animals or those injured on the roads.”

However, a couple of readers reported negative experiences with cooperative selling. In one case, the partner business did not display the jewelry prominently enough.

“I asked many times to change the location from the back corner that no one went to, to somewhere else in the store, to no success,” said Caroline Horne of Just Us Beads in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. “I would not do this again, as it was frustrating and tied up a fair amount of stock, and I ended up with one sale.”

Another reader reported getting the short end of the stick at a co-op show with a clothing designer.

“Unfortunately, the clothes were featured and jewelry an afterthought,” said Charlene Anderson of Purveyor of All Things Creative in Jackson, Wyo. “I’d think long and hard about who I did this kind of promotion with again, to make sure the jewelry gets equal billing.”

So, if you enter into a cooperative arrangement with a store or seller, be sure that the two of you agree up front, and perhaps even in writing, about how, and how much, each merchant is to be featured so that both can have optimal chances at selling.

Holiday-Themed Craft and Jewelry Shows

A large percentage — 66.7% — of respondents reported participation in holiday-themed craft or jewelry shows, and 80.7% of those who participated noted it as being worthwhile.

Many of our respondents who had success at holiday shows said that it was because the crowd came ready to buy gifts, as that was the purpose of the show. However, many noted that the slow economy has had a definite impact on sales.

“They (holiday shows) were worthwhile several years ago,” said Janne Etz of Contemporary Concepts in Cocoa, Fla. “Now, with the economy the way it is, making jewelry has become an income-producing lifeline for lots of people, so now there is an overabundance of not-so-great jewelry everywhere and a dearth of customers who have any significant money to spend at craft shows. Less money, spread around among more jewelers equals not-so-great shows. I quit doing shows altogether about four years ago.”

Many who have not given up on shows have noted that their success at holiday shows now depends on offering lower-priced items or items in a variety of price ranges — from stocking stuffer through high-end gifts — and also on having unique, well-made pieces.

“These shows are very successful if you have unique designs and good prices,” said Bruce. “The run-of-the-mill jewelers are dime-a-dozen everywhere and are not welcome at most craft shows.”

Added Horne, “The people going to craft sales are looking for something unusual and well made. I have done extremely well at these sales. It is also more time and cost effective than other methods.”

Those who were successful at holiday shows cited the following factors in their success:

• Being the only jewelry artist at the show

• Going to a well-advertised show

• Attending a show with a large variety of vendors

• Offering customization

• Attending a show from which at least part of the proceeds benefit a charitable cause

• Making sure the show is early in the holiday shopping season — usually between Thanksgiving and mid-December — before shoppers have already likely bought all their gifts.

When possible, readers caution other artists to avoid shows with the following factors:

• Shows in which the other vendors offer much less expensive items than yours

• Shows in which most vendors sell cheap, mass-produced items instead of local, handcrafted items

• Shows that are not properly promoted or advertised

Several who reported that they didn’t have huge sales numbers at these types of shows still felt that the shows were worthwhile on other fronts, such as getting to meet people face to face, adding to their mailing lists, distributing sales materials and promoting their websites.

“Participating gave me more exposure to a customer segment that might not have been interested in my jewelry before,” said Amy Cousin of Sirius7 Jewelry in Rock Hill, S.C. “I collected customer contact information and established relationships from that event. My sales were enough to break even on what it cost me (fees, time, resources) to participate in the event.”

Offering Holiday Discounts or Promotions

Just over half of our respondents — 54.7% — reported that they offer special discounts and promotions around the holidays. Here are some of the tactics they mentioned using:

• Including earrings as a bonus with purchase of a necklace or bracelet

• Direct mailing a flyer or postcard advertising holiday jewelry designs

• Offering a price reduction on multiple pieces or sets, such as “Buy 2 for $5 or buy 3 get one free”; “15% discount if you purchase 2, 20% for 5”; or “3 for $25 on all $10 earrings”

• Offering percentage discounts for a limited time prior to major holidays

• Placing the items in fancy fabric bags or handmade gift boxes

• Offering free gift-wrapping

• Offering a 10-25% discount for bringing a friend to a show

• Sending an email to loyal customers with sneak peeks of new items before they are listed on the website

• Emailing notices about online sales or upcoming shows

• Offering free shipping for the holidays or merchandise discount coupons via an email blast, your Twitter account, Facebook fan page, or a blog

• Sending a flyer or postcard to promote a show, with a coupon offering a discount on orders placed at the show and on follow-up orders received prior to the holidays

• Giving discounts on purchases over a certain total amount

• Offering a coupon for a discount on the next purchase when someone makes a purchase

• Providing free shipping and insurance for online orders of $50 or more

• Promoting discounts through fashion blogs

• Offering deep discounts to move old inventory

Some of our respondents had rather innovative promotional ideas:

“I offer discount cards on social networks and hand them out as my business card,” said Jane Walls of J Liz Jewelry in Jackson, Tenn. “ I have offered a 15% discount, increasing as total retail amount rises. I find this works for holiday buyers of gifts. In addition, I offer a ‘gifting’ service: gift-wrapping, local delivery and mailing (at cost). This has been successful for me because it eliminates some chores for a client.”

“I do a grab bag at home parties,” said Davis. “I put three pieces of my sale item jewelry into one ziploc baggie. It’s like a treasure bag with a bracelet, necklace and maybe a pair of earrings. I leave on the regular price tag. Then I price the treasure bag at a 20-25% discount. They have to buy all three pieces, but they love this and feel they are really getting a ‘deal’. And they are!”

“I always do a direct-mail campaign to preferred customers,” said Etz. “It’s a little different every year, but the most successful dollar-wise was when I asked my preferred customers to bring a friend, then BOTH would get a 20% discount. Also, I did one where the customers got to pick a percentage off (10% to 50%) out of a decorated cookie tin…that was pretty well received, too.”

Store-Sponsored Holiday Events

Almost exactly half — 50.6% — of our respondents reported participating in special boutique- or gallery-sponsored holiday events such as trunk shows, open houses, or ornament shows.

These shows seem to be very worthwhile according to many of our artists, who mentioned a variety of different types of events. Some are staged as special one-day open house events, like the one described by Kerry Carrillo of My Mind’s Eye Creations in Prescott, Ariz.:

“I have participated in open house boutique shows during the holidays that have been successful. We invited local ladies’ groups (book clubs, garden clubs etc.) to join us for a light lunch (soup or salad) and time to shop. We staggered the times starting from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. for lunch and then later in the afternoon we offered coffee/tea and dessert from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. We charged $5 per person and had a great turnout.”

Some of the shows last for several weeks leading up to the holidays. These are reported to be very successful, so if you can find one of these, you might want to strongly consider showing your work there.

“Our local gallery had a day specializing in handmade items from the local area — each was asked to bring items to display for two weeks, and on the first day to attend and be willing to talk to members of the public that came through,” said Annette Piper of Annette Piper Dip. Gem. Handcrafted Jewellery in Australia. “As it was informational and display in nature, there was no pressure to buy; however, surrounded by quality items in a lovely atmosphere, they were very tempted, and many weakened. Sales resulted from this event for a couple of months afterwards.”

Added Bruce, “I have participated for many years in a gallery Christmas shop which runs for five weeks over November and December. It is open every day, and customers love to come and go shopping at their leisure in a gallery setting. Some admit to doing all their Christmas shopping there! I try to have some of the items that were popular the previous year as well as new surprises to tempt them.”

Another very successful and creative tactic is when artists join a group of other artists to create a temporary holiday “store” in which to show their work.

“Part of a group (jewelers and other craftspersons) offered their wares in December in a ‘pop-up’ shop. In recessionary times, we found the public delighted to support local craftwork, and especially successful was the ‘meet the makers’ aspect, where clients could talk with the actual makers and organize modifications or commission bespoke pieces,” said Mary Varilly of True Colours in Ireland. “The emotional quotient of the sale was much enhanced by the public having both direct and prolonged access to the persons who made what they purchased.”

R. Jane Williams of Jane’s Jewels in Bethlehem, Penn., another artist who did a group show, reported similar success:

“A group of skilled craftspeople rented an empty store in a mall and shared the price. We had glass artists, jewelry artists, ceramic artists, fine artists, etc. It was successful because of the location (many people shopped in the area and there was a fine-food restaurant nearby), our marketing in a weekly alternative newspaper, postcards, and each of the craftspeople emailed their lists. Prices were kept relatively low, and the emphasis was on the unique character of each handmade item.”

Home Shows

Almost half of our artists — 47.1% — reported that they had participated in shows and open houses that were held in people’s homes. And, according to their reports, home shows seem to be among the very most successful selling venues, perhaps because of the comfort and intimacy of viewing the work in a social setting instead of in a typical sales-centered setting such as a retail show or store.

“A family friend hosted a home jewelry party and invited her large circle of family, friends and coworkers,” said Deanna Duncan-Allen of JB Silver N Stuff in Broomfield, Colo. “There was no hard sell, just food, friends, laughter and the opportunity to look at the items I had for sale. I answered questions, offered gift packaging and kept it very soft-sell oriented.”

“A friend held a trunk show for me. She was my best advertisement, as she told her friends to come,” said Babette Cox of Digit Designs in Dallas, Texas. “It’s relaxing — no pressure to buy — fun time for all with a bit of spirits and food. They try things on to show their friends, and the friends often convince them to buy as it ‘looks so good on you!”

From what our respondents told us, it appears there is a new trend emerging in the home-show arena. We were surprised to learn that nearly twice as many reported hosting parties, shows and open houses in their own homes and studios as those who attended shows hosted by friends and family (though many do both). And, as successful as the friend-hosted events were, it seems that the artist-hosted events were even more so. The raves for this selling method went on and on.

Said Connie Clinger of C.J. Clinger 1 of a Kind Designs in Lewistown, Penn., “I sell more jewelry from home holiday shows than anywhere. Half of my income comes from that. I gather names from outside shows and then invite everyone to my home during the holidays and give a 25% discount for bring a buying friend.”

“I’ve done about one outside show a year … now I’m done. I’m typically the most expensive item there and sell very little,” said Lisa Lehmann of Studio Jewel in Grand Rapids, Mich. “However, when I do my own open house, it’s targeted, it’s special, it’s rare … and my customers know it. So they come. Very profitable!

In addition to enjoying profits from these types of events, several of our readers noted that they also provide an excellent way to build a loyal following over time.

“I usually host an open house at my home between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Gina Anthony of Creative Accents in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. “Although it is not based on a theme, I decorate for the holiday and play Christmas music, and people can come and go as they wish. It usually goes on all day, and each year has been more successful than the previous year.”

Some of these types of shows even draw customers from long distances.

“The open house is the best thing I’ve ever done,” said Dottie Moon of Two Moons Hye Jewelry in Hye, Texas. “People came from several states away specifically for this show. (One of the artists is a nationally renowned artist.) Expenses are lower, stress level is lower, and people love to come see where the ‘artist works.’ We all try to have something in a partially completed stage so that we can talk about how we do what we do. It makes for a stronger connection and gives a story for the purchaser to tell.”

And the Winners Are…

So what’s the best way to invest the time and effort for your holiday sales preparations? To find out, we asked our respondents what they would consider to be their single most off-the-charts successful holiday selling idea. Here are their top 15, in order of the number of responses:

1. Participating in or hosting a home or studio show or open house

2. Selling at a charity benefit or fundraiser, or advertising that you will donate a portion of sales proceeds to a cause

3. Offering price breaks for multiple items purchased together

4. Giving a percentage off, usually through a limited-time coupon offer

5. Offering unique and/or one-of-a-kind pieces

6. Showing at Christmas retail craft shows

7. Showing your pieces at your workplace or a friend’s workplace

8. Using jewelry-making techniques to make holiday ornaments

9. Displaying your jewelry creatively

10. Offering free gift-wrapping

11. Participating in a multi-artist holiday party or show

12. Offering a wide range of price points

13. Demonstrating your craft at your show or booth

14. Loving what you do so much that your excitement shows

15. Offering personalization and/or customization

These readers offered further insights and ideas:

• “Normally, I just sell my jewelry at the Christmas craft shows, and that’s all it takes,” said Sherry Luke of Sherry’s Jewelry in Coulterville, Calif. “People who are looking for quality, one-of-a-kind, handmade items usually buy no matter what the price. You just have to make sure you provide excellent customer service, be polite, and answer all their questions. That is what usually works for me, plus a nice presentation.”

• “I do bead stringing and offer a discount on any stringing repair,” said Sharon Shaw of Sharon D. Shaw Jewelry in Baltimore, Md. “The discount on bead stringing repairs brings them in, and while they are there, they fall in love with something they have to own. So it can be a win-win situation.”

• “For me, the most successful ‘promotion’ that I have ever done is participating in shows and boutiques that are well advertised and have a community giving portion as well,” said Jannea Varni of ImagiNature Jewelry in Scotts Valley, Calif. “These shows or boutiques really provide the customer with opportunities to meet two goals for the holidays — purchasing items for their family and friends and giving back.”

• “I found that when selling to people I work with, offering inexpensive holiday earrings as a ‘get one free then buy one’ gave them more incentive to purchase more,” said Barbara Perry of Banava Jewelry in West Yarmouth, Mass. “It sort of broke the ice so they could feel thankful for the effort and then realize that they needed to buy more! I sold lots more other items with this reverse sale.”

• “I create Christmas tree decorations with jewelry-making skills,” said Varilly. “The customers get something unique that could become a family heirloom, and there was incentive to buy several rather than just one, as a tree requires a fair bit of decoration!”

• “I substitute teach. During lunch and free period, I sit in the teachers’ lounge making jewelry,” said Nancy Kamp of VeryShinyObjects in Oklahoma City, Okla. “I keep a small display of finished items with my tools, which are conveniently placed on a nearby table. The jewelry sells itself, and I often pick up custom orders.”

• “Free food and wine help during our Christmas Art Walks,” said Katherine Palochak of Metals and Gems/JazznJewelry in Rawlins, Wyo. Free food brings them in, and free wine brings them in to warm up. The wine also seems to help them to get into a more receptive mood to buy, so the galleries hope they’re near the end of their tour when they stop by.”

• “So far, it has been participating in small venues, such as the studio tour, fashion shows, home parties — very small events,” said Patricia Tyser Carberry of Prescott, Ariz. “They cost very little, are easy to do, and I look at them as marketing opportunities as well as sales. I often get people buying at a later date.”

• “Gift boxes, ribbons, etc.,” said Karen Swartz of Tresclaudine in Philadelphia, Penn. “I had a huge custom order (10 necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc.), and the thing that sold it the best was not only that they were all handmade, but that the person ordering them didn’t have to do anything. They came wrapped, tagged, etc. I would always do this going forward.”

Hopefully some of these ideas and results will be helpful to you in your holiday sales. Christmas is only 12 weeks away, so let’s get busy!

Technorati Tags: how to make jewelry, jewelry Business Tips, jewelry selling

Wire Sculpting Jewelry

The art of jewelry making traces its roots back to thousands of years ago and it has evolved into much more sophisticated techniques originated by man which is now called wire sculpting. In wire sculpting, it is apparent that the basic element and material is a wire and wires are really versatile elements in any jewelry making activities.

One great jewelry making technique which is wire sculpting allows you to manipulate wires into amazing end result projects with the use of other elements like gemstones, beads, and other materials possible for making jewelry.

Jewelry based on wires inspires a more fashion forward sense of style but in a lesser price since wires can be bought reasonably low. You only need to know basic wire sculpting techniques to make great pieces to start with.

Wire Sculpting Tools And Techniques

Tools are necessary for any type of artisan work, you live by tools and materials alone to create amazing pieces of artwork, and so is jewelry making. Among these tools are:

Pliers And Wires

There are different types of pliers for different techniques of wire sculpting procedures, and given enough time and practice these techniques will make you an expert on this field. Wire sculpting is a tedious and meticulous but fulfilling jewelry niche, that is why you need to know the basic functions of your pliers when it come to wire sculpting.

Check out this article on wire sculpture tools and techniques and know more of pliers and their usage, wire gauge sizes, and definitions that will clearly state the basic function for your wire sculpting projects.

Techniques

To any jewelry making projects, techniques are important to create fabulous designs, look at this gorgeous pair of spring earrings, isn’t it just stunning specially when you use a gold plated wire? The technique of coiling the wire around the mandrel and open up “the coils to form a flower like design. You can see that the design is really simple with only the wire to use as your material but the result if excellent!

This video also shows how to make a Roman cuff wire bracelet that is splendid on its own. Watch this.

Another technique is to incorporate some gemstone to your wire sculpting activities and make a gorgeous wire-wrapped stone jewelry. A video on wire wrapped rings using semi-precious stones is shown below.

The coiling gizmo technique! This is an exciting technique with the use of a coiling gizmo and you can incorporate coiled beads into your future jewelry making projects like the one showed at the end of the video.

For every wire sculpture design you can imagine, there is a specific technique and tool that you can use. And though the steps and tools are really simple to follow and use, it takes hard work to create one of these wire sculpting projects. What’s really important is how you put your mind and heart to it to make an exciting piece of jewelry.

Technorati Tags: Wire sculpting, Wire sculpting jewelry, Wire wrapped jewelry

Stone Jewelry History

Stone jewelry has been a favorite to many jewelry artists; the rustic and cool effect that it brings to a certain piece of jewelry makes it even more appealing to customers. These natural wonders of the earth are more beautiful with its natural colors, texture, and charm that long history of processes made it possible.

The fact that stones have been in formation ever since the pre-historic ages begun, makes you connected with the earth and all its history. A single stone has its own history, be it an agate, tourmaline, opal, amethyst, Garnett, or even a simple pebble.

These stones have been in use whether in fashion accessories and the supposed healing effects that it brings to the one wearing it. One question though, which is more appealing to you, natural stones jewelry or synthetic made?

Stone Jewelry Making

There are four main methods of using a stone component to your jewelry, check below:

Bell Cap

With the use of some strong crafting glue and base metal bell cap, an ordinary stone or gemstone can be turned into an amazing jewelry that anybody can admire.

Wire Wrapping

Wire wrapping the stone for a pendant is a great project too, here’s a YouTube video on how to do that.

You will see that it’s pretty easy to do that and it just takes some determination and creativity on your part to be successful on this jewelry making project.

Drilled

For drilling stones, a good gem drill will be your best tool to do this. It ensures proper and sturdy placement of your jewelry wire and keeps all components in place too. Some great pictures of drilled stone turned into a magnificent set of jewelry.  All of these pieces are from Etsy, take a look!

Silversmithing

Silversmithing is a lot of hard work but with precious stones, it will be worth it to preserve the stone’s beauty and maintain the history the stone comes with. Here is a link to one blogger, silversmith, and jewelry maker’s tutorial on her silversmithing project.

Making your own stone jewelry using these techniques no longer is as hard as you think, armed with your interest in making these kinds of project; you will all be set to making your own stone jewelry collection soon.
Not only do you celebrate the long history that the stone has, you also celebrate the process of how a particular gemstone came about polished, “machine-cut” like, or how vibrant the colors came to be. It is a wonder how these pieces remain on the earth for our use and eyes, but one thing remains true, it is a beauty to behold!

Technorati Tags: Gemstone jewelry, Gemstone jewelry making, Making stone jewelry, Stone jewelry making

Care For Silver Jewelry

Silver has been used since ancient times for jewelry and other ornaments, even for flatware, and containers. Up to this day, silver has been used for making jewelry, mixed with other elements to make it really pretty.

But one thing about silver is that it is really soft, too soft to use for jewelry items, see this article for more information on sterling silver. The main problem really is tarnishing because of the presence of copper, which is why caring for your silver jewelry is very important.

How To Care For Silver Jewelry

There are certain harsh chemicals that should be avoided when using silver jewelry such as hair spray, perfume, cosmetics, and chlorine. This will immediately tarnish your silver piece as soon as there is contact to the substance.

Also, if your grandmother or some old folks havetold you to use toothpaste to clean your silver jewelry, think again. Toothpaste has anabrasive substance that will leave a dull scratchy finish on your jewelry. You wouldn’t want that to happen to your silver pieces, wouldyou?

It would help if you wear your silver jewelry as often as possible such that your body oils will prevent tarnishing so sterling silver doesn’t have to be cleaned as often.

For quick cleaning, you can use a mild dish soap and warm water to avoid ruining your silver pieces. Silver is fairly a soft metal and it can easily be scratched when you use abrasive materials to clean it.

One way of cleaning your silver jewelry is with asilver cloth. A material made of 100% cotton flannel that will definitely aide you in maintaining a scratch-free silver jewelry.

Storage

First rule, never store your silver jewelry wet or moist since humidity and open air can hasten corrosion on the silver piece and therefore will result to a yellowish tint on your jewelry which is not pleasant to look at.

If you must keep it for a long time, make sure that you store it in a container that is free from humidity and if you are to store in a Ziplock, then take out all the air inside the bag to prevent air and humidity mixing in the silver jewelry and avert tarnishing.

And if you are to use stackable containers for your silver jewelry storage, one thing to remember is to make sure the jewelry pieces has been dried carefully not leaving any residue. This will help slow the process of oxidization from your silver jewelry.

Taking care of your jewelry and finding appropriate storage can be really easy if you know the basic how-to’s in making your silver pieces stay as beautiful as it was first bought. How you take care of your belongings will reflect on how you take care of yourself and business, so keep your jewelry pieces clean and make your life less stressful.

Technorati Tags: jewelry care, Jewelry storage, silver jewelry, Sterling silver jewelry

Jewelry Making Tools

Any jewelry artist cannot be as efficient as they can be without jewelry making tools, some really expensive gadgets, others can be your trustworthy pliers. Whatever that is, tools are all part of jewelry making and not a single thing is less than the other when it comes to functionality.

List Of Jewelry Making Tools

Aside from the beads, thread and wires used for jewelry making, there are more equally important tools that are being used by artisans, and that includes:

Pliers

Whether crimping beads or cutting a wire, pliers are essential tools for jewelry making projects, there are approximately 10 pliers used for jewelry making and that includes, bent nose, crimping, flat nose, precision round nose, ring bending, side cutter, split ring, stone setting, and wire wrapping pliers. Take a look at this list of pliers from Wire Sculpture for more information.

Tweezers

It is used to bend or give shape to metal wires and comes in many shapes to serve different purposes.

Wire Cutters

This will help you in cutting excess wires that are not possible with pliers. Different wires require different wire cutters, so it is imperative to know the type of wires you are using to prevent damage on the tool.

Measuring Tape

This too is an integral part of jewelry making tools. Measurements are being done to properly string in beads and make some really good ends on the jewelry.

Needles

Needles, needless to say will help you sew in the thread and make some knots to end a current jewelry project. Just be careful and store it in a place where no other people have access.

Crafting Glue

In just about anything on jewelry making, crafting glue is really significant for holding together beads and threads, making sure everything is in its place tucked to last. But you must have the knowledge to use certain kinds of glue for different materials, here’s a crafting glue chart that will tell you which type of glue is for this type of material surface.

There are actually many more jewelry making tools in the market today, but these are the basics. Depending on your jewelry niche, other jewelry making tools can be bought along with the knowledge that you have on a certain level.

If you are planning to make some of those lampwork beads, then you may need to have a torch to melt those glass rods. So basically, the more training you have on jewelry making, the more it is that you acquire sophisticated tools for jewelry making.

Good pieces of jewelry are imperative to the kind of tools you are using. Store them in a place that’s not so damp or humid and not so cold that it hampers the performance of the tool. Have some wooden box or some improvised cardboard to carry all your tools.

Store it in one corner and always place it on the same spot where you put it the first time. Have some order when it comes to this activity as jewelry making is a demanding hobby. But if you get the hang of it, jewelry making will just be really easy for everybody armed with the perfect jewelry making tools.

Technorati Tags: jewelry making tools, Tools for jewelry making

Earring Cards Corner

One of the things an artisan has to be concerned about is how they can maximize the potential of their business by cutting cost on certain areas where quality will not be compromised. And earring cards are just the perfect element of business that you can have great savings on!

Earring cards work as a marketing tool too if thought of and made with great emphasis on how customers can retain information on the card itself. Now there are a lot of pre-made earring cards out there in crafts stores, Etsy, Rio Grande, Fire Mountain Gems and just any jewelry store you come into has their own share of earring cards for grabs.

But what’s best is you can make it yourself. And by DIY, it means you having the control on the kind of personality you want to imbibe on your jewelry business by the kind of earring cards you have.

It can actually be some sort of business card that contains all the important elements of a business card. Read on jewelry business cards to be informed.

But of course earring cards will be a lot smaller than the generic business card size but it should always be full of the marketing strategies any business paraphernalia should have. It should contain of the website URL, email address, telephone number, if possible the logo of your jewelry business, and some space for your words describing your collection. See here for more ideas onjewelry tags.

How To Make Personalized Earring Cards

If it would be too much for you to put out some good amount of money for earring cards, then it’s time that you make your own earring cards! Yes, a do-it-yourself earring card. How do you make one?

First, you need to choose the best paper that you can have, acid-free paper will be your best choice for this. Make sure that quality wise, the paper can hold the weight of your earrings and not really fall off, or worse tear up in the middle of the craft show. You can avoid that by using the best paper material possible, this might be your biggest investment then.

Second, your good old PC and printer to help you come up with the design you have in mind. There are really a lot of designs online that you can check on so you can create your own branding.

If you are into pearls, Swarovski, or polymer clay, then your design for your earring card should always be in line with your jewelry niche. Keep it really simple if possible and do not overpower the design of the jewelry piece itself.

Third, your earring card punch kit for a neat, tidy, and easy way to punch a hole on your cards. The tool comes in handy when you are keeping a uniform look on holes for your earring cards. But you can actually use a needle for that for a more cost-efficient jewelry tool.

There are so many ways that you can design your own earring card. One is the conventional square or rectangular and other designs may vary depending on the jewelry itself. Or you can cut the sides off and make some really neat style around the edges.

Once these earring cards are finished, stack them neatly so they won’t wrinkle and you’ll have a nice earring card to hang your jewelry on!

Technorati Tags: cards, Earring cards, Earring tags, Jewelry hang tags

Jewelry Design

Where do you get inspiration for your jewelry designs? Often when faced with this dilemma, you tend to flip through pages of fashion magazines or browse the Internet for new ideas. But what is really a good design?

A good jewelry design is when style and comfort are fused into one, something that would make you wear it and not be uncomfortable by the weight and texture of the materials being used.

For jewelry design ideas, a good combination of nature and synthetic materials can be used, like using a leather string instead of beading threads. Then you can string in beads made of resin to complete the look. It is both economical and the leather gives a certain edge to the design, plus resin is very light materials as finished products so it is really comfortable to wear.

Plan Jewelry Design Ideas

Draw Your Design

Visualize how you want your jewelry to look like when it’s done. Jewelry making is artistry in itself so allot some time for your jewelry making activities. As artisans, you are entitled to your own space and time for those ideas to take place.

You must keep it really organized by drawing your design first, scribble some designs that you can think of and color them. I have found these really cool and useful jewelry design software that will come in handy for any of your jewelry making binges.

Patterns For You – lets you upload an image of your design and create a pattern using your selected stitches, namely, peyote, loom, bricks, and right angle weave.

This will be great for bracelet and necklace design ideas so you can automatically just follow the pattern and go on with making jewelry.

E-Perle – is actually in French but I find this to be a great software and easy to navigate. The language is not a barrier when it comes to making your own design, in fact is really user friendly. So try and check that out!

Design Tool by Swarovski Elements – is also a great tool that helps you design jewelry using Swarovski but of course you can use other materials for this design tool. Your imagination is the limit!

Prepare Your Materials

Keep all materials in a safe place out of reach of children if you are dealing with hot surfaces or very little beads, for obvious reasons. Make sure that after all has been laid out and you have your design ready, all your materials like beads, findings, clasps, toggles, and all that stuff within your each.There should be designated containers for each bead and finding, and carefully labeled too.

Jewelry Design Ideas

Bracelet Design Ideas

Necklace design Ideas

Ring Design Ideas

Earring Design Ideas

These are just sample of images that you can get ideas from, remember, the designs should come from your heart. The designs you make reflects the kind of jewelry business that you have, so make it a point to set aside some inspiration weekend, away from all the stress of domestic obligations, and be ready to launch your own collection as soon as ideas start flowing. Be bold and creative!

Technorati Tags: Ideas for jewelry design, jewelry design ideas

The Etsy Connection

When it comes to jewelry and crafts, there’s nothing more exciting than being able to share your talent and skills by showcasing your work and hope that people will love it and will have an interest to buy one.

In the past, selling handcrafted jewelry is so much hard work, what with all the talking with possible resellers from craft shops and establishing your business from scratch. But today, technology has made artisans realize that there is more to just creating beautiful pieces of jewelry.

You need to have a medium in which people will have one place to go to when they think of jewelry. And that’s where the idea of Etsy’s Rob Kalin came from. The idea was just revolutionary when people were just getting in the hype of social networking!

So what’s in it for you? As what Kalin envisioned it to be, “The little guy being able to organize a better marketplace”. So that’s how you are going to set up your etsy jewelry business. Make gorgeous pieces of jewelry and tap Etsy’s still growing marketplace of handmade crafts.

How Does It Work

Since it was born way back 2005, it has attracted hundreds, even thousands of small business owners in the crafts section has been making use of this opportunity to make their businesses known all over the world. That is widespread marketing strategy if you ask me.

That is the beautiful thing about Etsy, it gives you a place to direct your customers to, coming from your own website and Facebook fan pages. It actually gives a sense of belongingness as almost all tech-savvy artisans go for this kind of marketing strategy.

Do’s and Don’ts

• Don’t expect to be an overnight sensation just because you think your jewelry projects are great! – Work it to the top!
• It is not Etsy’s fault if your sales are not soaring high, what they do is just provide you with an alternative to present your finished products.
• Do make an effort to promote your Etsy site through massive campaign in Facebook, to your friends, and even email marketing where it is appropriate.
• Don’t disregard comments on your Etsy images. Interact with your audience as soon as they post a comment or a maximum of 2 hours to demonstrate reliability and credibility of your business.
• Do spend some time to take amazing pictures of your jewelry. Just because your necklaces and bracelets are beautiful, it does not guarantee a sale. You have to take great professional shots of these jewelry pieces.
• It can be frustrating and a turn off at times to see poorly lighted images of your pieces. Take a look at this article on how to photograph a jewelry properly. Invest in this area to highlight really good jewelry and be on the top list of Etsy finds.
• Do make every possible tag for your images, this is how search engine rankings work, so write every possible tag , you can put up to 14 tags per image, so that’s a lot of possibilities!
• Do add in images of your jewelry regularly. That is one of the key factors too. People need to know that you are serious on your craft and business.
• Do write about your product in your blog and show off. This is the right time to boast about something, and if that means getting those pieces sold, then so be it.
• Do understand your customers and target market. See this article on profitable jewelry niche markets for amore thorough explanation.

So you see there are only 2 Don’ts in the list, meaning achieving good sales isn’t really that far. All you need is the perseverance and passion for what you do. You should love your craft and ultimately the love will be returned as well.

Etsy jewelry is really a place for artisans starting out in the field of jewelry business, if you know in your heart that this is the place for you, then go for it and have fun!

Technorati Tags: Etsy, Etsy jewelry, handcrafted jewelry, Handmade Jewelry

eBay Jewelry

eBay is such a huge hit to all online consumers when it comes to affordable and hard to find pieces specially for a jewelry. It has curved and changed the direction of e-commerce as far as traffic is concerned.

It has become part of an online seller’s to do list to have an account over eBay and post some great pictures and start their push for selling their great pieces. Jewelry is a fetish for women, and in the start of the millennia, men too have developed an interest in this field.

That is why eBay Jewelry is such a great place for all artisans to gather and be a part of an organization of dedicated and hardworking jewelry artists. You just have to read the policies for their sellers to be aware of their general selling conditions.

How To Sell Jewelry In eBay

There is tremendous competition in eBay but that doesn’t mean that you have to just all take all your gears down. You can still make it through the long list of marketing stuff before you can say you have made it to the top. And it doesn’t happen overnight.

You have to learn to create a business plan for yourself; it doesn’t take a genius on business marketing to do this. But to top it all, you must have a good inventory to prove your business stability. You don’t want to spoil visitors to your eBay site in just 3 minutes.

Engage them with great photos of your jewelry. Put up some really to-die-for designs and list the history of why the design came into conception, the materials you used, and convince them how it would really fit them well when they wear it.

Like how we eat with our eyes, online customers buy with their eyes too. Make all your images professional looking, focus on what’s best and make it really look stunning! Read this article for a guideline on how to photograph jewelry.

eBay is also good for auction, so have a good inventory of new pieces and old pieces of your jewelry collection. Separate them in different listings and make sure that you price them thinking of your potential customers.

It can be really hard sometimes when you make decisions like giving out your favorite glass beads bracelet at a starting bid of $.10. But what’s really great is the price can double up with regards to its selling price. However, the downside is exactly the opposite. You can actually have a fairly low price for a piece with a much higher value.

But the only consolation is if you have a vast inventory, they will see it on featured listings and you can be assured of repeat customers. People will bookmark your site and come back to and buy some really good jewelry in fairly competitive prices. The key here is building a relationship of trust from your customer. Once it has been established, it is not that hard to sell the second piece and the rest of the collection.

Now for your inventory needs, Bead Manager Pro will help you keep track of inventory, price your pieces automatically, and even manage your invoicing. You just don’t realize how this software can help you in so many ways without compromising productivity and quality of your work.

So set your priorities ready and head off to eBay jewelry selling for it is a tested ground to set your feet on to. All you need is some great jewelry collection, a little gut, and a lot of patience and you can go a long way in running an eBay jewelry business.

Technorati Tags: Ebay jewelry, Jewelry online, online jewelry store

Why Join Jewelry Auctions

We can collect jewelry of every form and material, from pearls to glass beads, or your all time favorite semi-precious stones. But you will soon realize that a lot of these collections have just been sitting in your storage box for quite a time and so you think it might be wise to dispose it through jewelry auctions.

If you have been making jewelry for quite some time, there might be some slow-selling pieces that you need to dispose of and that needs to be taken care of. Jewelry pieces can clutter up space and it’s really just better to sell it than to lose its luster and shine from being stored for such a long time.

And so that is why jewelry auctions are such a great opportunity to showcase jewelry projects, though you have to compromise with prices. What’s the good thing about jewelry auctions are prices can start really cheap and you can get treasured jewelry heirlooms and pieces at a bargain price.

Traditional Vs. Online Jewelry Auctions

With the growth of Internet today, it is really easy to just post some pictures over your own website and have some sort of auction weekend. You can post images of your jewelry pieces with descriptions on it at different angles. It is important that you show different facets of your jewelry so that customers will have an idea of how it’s going to look like on them when they wear it.

And the good thing about online jewelry auctions is the wide reach of audience. There will be varied customers who will be willing to buy your merchandise and get it for a good sum of money too. With a wide range of customers, bidding will just be very exciting!

That is how traditional jewelry auctions really differ; people who will attend jewelry auctions will have a chance of trying the piece on them and get a glimpse of them from the mirror of how gorgeous the piece is.

But traditional auctions pay for rent, the “auctioneer” who calls for bids and bangs that little gavel to call the sale, and the food, not to mention ushers, sound system and many operating expenses to hold an auction sale.However, it can be really rewarding. The trust is already established and seeing the jewelry pieces can be really inviting provided the pieces are really gorgeous.

Jewelry Auction Sites

For starters, you can actually try doing it on your Facebook fan page like this Jewelry Auction For Ethiopia page. It really is upon you to hold this auctions a lot more exciting and within reach to your customers.

eBay also is a good venue for your jewelry auction activities. It is one great place for auctions that gets visited by millions of buyers. There is also a list of jewelry auction sites here that you can really check on and get yourself familiar with.

Jewelry auctions are just one of the marketing strategies for your jewelry projects to be sold. It can be a lot of hard work with all the labeling and taking of pictures for your chosen pieces going but it can be fun too. So just go on, think of what’s best for your jewelry auction weekend thing and let the bidding begin!

Technorati Tags: Auctions, jewelry auctions, Online jewelry auctions