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1) Results of Reader Survey - How Do You Assign Item Numbers to Your Jewelry?

2) What's New at Home Jewelry Business Success Tips - excellent new articles!

3) Featured Article: Tips for Writing a Great Artist's Statement

4) Neat Jewelry Related Website: Winners of WoodCentral's Handcrafted Jewelry Box Contest

Results of Reader Survey:
How Do You Assign Item Numbers
to Your Jewelry?

Last issue I posed to our readers a question sent in by jewelry artist Rae Gedlaman:

"How do jewelry artists go about assigning style numbers of all the merchandise they make? I'm curious about the different ways people keep track of their pieces."

Dozens of our generous readers sent in great responses detailing their jewelry inventory numbering and management methods. Many were kind enough to include some additional tips, such as this one from Kyla of Beads in a Box:

"Each item is photographed and identified with its inventory number in case we need to reference a piece. The photo inventory is beneficial after a large sale to show us what the popular items were."

You can read all of the jewelry inventory numbering and management tips from our readers in Inventory Management.

What's new at
Home Jewelry Business Success Tips

Since our last issue, we've added several inspiring new articles from our guest authors:

Bakelite Jewelry - the "real" thing
Bakelite jewelry, the colorful plastic fashion of the Art Deco period, is now a highly sought after collectible item. Guest authors Linda Grossman and Evelyn Roth of Evelynne's Oldies But Goodies describe the history of Bakelite, and offer tips on finding genuine vintage Bakelite jewelry.

Body Jewelry - enhancing the body's beauty
Body jewelry has been a form of personal adornment since ancient times. Guest author Angela Davis of the Merry Jewelry directory describes the recent body jewelry trend as a way of enhancing the body's beauty.

How to Oxidize Sterling Silver Naturally
You can oxidize sterling silver beautifully without using liver of sulfur. Returning guest author Pat Greer of Send Us Your Ears explains how to oxidize silver naturally - using an egg!

The Jewelry Box
A good jewelry box is a wonderful place to house not only your jewelry, but also other small treasures that have touched your life in some way - along with the memories they hold. Guest author Angela Davis of the Merry Jewelry directory evokes the ambience of a treasured jewelry box.

Metal Jewelry Tags
Jewelry tags in sterling silver and 14k or 18k gold are a professional way for jewelry artists to mark their work. Guest author John Stancliffe of Infinity Stamps, Inc. explains how they're made, and an easy way to stamp a perfect mark on jewelry tags.

Would you like to share your unique knowledge of the jewelry world? Home Jewelry Business Success Tips is visited by nearly 20,000 people every month (and is growing fast!), and our guest author articles receive tons of traffic.

Submit a jewelry business article and receive a free permanent link to your website plus lots of interested readers! Our guest authors report a significant flow of traffic coming from their article links on Home Jewelry Business Success Tips.

An artist's statement is a short, written piece by you about your own artwork. It introduces your jewelry art to people who haven't seen it before, and it speaks for you when you're not present, welcoming people to your art.

Ideally it should be easy to read and informative, helping people to see your creations through your eyes. It enriches their experience of your jewelry art.

When and where might you need to have an artist's statement? Many galleries, museums, and show applications request one. Also if you wholesale your jewelry to shops, some retailers will want one; and any sales representatives you use will want one. You can also send your artist's statement along with press releases you distribute, and display it at your booth during shows and parties. And of course it makes an excellent addition to your website.

A lot of artists agonize over writing their artist's statement. It can be difficult to put the essence of your art into just the right words, because what you experience may be so deeply internal that it's hard to express it verbally. Words have a frustrating way of limiting the things they describe.

It can also be hard to write about yourself and your craft without feeling like you sound pompous, esoteric, trite, or self-congratulatory.

But don't despair! Here are some tips for writing an artist's statement you feel good about:

• First, and best, you'll be happy to know that an artist's statement doesn't have to follow any standard. It can be thought-provoking, poignant, fun, amusing, shocking - whatever expresses you and your art! It's a creative document.

• Some people recommend that an artist's statement consist of two to three short paragraphs. But some of the most beautiful ones I've seen are haiku-like artist statements of one single, expressive sentence. Choose whatever length is best to help your audience experience your art.

• An artist's statement is never really finished. It evolves alongside you and your work, so it's always a work in progress. You may want to update it a bit every year or so to keep it current.

• The first time you work on your artist's statement, it may take a few drafts to get something you like. Then put it aside for a few weeks before reading it again, and you can see exactly where it needs to be trimmed and polished.

• Write it in first-person form ("I" and "me"), and use present tense to keep it active and personal.

• Don't let it turn into a resume or marketing piece. The purpose of an artist's statement is to help your audience experience your art.

• Include your name, business name, website URL, and contact info somewhere on the page.

• Are you stuck before you even start? Jot down words related to your jewelry business and art. Why do you choose your materials, designs, pieces? Why is jewelry creation part of your life? What does it mean to you?

• Think hard about what inspires you, and dig deeply into it for specifics. For example, "inspired by nature" is a very common phrase in artist statements; can you go deeper than that? What specific aspect(s) of nature inspire you - her patterns, cycles, colors, shapes, leaves, lighting, stones . . . ?

• Can you describe the process do you go through - internally and externally - as you create your art?

• Look at some of your very best work and consider why it's your best; surround yourself with some of your favorite raw materials and think about why they thrill you.

• Be honest, plain, and simple. Let people experience your emotions. Make every word full of meaning.

Neat Jewelry Related Website

Our neat site this time is WoodCentral's Handcrafted Jewelry Box Contest winners. Also don't miss the jewelry box contest runners-up page. I think these pages are some of the neatest I've featured so far in this section.

As artists ourselves, we can really appreciate the craftsmanship, detail, and incredible designs of these fabulous handmade jewelry boxes! Although it's hard for me to pick a favorite, I think the one by Steve King on the second page appeals to me the most. If only our handcrafted jewelry could live in such uniquely beautiful surroundings. :o)

Find Specific Jewelry Business Info

Looking for specific jewelry business information or the answer to a question? Try our "Search This Site" feature to scour Home Jewelry Business Success Tips for any keywords you enter. A link to Search This Site is available from the bottom of the navigation bar at the left side of every page.

We have well over 160 articles now, plus lots more coming up - and sometimes knowing where to find specific information among so many articles can be tricky. But now you should be able to search easily and find what you're seeking.

If your search doesn't turn up any results for our site, then you've discovered a topic we need to add - please let me know the info or tips that are missing from our site.