About Rena© by Rena Klingenberg; all rights reservedWho is this gal who never runs out of things to say about jewelry? Hi, I'm Rena Klingenberg. I was born and raised in Arizona, then lived in New Mexico and Nebraska before settling where I am now on the east coast of the U.S.  (Fairy Stone State Park, Virginia) Growing up in the American Southwest gave me an appreciation for both rocks and art. I've experimented with a lot of different art forms, but I've become hopelessly hooked on creating jewelry - primarily with gemstones, shells, unusual odds and ends, and precious metal wires. I've never met a stone I didn't love. I've always needed to have a creative outlet - and to travel my own road.  Bronze paua shell and sterling silver So when I started my jewelry business, I tried every conceivable way of selling my work till I hit on the ways that worked best for me. I was incredibly thrilled when my jewelry began to be bought by folks other than my friends and family! (You can read about the evolution of my own jewelry business in my newsletter article, Experimenting and Evolving my Way to Jewelry Business Success.) My trial-and-error approach to selling my jewelry also wound up giving me a wealth of experiences that are the basis for this Home Jewelry Business Success Tips website. (And by the way, are you wondering why I started this website? That's a story in itself - you can read my website success story to find out.) Once I decided to build this website, I wanted to make it a comprehensive business and marketing resource for jewelry artists - a resource I would have loved to find when I was starting my own jewelry business.
And I just kept on writing. I've also been pleased to be able to add some really great articles from a variety of interesting guest authors, to broaden this site's perspective. Writing and publishing my first book, Ultimate Guide to Your Profitable Jewelry Booth, fulfilled my lifelong dream of becoming an author. Since then I've written two more jewelry business books - and I have plenty of new ideas brewing for future jewelry-biz publications! I publish a total of four jewelry business websites: And I have a personal jewelry website, Rena Jewelry.  Gemstone and sterling silver Readers often ask me how I'm selling my own jewelry these days. Now that I'm so busy writing and publishing, I've chosen to limit my jewelry sales to one jewelry shop, an annual art show, and private showings to my established customers. I really enjoy keeping my jewelry business at this personal, direct-to-the-customer level, and it gives me plenty of new ideas and experiences to keep writing about here! But do I ever do anything that's not related to jewelry? :o) Well, let's see.... I love spending time with my family, reading, walking, traveling, archery, volunteer work, and going to all kinds of arts events. I'm fascinated with history, and with anything unexplained or mysterious. I enjoy learning how to use energy healing like Qigong and EFT. I had the interesting experience of donating 14 inches of my hair to Locks of Love, a fantastic organization that provides wigs for children with long-term medical hair loss. A year and a half later I donated another 10 inches of hair (making a grand total donation of two feet of hair!).   I'm also a fan of voluntary simplicity. For me, that means consciously cutting back on material things and "life clutter" - choosing the things I want in my life, slowing down to savor and appreciate life, and helping others. It's made a huge difference for me in creating the life I want for myself. When I was growing up, I always dreamed of being an author and an artist. I feel very fortunate to say that now I'm living my dream. Return to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips home page.
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