About Rena

© by Rena Klingenberg; all rights reserved

Welcome!

I’m Rena Klingenberg - jewelry artist, author, and publisher of creative ideas for making and selling jewelry.

Many years ago my lifelong obsession with earrings led me to start collecting beads and making my own earrings.

But it's been scientifically proven that you can never have enough beads - and that jewelry-making never stops at earrings! :o)

So my bead addiction mutated rapidly, and soon I was creating all sorts of other jewelry items made from gemstones, shells, unusual odds and ends, wire, and more.

It didn't take long for my creations to fill not only my own jewelry box, but also the jewelry boxes of my friends and family.

I realized I would have to either stop making jewelry - or start selling it.

Bronze paua shell and sterling silver
wire pendant by Rena Klingenberg

I've sold my work in nearly every way imaginable - including shows, parties, consignment, wholesale, sales reps, distributors, my website, eBay, trunk shows, fundraiser shows, etc.

I was incredibly thrilled when my jewelry began to be bought by folks other than my friends and family!

Of course, some of the things I tried along the way turned out to be a total flop. But I didn't give up.

I just kept tweaking and trying new ways of selling jewelry until I found things that worked well - and then I worked to make those strategies even more profitable and efficient.

That's the success strategy I'm still using.

And in my websites, newsletter, and books I share with you everything I've learned.

You can also peek at my personal jewelry website, Rena Jewelry. Currently I focus on selling my jewelry via private showings and one jewelry store.

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!

Opalite glass and sterling silver
chandelier earrings by Rena Klingenberg

My trial-and-error approach to selling my jewelry gave 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.

I'm also pleased and honored to add the really great articles and ideas sent in by other jewelry artists.

Gemstone and sterling silver
wire bracelet by Rena Klingenberg

Currently I publish four websites filled with creative ideas for making and selling jewelry:

• Home Jewelry Business Success Tips


• Jewelry Display Ideas


• Making Jewelry Now


• Jewelry Business Blog.

I welcome you to share your ideas, tips, and content on all of my websites.

Here's how you can share your jewelry content on my network of jewelry websites - and get great exposure for your business.

My sites are resources for the handmade jewelry community to participate in, be inspired by, and inspire others!

And whenever I publish your contributions on my sites, you always receive links back to your jewelry business.

I've written three in-depth guides to specific ways of selling handcrafted jewelry:

• Ultimate Guide to Your Profitable Jewelry Booth - the guidebook for selling jewelry successfully at shows, fairs, and festivals.


• Social Networking: Sell Your Jewelry Online the New Way - the guide to using the enormous trend of online social networking to sell jewelry on the Web.


• Secrets of a Handcrafted Jewelry Shopping Service - a guide to selling jewelry via private showings, trunk shows, and as business gifts.

I also have plenty of new ideas brewing for future jewelry publications!

Well, let's see....

I love spending time with my family, reading, walking, traveling, hiking, archery, and doing volunteer work.

I also love going to all kinds of arts events, museums, and old cemeteries.

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!).

Before and After Locks of Love:

I'm also a fan of voluntary simplicity.

For me, that means cutting back on material things and "life clutter", and consciously choosing only the things I truly want in my life.

It's made all the difference for me in creating the life I want for myself.

Ever since I can remember, I dreamed of making my living as an author and an artist.

I feel very fortunate to say that now I'm living my dream - and that it's even better than I imagined it would be!

I wish you the same joy in creating the life of your dreams.

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