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Jewelry Business Blog ArchiveJune - August 2004 blog entries
Here is our Jewelry Business Blog archive from June - August 2004, filled with fantastic tips and info on marketing handcrafted jewelry. For more blog entries, visit: August 31, 2004 Yesterday, the ninth issue of "Jewelry Business Success News" went out to 1701 e-mail subscribers! This issue's topics include "Finding Your Jewelry Business Path", tips on consigning and wholesaling jewelry, and more. To subscribe or check out the back issues, please visit the Jewelry Business Success News subscription page. August 30, 2004 Here's an excellent article by our newest guest author: Jewelry Trunk Show - a Niche Almost Missed Thank you, Laura, I love this article. The mutual success for both you and the shop owners is great. Anyone who's read much of this site knows I love win-win situations, and this is a beautiful example of one! :o) August 29, 2004 Most metal jewelry benefits from being stored with a no-tarnish strip. Besides silver, other metals to store sealed up with a no-tarnish strip are gold, copper, bronze, nickel, brass, and tin. August 28, 2004 Okay, I think I've just set a record for me. I just added six new articles to our site! I think you'll be excited about these: Selling Jewelry Wholesale and on Consignment A Jewelry Niche Market Gets Shop Owners' Attention Mass Production Strategies for Wholesaling Jewelry Pros and Cons of Consigning Jewelry to Shops and Galleries Jewelry Consignment Percentage Keeping Track of Your Jewelry Consignment Inventory Happy reading! :o) August 26, 2004 Have you visited BeadRoom.com August 25, 2004 Marie of Marigold Designs sent me this clever beading tip: "Today I was beading some lampwork earrings, which the beads were made on a large mandrels leaving them somewhat unsteady on head pins - my "ahh haa" was discovered when I stuffed the hole of the bead on the headpin with a plastic earring backing (that you would use on fish-hook style earrings) - this made the bead steady, and it didn't show at all! Just thought I'd share! Marie." Thank you so much for sharing this tip! Your idea will save a lot of beaders from "wobbly bead syndrome". :o) August 23, 2004 Jewelry artist Anna Withrow is using her jewelry to make a positive difference in her community. Anna writes, "We live in SWFlorida, which was recently hit by Hurricane Charley. I have a stash ofinexpensive earrings that I use for giveaways. I put them up on my website for$5 a pair with all proceeds going to the Red Cross. I told my cutomers that ifwe sell 100 pairs everyone will get a free pair! The response has beentremendous so far! We are thrilled! It might be something for others to try,especially those who want to do something nice and increase their customerbase. Check it out at My Cool Sister's Jewelry." What an outstanding idea, Anna! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. For anyone who's inspired by Anna's idea, you can find further ways for using your jewelry to help make our world a better place in Fundraiser Jewelry Shows. August 21, 2004 I'm pleased to bring you our newest guest author, Susan Midlarsky of Aspiring Arts. Susan's first article for us is an inspiring piece on designing a logo and color scheme: Your Business Logo and Colors: A scheme for all seasons Thank you for this great article, Susan! :o) August 19, 2004 I've been invited to write Tips from Rena, a weekly feature on beads and jewelry marketing for the Bead Bugle. The Bead Bugle has recently expanded and now offers more new feature articles each month than any other online bead magazine. You can subscribe to the Bead Bugle weekly Updater so you won't miss any of their great new stuff. August 18, 2004 I'm pleased to introduce our newest guest author, Melissa Jeffries of Turquoise Sands. Her article on gem shows has some great tips that can help you survive a gem show and stay within your budget: Tips for Attending Gem Shows Thank you for the great information, Melissa! :o) August 16, 2004 I'm pleased to bring you our newest guest author, Karen Seng of the eBay store Kool Jewels by Karen. Karen's first article for us discusses what I believe is a subconscious reason why many of us love to create jewelry:
The Therapeutic Benefits of Jewelry Making A great article on a neat topic, Karen! :o) August 15, 2004 Have you ever wished for temporary employees to help you with a large or tedious jewelry order or project? If you need help but don't want to delve into the legal and financial issues of hiring an employee, an ideal solution is a sheltered workshop in your area. Sheltered workshops are organizations that hire veterans or disabled workers who can do piece-work or routine tasks like stringing bead bracelets, tagging or packaging jewelry, etc. You would pay the sheltered workshop a fee for the job to be done, and they would provide the workers and take responsibility for all the legal, tax, and insurance issues. It's a wonderful win-win situation! August 14, 2004 You might be interested in joining a local lapidary group. It's a wonderful place to meet people with similar interests, as well as to find local artisans who supply gemstones, cabochons, and other jewelry making components. Most lapidary clubs have good educational programs, sometimes including workshops or classes on jewelry-making skills you'd like to try. August 13, 2004 Today issue #8 of "Jewelry Business Success News" went out to 1455 e-mail subscribers! This issue's topics include "Experimenting and Evolving My Way to Jewelry Business Success" plus jewelry business startup tips. To subscribe or check out the back issues, please visit the Jewelry Business Success News subscription page. August 12, 2004 Do you know that your homeowner's or renter's insurance doesn't cover your home jewelry business? Our newest guest author, TC Thorn of Home Security Information, gives us some excellent home business insurance pointers: Home Business Insurance - Thanks for the great info, TC! :o) August 12, 2004 What's your jewelry making workspace like? Guest author Ellen Leonard of Prophecy Girl Designs has some great ideas for creating a jewelry studio in your home: A Jewelry Studio in My House? That Sounds Complicated! - Thanks for a super article, Ellen! You inspire us to create the space we've always wanted. :o) August 11, 2004 Here's a wonderful article by a new guest author, Judith Isaacson. Her experience of transforming her family's jewelry business into an international jewelry supplier is fascinating - A Successful International Home Jewelry Business Thank you, Judith! Your article will plant the seeds of ideas for many others. :o) August 8, 2004 I'm pleased to present a new section of articles here at Home Jewelry Business Success Tips: Home Jewelry Business Management Tips - And our first article in this new section is: How to Start a Jewelry Business - August 6, 2004 Judy Holt of The Torch Sisters one-of-a-kind lampwork bead jewelry submitted this question to the Jewelry Business Blog: "My sister and I decided to jump into the water and sell our lampwork bead jewelry after obsessing on it for months. I feel fortunate to have found this site and would appreciate any tips for beginners on just about everything. Wish us luck and thanks for all the great information I have already learned by reading on this wonderful website." Judy, I visited your site and all I can say is WOW! Your beads and jewelry are gorgeous. I'm thrilled with the professional quality of your photos, and also with your pricing - I'm very glad to see that you're pricing your work to reflect the value of your artistry. Thanks to your suggestion, the next issue of my Jewelry Business Success News (coming out within the next few days) will have an article on jewelry business tips for beginners; I appreciate this suggestion! From what I've seen so far, you gals are on the right track, and I'm sure the rest of us will be hearing about your success! :o) August 3, 2004 Julia Ward of Eyeglass Keepers submitted this question to our blog: "Hi.... am trying to put up a website with my beaded eyeglass chains/id badge holders... and I'm going nuts trying to get good pictures... my better half just got fired so don't have the resources to go buy a new digital camera but I could sure use some suggestions... I have an Olympus digital d-380... the white balance is automatic.... I'm using the macro mode and zoom.... It has 2.0 megapixels and a 5x zoom......but I'm just not happy with my pictures....thanks for your help...blessings...julia". Hi, Julia, thanks for writing! I like how nice and close your photos are, so that your work fills each frame. It looks like your photos are being compressed to the point that they are dark and somewhat blurred. Have you tried some adjustments in your photo editing program either to compress them less, lighten each shot a little, or work with the contrast a little? If you lighten or adjust the contrast, you may also need to play with bumping up the colors a little in your photo editing software so they don't look washed out. Another suggestion is when you take your photos, start out with them already the exact size you want them for final publishing on your site, without having to resize them. Resizing can cause photos to lose sharpness and other qualities. Does anyone else have suggestions for Julia's photos? Let me know if these ideas help, Julia! You have a nice line of eyeglass keepers, and I especially like your Cozumel design. :o) August 2, 2004 Justin Cannon of HandmadeBeads.net sent in this news: Inviting Member Sites
"Looking for handmade beads? HandmadeBeads.NET is your online source forhandmade glass beads, handmade bead jewelry, handmade bead necklaces, andmore! "Websites devoted to unique handmade beads can join for as little as $2 a month,with no long-term contracts. Featured listings are running as low as $4 amonth. Be sure to visit soon to lock into these limited-time rates! "For additional information visit www.handmadebeads.net and be sure to pass the word on to your friends that HandmadeBeads.NET is finally here!" July 30, 2004 I've been asked by Beadwork Meetups to post the following link to fun gatherings of beaders taking place in August (meetups are an opportunity to get together with other local beadwork artists to discuss techniques, products, and designs): Happening in August - find out when. July 30, 2004 I came across a neat 42-pocket craft organizer July 29, 2004 Do you ever feel like everything you make starts to resemble your previous pieces? Why not do a jewelry supply swap with a fellow jewelry artist - exchange some beads, or clasps, or findings, or other components with each other. See how fresh elements get you started thinking and designing differently. July 28, 2004 When people buy jewelry online, they need to see large, clear photos to convince them that the piece they're viewing is what they want to buy. If you have small photos on your site, make them clickable to enlarged versions so your customers can really study the details of your jewelry. July 25, 2004 Here's a handy source of info on crystal energy configurations. Customers love this information, and regardless of whether you make metaphysical / crystal jewelry, it's a good idea to be conversant on this topic! July 24, 2004 Now is a good time to get a few hostesses interested in having an early-bird jewelry home party. Emphasize the convenience of having holiday shopping and gift wrapping finished early, and the fun of being the first to host a party showcasing your new Fall 2004 jewelry lines. Read tons of tips on successful jewelry home parties, invitations, and flyers. July 23, 2004 Linda Halvorson of Wissota Jewelry replies to Yuki's July 14 blog entry: "Yuki, I love the photographs of your jewelry. They are crisp, sharp and beautiful. I am just having my website completed and am struggling with a camera that died. What are you using? I am also interested in sales to stores. I have a problem, though, in that I have a disability and if the stores aren't accessible, I probably can't use them. I will appreciate your articles, Rena. Your newsletter is the best thing I've found!" Thank you for your kind words, Linda! :o) July 21, 2004 There's a neat aspect of human nature that you can use to build your jewelry business - as well as to help make the world a better place. It's called the Reciprocity Principle, and here's how it works: When you give someone something, most people will try to give you something back. Even better is that they will try to give back more than you gave them. Try it! Give first, and give generously. Give of your time, your listening ears, your resources, yourself. Go out of your way to assist others. Sometimes you'll help people who won't ever be able to do anything for you in return; on the other hand, you will often receive the generosity of people you won't be able to repay. Give first and often. It may seem at first that you're doing all the giving and not seeing any returns. But in what authors Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon call "The Great Network in the Sky" - if you give, you will receive; somehow, some day, somewhere. I've experienced this wonderful phenomenon in my own life many times. It's as if by giving, you're connecting yourself to a channel of generosity. July 17, 2004 Here's a lengthy and extremely in-depth article about color and style forecasts for the rest of 2004, all the way into 2005-2006! Wow. Fall Fashion 2004 Trend Talk from Graphic Design USA should answer all your questions about upcoming colors and styles - including ones you haven't even thought of yet. :o) July 15, 2004 There are probably as many different ways of organizing beads and cabochons as there are jewelry artists! I organize by color, since that's the way I'll be looking for them when I'm ready to use them. July 15, 2004 Today issue #7 of "Jewelry Business Success News" went out to 1109 e-mail subscribers! This issue's topics include "Jewelry Business Taglines". To subscribe or check out the back issues, please visit the Jewelry Business Success News subscription page. July 14, 2004 Jewelry artist Yuki of www.yukikokubo.com sent in this question: "I just began making jewelry a few months ago. At first I was selling to my friends and now I would like to begin selling to stores. I've developed a web site and have a small stock of stuff that I've made in multiples--all I need to do now is approach the stores. Does anyone have any tips on doing this? Who should I ask to speak to? What do I say? I would love some feedback. Thank you, Yuki, The Rookie Jewelry Designer." Thanks for writing, Yuki! I'm working on a series of articles right now about selling to shops and galleries, which I hope will answer your questions. I'll get them up on this site as quickly as I can. And by the way, your site and your jewelry are absolutely gorgeous. Very refreshing to the eyes and soul! :o) I wouldn't say you're all that much of a rookie! In the meantime, does anyone else have some words of wisdom for Yuki? July 14, 2004 Guest author Laura Stafford of Tucson Mountain Jewelry Designs sent in a great review via our new "submit article" page: Jewelry Business Software Review: Jewelry Designer Manager Thank you for a great review, Laura! Hope to read more from you in the future! :o) July 13, 2004 My readers have been asking for this article for a long time, and here it finally is: Great Jewelry Home Party Invitations July 12, 2004 Here's a great series of articles with tips for your own jewelry business website, submitted via our new "Submit Articles" page by our latest guest author, Rebecca Gilbert: How to Get Website Traffic for Free Website Advertising Schemes to Avoid Business Website Startup Tips July 11, 2004 I've just made one of this site's features more useful. Our Search this Site feature is now accessible at the bottom of the navigation bar, at the far left side of every page. (Previously it was only accessible from the home page.) So if you're looking for specific jewelry business info, tips, or recommendations and can't decide where you'd locate them on this site, click on "Search This Site" at the bottom of the navigation bar. And if you do use the search feature but it doesn't turn up what you're looking for, then you've discovered a topic we need to add to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips! Contact me and let me know about topics, tips, or info we need to add here! :o) July 11, 2004 Laura Stafford of Tucson Mountain Jewelry sent us this wonderful tip for getting customers to return: "As a jewelry designer, I am always tryingto think of ways to let my repeat customers know how much I appreciate theirbusiness. I currently have two systems for keeping track of my customer base. One is software called Jewelry Designer Manager, and the other is just simple index cards. "After a customer purchases a certain amount, I send a hand-stamped thank youcard along with a gift card they can use towards their next purchase. This hasworked very well for me and adds a very personal touch. "The gift cards I send are worth from $5.00 to $15.00. I make these on my computer,so they do not cost a lot. However, they are very effective." July 10, 2004 Here's an entertaining article from our newest guest author, Tina Tomlovich, submitted via our "Submit Articles" page. Beads and the Discovery of the Inner Fashion Goddess I think you'll enjoy Tina's writing as much as I do, and I hope we'll be hearing more from her! July 10, 2004 If, like me, you wear your cash register at shows in the form of a belly bag or small purse, consider not carrying coins. The extra weight of coins takes a toll on your back by the end of the show. Instead of carrying coins, I stock my purse-cash-register with bills only, and I round all cash purchases to the customer's favor, letting them know they're receiving a "cash discount"! July 9, 2004 Yesterday issue #6 of "Jewelry Business Success News" went out to 1049 e-mail subscribers! This issue's topics include "Fall 2004 Colors" and "The Quality of Your Jewelry Supplies and Tools". Don't miss a single information-packed issue! If you haven't subscribed yet, or would like to read the back issues, please visit the Jewelry Business Success News subscription page. If you're a subscriber but aren't receiving your issues in your e-mail, it's most likely because of your e-mail provider's filtering software that's intended to block out bulk mailings and potential "spam". The two e-mail providers who seem to do the most filtering of e-mail newsletters are AOL and Hotmail. Check your "Bulk" e-mail box to see if your newsletter landed in there instead of your "In" box. To be sure you never miss an issue of "Jewelry Business Success News" in your e-mail box, please add the following Home Jewelry Business Success Tips domain to your list of trusted senders / your address book / contact list (in your e-mail software) and to your ISP / mail service's "whitelist" - @home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com July 8, 2004 I'm pleased to introduce our newest guest author, Kathleen Badeaux (formerly of Designs by Kath). Kathleen sent in this insightful article via our Submit Articles page: Tips for Purchasing Designer Jewelry within Your Budget . . . or how customers and jewelry artists can work out a transaction together Thank you, Kathleen! Looking forward to hearing more from you! :o) July 8, 2004 Here's a great new article by guest author Tony Blacker: Make Money on eBay by Knowing the System This article has some great tips for profiting from eBay, including a way to make the most of the "free auction listing" days. Thanks again, Tony! July 7, 2004 Awhile back here at the Jewelry Business Blog, I mentioned a few tips about security for checks you accept at shows. I recommend that you thief-proof them by immediately endorsing each check as you receive it as: "for deposit only To speed up this process, you can use a self-inking stamp with this info printed on it. I came across a good deal - an $8.99 Handy Stamp July 4, 2004 To keep phone calls from cutting into your jewelry making productivity, get an inexpensive headset for your cordless phone and have it hooked up and ready to answer at your jewelry studio table. I used to lose a lot of jewelry making time due to unexpected calls till I started doing this. Now my hands are free to continue working while I talk to callers. July 3, 2004 Write a reminder on your calendar at the beginning of each month that your quarterly sales tax payment and form are due. Mine are due on the 25th of January, April, July, and October, so at the beginning of the year I put a reminder note on the 10th of each of those months. You don't want to be stuck with paying late fees or tangling with tax authorities if you forget the deadline! July 2, 2004 When getting ready for home jewelry parties, remind your hostess to call all invited guests a day or two before the party. This is the single most important thing you can do to increase party attendance (and your sales). July 1, 2004 For big art shows with expensive booth fees, consider sharing a booth with another jewelry artist (check to be sure the show permits it). You can split the costs and cover for each other during breaks. You can also benefit from each other's customers. June 30, 2004 When taking pictures of your jewelry, be sure to save the original digital photo file as-is, without any editing modifications. You may want to go back later and make a different set of edits to the photo. June 25, 2004 When you meet people and tell them what you do, don't just give them a job title ("I'm a jewelry artist"). Paint a brief word picture of what you actually *do* - "I design jewelry using vintage beads and findings." Spend some time coming up with a description that feels right and has a nice ring to it, using 10 or fewer words. June 22, 2004 Many shows require that all vendors wear a nametag, which is often just an unattractive self-adhesive label with your name written in black marker. So why not make your own jewelry nametag? Design a tag, tag holder, or lanyard using your usual jewelry supplies. Now you're wearing something that makes you stand out and demonstrates your artistry. June 21, 2004 Historical jewelry can be a fabulous starting point for new designs. Check your library, bookstore, and the Web for books with lots of big, luscious photos of jewelry and beads from bygone eras. June 20, 2004 What's unique about your jewelry business - what do you have or provide that sets you apart from other jewelers? Your potential customers are silently asking this question. Design your jewelry business literature, website, and displays to answer it. June 18, 2004 When packing up for shows, bring the acceptance letter you received that confirms you as a vendor for the show. Occasionally show organizers make a mistake or omission when assigning booths, and this letter provides proof that you're supposed to be there. June 17, 2004 Thanks to an email from Laura of Laura Kim Jewelry Designs, I realized that I should add more detail about how I run my Girls' Birthday Bracelet Beading Parties. So I've added several paragraphs to this article, which I hope will help you if you're planning to do bracelet birthday parties! Thank you, Laura! June 16, 2004 The fifth issue of "Jewelry Business Success News" went out today to 897 e-mail subscribers. Don't miss a single information-packed issue. If you haven't subscribed yet, or would like to read the back issues, please visit the Jewelry Business Success News subscription page. If you're a subscriber but aren't receiving your issues in your e-mail, it's most likely because of your e-mail provider's filtering software that's intended to block out bulk mailings and potential "spam". To be sure you never miss an issue of "Jewelry Business Success News" in your e-mail box, please add the following Home Jewelry Business Success Tips domain to your list of trusted senders / your address book / contact list (in your e-mail software) and to your ISP / mail service's "whitelist" - @home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com June 15, 2004 It's not a good idea to pack up and leave an art show early. Many show organizers have a policy of not inviting back any vendors who leave before the stated end of the show's public hours. And since many show organizers know each other, leaving even one show early can give you a bad reputation that might affect any future shows you apply for. June 13, 2004 Understanding the reasons why people buy things will help your jewelry sales. Of course, they buy things they like, but there's a deeper element involved in clinching their decision to buy: People like to buy from someone they like and feel a connection to. Take the time with each customer to establish a genuine bond and let them bask in your personalized service! June 12, 2004 When filling out applications for juried shows, emphasize the uniqueness of your jewelry and your display. Think of how you can make yourself stand out from other jewelry applicants. June 11, 2004 I'm pleased to bring you our first article to be submitted to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips via our new article submission page! Our newest guest author is Tony Blacker of Niknakgroup.com Jewellery, which offers a comprehensive range of gold, silver, and platinum jewellery. His lines include collections of Rennie Mackintosh and Celtic knot designs, along with one of the largest selections of body jewellery on the Web. Tony brings us an excellent article, Developing Your Own Website - Thank you for the great article, Tony! We'll be looking forward to hearing more from you. June 10, 2004 My second column for the Bead Bugle, Ways to Increase Your Jewelry Business Income, Part 2, was published today on the Bead Bugle website. If you haven't already explored the Bead Bugle, you can access it through my article link above and spend some time poking around there! June 9, 2004 There are so many website building options available that it can take weeks of research to sift through them and find what's right for your jewelry website. I've just consolidated a list of my top picks for jewelry business website resources, including web hosts, online credit card processing, other forms of online payments, and traffic building. June 8, 2004 Selling your jewelry can be difficult if you're shy. But don't hesitate to recommend specific pieces of your jewelry to shoppers who are very interested in your work. If they're interested enough to spend time at your booth browsing through your inventory, they'll be glad to have you recommend one of your pieces and place it in their hand for them to examine and admire. You'd be surprised how often this leads to a sale! June 7, 2004 We're inviting you to write articles for Home Jewelry Business Success Tips, in exchange for some free advertising for your website! (Don't worry about your writing skills - I'll be happy to edit your article if necessary.) Our guest authors' experiences, tips, and techniques add so much to this site that that we'd like to continue to add authors to make Home Jewelry Business Success Tips the best possible resource for jewelry artists. Please submit original articles of any length, on any topic of interest to jewelry artists . . . helpful hints, how-to's, innovative solutions to problems, trends, jewelry care, advertising, new materials, product reviews, website building hints, tips and tricks, jewelry show ideas, marketing techniques, directions for making homemade jewelry displays, etc. Anything that will help jewelry artists market their work and grow their businesses! In exchange for publishing your article, I'll put a link to your website on your article's page here, which will help boost your site's search engine rankings and traffic. Each article will be a permanent page on Home Jewelry Business Success Tips, so its link to your site is a permanent free advertisement for your business. June 6, 2004 I'm finally back online after a computer crash that left me computerless for almost a week. Now that I have my computing power back again, I'm working on some new articles I'll be adding to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips soon, plus some other goodies for you! Look for the blog here to be updated with a new tip nearly every day again, too. For more great jewelry business tips and info, see our other blog entries: Current jewelry business blog Return to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips home.
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