Jewelry Business Blog
January 2005
© by Rena Klingenberg; all rights reserved
The Jewelry Business Blog has essential jewelry business tips, information, questions, answers, and news that you won't find anywhere else!
January 30, 2005 Great news! Here's a brand new installment in our Jewelry Business Success Interviews series: Jill Hofer of NiceGift.org
Jill Hofer explains how her NiceGift.org jewelry business generates donations of 10% to non-profit organizations which correspond to products she designs for them. Thank you for participating in this interview, Jill! :o) January 29, 2005 It's usually a good idea to visit an art or craft show before signing up for a booth in it. Although that means visiting the show this year and not participating in it till next year, taking the time to research a show can really pay off. But if you do decide to sign up for a show without visiting it first (or sign up for a show that's never been held before), do some different research. Here are some questions to ask the show's promoter: - What type of show is it?
- What other events/activities is the show connected to?
- How many vendors will there be altogether?
- How is the show being promoted?
- Will there be vendors selling ready-made or imported products, or will all vendors be handcrafters?
- How many other jewelry vendors will there be?
January 27, 2005 This morning I sent out Jewelry Business Success News issue #17 to 3494 subscribers. In this issue you'll find an article on tips for writing a great artist's statement, links to see the fantastic entries in a handcrafted wooden jewelry box contest, and other cool things! Subscribe to Jewelry Business Success News so you won't miss any issues. We have more really interesting articles lined up for future issues! :o) January 25, 2005 I'm pleased to bring you our newest guest author, John Stancliffe of Infinity Stamps, Inc. John's article deals with a topic that many of our readers ask me about - custom-stamped metal jewelry tags: 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 explains how they're made, and an easy way to stamp a perfect mark on jewelry tags. Thanks so much for this great info, John! :o) January 24, 2005 I want to thank all of our generous readers who took the time to send in their responses to our Inventory Management survey in the last issue of Jewelry Business Success News. Here's the compilation of all the great tips sent in: Inventory Management - readers' responses to survey
Inventory management is an important aspect of keeping your jewelry business operating smoothly. Here are our readers' tips for numbering your jewelry pieces and managing your inventory. If you sent in a response and your website link is not listed next to your name, please send me the correction! Thanks again. :o) January 23, 2005 Can you greet your jewelry booth's visitors by telling them an interesting fact about your jewelry that makes them say, "Wow!"? Think about your craft, the materials you use, or the benefits to your customer of owning your jewelry. What info in there is amazing? How about something like, "Did you know that dichroic glass was originally developed for the U.S. space program?" Wow! January 21, 2005 Are you adding any special, enticing Valentine jewelry photos to your website? Here's an idea - lay out one of your featured necklaces or beaded bracelets on a nicely contrasting background of red, pink, or something lacy. Arrange the necklace or bracelet so it's in a heart shape. And if it's not too distracting, artistically add a few candy hearts or rose petals to the picture. Now you have a romantic jewelry shot for your home page, to encourage Valentine shoppers to look at your lovely jewelry. Add a tasteful message of "beautiful FREE Valentine gift wrap" next to the photo, and you've got your visitors' attention. Include a Valentine special of free shipping for best results. January 20, 2005 Here's another article by returning guest author Angela Davis of Merry Jewelry. If you also store your small keepsakes in your jewelry box, you will enjoy this one: 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 evokes the ambience of a treasured jewelry box. Thank you, Angela! I remember watching in awe whenever my grandmother opened her jewelry box, wondering what treasures she would lift out and show us. January 19, 2005 Returning guest author Pat Greer of Send Us Your Ears has another great jewelry tip: How to Oxidize Sterling Silver Naturally
You can oxidize sterling silver beautifully without using liver of sulfur. Guest author Pat Greer explains how to oxidize silver naturally - using an egg! Thanks for this great how-to, Pat! This classic oxidizing method is much cheaper, safer, and cleaner than using liver of sulfur. :o) January 17, 2005 A great way to keep your jewelry projects organized is with standard 8" x 14" x 1" stacking jewelry trays made of white plastic. Use one tray for each current jewelry project, and stack them on your studio table or a shelf to save space. You can toss your pliers and other jewelry tools into the tray too, and take your project outside or into another room easily. The white tray makes it easy to see your project while working on it. The tray sides contain not only all the project components, but also all the wire clippings or other debris. When your project is finished, it's easy to pour all wire clippings from the tray into your wire scrap container. January 15, 2005 Pearls are incredibly popular right now. And the more unusual they are, the more interest they generate. Colored pearls, coin pearls, stick pearls, flat square pearls - jewelry customers love them all, especially for spring and summer fashions. January 14, 2005 I'm pleased to bring you our newest guest author, Angela Davis of the Merry Jewelry complete jewelry resource directory. Angela writes about Body Jewelry - enhancing the body's beauty
Body jewelry has been a form of personal adornment since ancient times. Guest author Angela Davis describes the recent body jewelry trend as a way of enhancing the body's beauty. Thank you for this great article, Angela! :o) January 13, 2005 I'm excited to introduce you to our newest guest authors, Linda Grossman and Evelyn Roth of the Ruby Lane shop Evelynne's Oldies But Goodies. Evelyn and Linda, a mother-and-daughter team, specialize in Bakelite jewelry, and it's the topic of their fascinating article: 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 describe the history of Bakelite, and offer tips on finding genuine vintage Bakelite jewelry. Thank you for this interesting article, Evelyn and Linda! :o) January 13, 2005 I've just sent out Issue #16 of Jewelry Business Success News to 3302 subscribers. In this issue you'll find a question for readers to answer, ideas for developing multiple streams of jewelry business income, and a neat jewelry website to visit. Subscribe to Jewelry Business Success News so you won't miss any issues. We have some really interesting articles lined up for future issues! :o) January 9, 2005 Returning guest author Sophie Van Tiggelen of Bagatelle Jewelry has some excellent tips on image hosting for your eBay auction photos: Image Hosting for Online Auctions
Your image hosting choice affects the quality, downloading speed, and cost of your eBay jewelry auction photos. Guest author Sophie Van Tiggelen explains the free image hosting system she uses. Thanks for this great advice, Sophie! :o) January 8, 2005 Reading text on the web is different than reading it in print offline. Try these tips for making your on-screen words reader friendly in your jewelry website: - Use a readable size of font - nothing too tiny.
- Put plenty of space around the text - one or two sentences per paragraph. Big slabs of text are overwhelming.
- Break up long bits of text with headlines, the occasional colored font, or bulleted lists like this one. :o)
- Use a dark font on a plain, light colored background.
- Use plain, sans-serif fonts.
January 6, 2005 Our newest guest author, Georgia Hadley of Adorneya Jewelry Studio, sent in a fantastic article. If you're looking for ways to do good works with your jewelry business this new year, you'll be especially interested: Awareness Jewelry - tips for designing and marketing jewels of hope
Guest author Georgia Hadley details how to promote and contribute to good causes with awareness jewelry, including a variety markets for it. Thank you so much, Georgia, for this wonderful article. I know it's planting a lot of great seeds. :o) January 6, 2005 I've just added a new section to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips. We've been needing a space to gather information on using our jewelry businesses to help make the world a better place, so here it is: The Greater Good and Your Jewelry Business
How you can contribute to the greater good with your jewelry business - tips for jewelry fundraisers, charity jewelry, awareness jewelry - and other ways to make a difference, help good causes, and establish public relations. January 5, 2004 Although not all visitors to your jewelry website will start at the home page, the majority of them probably will. And it's important to make your potential customers believe as early as possible that you have something they want - that there's some reason for them to stay on your site and experience your products and your business. Featuring a fresh display of well-photographed key pieces of jewelry in the top fold of your home page is a good strategy. But in case this doesn't happen to excite visitors who are searching for something specific, add some well-written headlines and links that tempt them deeper into your website. January 4, 2005 A reader inquired about a tactful way of keeping children from handling your jewelry at shows. It's an unfortunate fact that many parents don't seem to see anything wrong with their children touching everything in your display. You'd like to ask the kids not to touch your jewelry, yet you risk offending the parents and losing sales - and it can be a stressful situation. Fortunately, I do have two very successful solutions to this dilemma, in my article titled My Jewelry Display for Shows and Parties. Scroll down almost to the bottom of the article to the section called "Something for Kids to Play with" to see my ideas for keeping children's hands out of my jewelry. January 2, 2005 Gather your dreams for the coming year and visit A Year from Now. You'll be glad you did - it's an inspiring site, as its lovely title hints. January 1, 2005 Here's some food for jewelry business thought. Studies show that the businesses with the highest profits do two things: - They make every effort to understand the customer's wants and needs - and then design products and services for maximum customer satisfaction.
- They do everything possible to be the easiest company in their niche for their customers to do business with.
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