Jewelry Business Blog

May 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!

May 31, 2005

How Your Jewelry Business Can Serve Customers Age 50+

In yesterday's post I mentioned that within five years, one-third of Americans will be age 50 or older. Let's read between the lines and see how your jewelry business can serve this market.

What's going on in the lives of folks in that age group?

1. Grandchildren
   I would imagine that a surge in the 50+ population would mean a surge in the babies and kids market. For jewelry artists that could translate to a very profitable market niche of jewelry and jewelry-related services that appeal to grandparents. Just a few examples:
   
   • Christening jewelry.
   • Grandmother jewelry with kids' names or birthstones.
   • Mother's jewelry that Baby Boomers can give to their daughters who are having children.
   • Workshops for grandparents to make jewelry for their grandkids.
   • Grandparent-grandchild jewelry workshops, with the generations working together.
   • Babies' and children's jewelry in general.
   • Remember that grandparents are often more willing/able to purchase special (expensive) items for children than parents are.
2. Retirement
   When people retire, they like to travel and spend time on hobbies. How can jewelry artists fill that niche?
   
   • Jewelry-making workshops of all sorts.
   • And how about traveling jewelry workshops, where you go to RV parks and other places where traveling retirees gather?
3. Arthritis and age-related disabilities
   Unfortunately, as we age we lose dexterity. Opening lobster clasps and putting the backs on post-style earrings can become difficult feats for older people. For jewelry artists, that could mean a market niche of easy-to-put-on jewelry. For example:
   
   • Clasp-free long necklaces that you can put on and take off over your head.
   • Slip-on bracelets.
   • Jewelry with large hook-and-eye clasps. You get the idea!

I hope these examples spark your ingenuity and lead you onto interesting new paths.

May 30, 2005

Marketing Jewelry to Baby Boomers

Baby boomers, the population surge of Americans born during the post World War II era of 1946 to 1964, have been a major market force throughout their lifetimes.

Starting with hula hoops and frisbees in the 1950's, this affluent and influential demographic group of 76,000,000 consumers has provided huge opportunities for businesses that can successfully meet their needs and tastes.

Thanks to the baby boom, one-third of the U.S. population will be age 50 or older by the year 2010. That's a significant market.

And there's plenty of opportunity for jewelry artists to fill Baby Boomers' needs for accessorizing and gift giving. So how can you position your home jewelry business and your products to cater to this market segment?

First, it's helpful to get to know Baby Boomers a little better. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the people who make up this niche are diverse in their tastes and buying patterns. But offering products or services tailored to them can be quite a profitable strategy.

Tips for designing and marketing jewelry for Baby Boomers:

- Offer jewelry products and services that are perceived as a good value for the money.

- Sell jewelry that's well designed, that can be worn in different ways, and that can be easily used by older people and those with disabilities.

- Baby Boomers are not necessarily brand-loyal shoppers. As a general trend, they tend to shop based on value.

- Get input and insights from some of your customers in this age group. What do they like and dislike in jewelry? How do they think you could supply or serve Baby Boomers better?

- This group tends to be more interested in experiencing life than in growing old gracefully. They prefer to be active and positive than to think of themselves as senior and old.

- Package your jewelry appropriately for the needs of aging customers. The SBA recommends that you "Make certain your signs, packaging, marketing materials and nametags are easy to read. Select larger font sizes and simpler font styles, and avoid all uppercase lettering. Make good use of white space; copy that is too dense is harder to read. Avoid using subtle color combinations -- the strongest color contrast is the easiest to see, and that's black and white. All of that is great advice not only for your jewelry tags and other packaging, but also for your website."

- The Internet is a great way to communicate and market to Baby Boomers. Of the people in this age group who have a fair amount of disposable income, the majority are familiar with computers, email, and shopping online.

I hope these tips help you in marketing your jewelry to Baby Boomers! And as a side note, I just barely made it into the Baby Boomer category myself - I was born in 1964, the last year of the Boom. :o)

May 29, 2005

Storing and Transporting Jewelry Displays Safely - A Reader Tip

I make silver jewelry, and it kept getting tarnished by being stored on the displays inside the carry-on suitcase I use for transporting it. So I came up with this idea. I bought large zip-lock bags, put each display inside one or two of them, and close the bags. This way my items don't get tarnished.

To cushion and protect my displays, I was wrapping the displays with large pieces of material. But that took too long to unwrap and wrap at shows - plus all that material was taking too much space under my table.

So I made some easy, custom-size padded bags for transporting and storing my displays. I bought some plastic bubble-wrap and cut it in pieces that could easily accommodate two of my velvet easel displays placed back-to-back. I used a double layer of the bubble-wrap for extra cushioning, and I taped it inside and out with wide transparent tape. I taped it all around to create a bag, with only one side left free as the bag's opening. Now I just pull my displays out of their bubble-wrap bags and voila! Also, the empty bubble wraps take hardly any space under my table.

Note: The displays I use are are those black velvety easels that can have one or several necklaces. I also have one for earrings and another for rings, and since they are almost the same size they fit right in my padded bags with the others!

Tip from Lia of Cornerstone Design.

May 28, 2005

Jewelry Trends

You'll enjoy a visit to this Jewelry Trends article on Niche Magazine's site.

Be sure to click on each jewelry designer's link - lots of eye candy and inspiration there! :o)

May 27, 2005

The Color of Coral - New Article

New article:

The Color of Coral -

Did you know that coral occurs naturally in a rainbow of colors? It comes in shades of blue, red, orange, pink, tan, gray, lavender, white and even black. Guest author Darlynn Lydick shows us the beauty of coral in all its gorgeous hues, including photos of various shades of coral.

By Darlynn Lydick of The Bead Drawer (www.beaddrawer.com).

May 27, 2005

Jewelry Photography Made Easy - A Reader Tip

My tip is about scanning your jewelry. Our scanner provides the most detail on our photos, so we have the ability to get close-ups on our products as well as thumbnails with one scan!

Tip from Kim of KH Jewelry.

This is a great timesaver, Kim - it's my favorite jewelry photography method too. Here are some success tips for scanning jewelry.

Rena

May 26, 2005

Jewelry Customer Psychology

What motivates people to buy jewelry? Here are the main jewelry customer psychology factors:

• Fear of loss. This is one of the most powerful human motivators. In your case, a customer believes that if they don't buy your unique necklace right now, someone else will beat them to it - and they'll lose their opportunity to own and wear that beautiful piece.
• Desire for gain. A customer may desire to gain not only your lovely pendant, but also the positive feelings and compliments from others that they'll get when they wear it.
• Emotion. There's no doubt that jewelry is an emotional purchase. Customers love it when you sell them a dream - the romance of the artistic pendant crafted with a boulder opal from a secret mine in rugged Australia. In contrast, most jewelry buyers are not motivated by a list of features (this pendant measures 1.58 long x 0.72 wide . . . .).
• Uniqueness. People who enjoy the ambience of purchasing handcrafted jewelry directly from the artisan are very motivated by uniqueness - of both the jewelry and the buying experience. Specialize in something different from anyone else in your area, and create an enjoyable, unique buying experience for the people who are attracted to your jewelry.

May 25, 2005

Jewelry Business Success Thought

Here are a couple of sentences that are loaded with wisdom for succeeding in your jewelry business:

I don't care who you are, or what you've been doing... with 6 billion people on this planet, there is a target group of people out there who want to know what you know, or can use what you produce.... Success is primarily a matter of how you package and present yourself, your product, your service.

- Brett Krkosska, Publisher of Home Biz Tools.

Moral of the story: Never underestimate the power of packaging, presentation, and showing the world that you are who you've decided to be. ;o)

May 24, 2005

Track Your Customers' Buying Trends

Here's a jewelry buying pattern I've noticed in my past several jewelry shows, that you may want to track in your own shows too. It has to do with the trend of women buying jewelry for themselves that we discussed recently.

When I package a customer's purchase, I always ask whether the jewelry is intended as a gift, or for the customer to wear herself. Originally I asked that question to determine how to package/gift wrap the jewelry purchase.

But over time I started to notice specific price points for the jewelry my customers buy for themselves. I also noted the types of pieces my customers are most likely to buy for themselves.

It's worthwhile to find and track your customers' buying patterns and trends. I will probably enhance my selection of items for the price points and styles that my own customers treat themselves to. And possibly make an effort to have matching pieces they may want to get to go along with those gifts to themselves.

May 23, 2005

Get Visitors to Return to Your Jewelry Website - A Reader Tip

I like to have a 'special' on my website each month. I give away free earrings or beads, offer free shipping, etc. Anything to attract people to the website and to keep them coming back. It's a small price to pay for advertising and keeps people interested in my site.

Tip from Angela of Grove Jewelry Design.

May 22, 2005

Qualify to Buy Beads Wholesale - A Reader Tip

You may not qualify to buy beads wholesale from several of the large bead suppliers if you make jewelry as a hobby or for occasional profit.

This was the situation I faced when I began designing my jewelry as well. But one day, this all came to an end . . . . After searching through eBay and Yahoo auctions for unusual beads, I realized that if I purchased large quantites of beads at wholesale prices, I could sell my excess beads on eBay for profit.

This idea turned out to be bigger than I realized - my current auction bead sales account for 75% of my monthly income!

Tip from Zevelyn of Zevelyn.com and Zevelyn's Auctions.

May 21, 2005

A Jewelry Business Success Moment

Here's a successful postscript to my interview with Jill Hofer of NiceGift.org -

On Friday she and her jewelry business were featured on Sonoran Living, a Phoenix, AZ television show! Congratulations, Jill, and may this be the doorway to many more great things for you and for NiceGift.org.

May 21, 2005

An Idea for Making Jewelry with Children

New article:

How to Make Au Natural Jewelry -
Article description: Janice Wee of Cheapest Sale Jewelry offers tips for creating au natural jewelry from materials such as shells, wood, and natural fibers. These are especially great ideas for making jewelry with children at home, in workshops, at school, in scout meetings, etc.

May 20, 2005

Myrtle Beach Bike Week - Jewelry Trends I Saw

Yesterday I mentioned my jewelry market research trip to Myrtle Beach Bike Week on Wednesday with Laura. If you're interested in the possibility of selling your jewelry to the motorcycle niche, here are some trends I noticed in our research at the jewelry vendors' booths:

• No gold or goldfill jewelry; just lots of sterling silver
• Large, chunky styles - not necessarily flashy, but many large pieces of jewelry for both guys and gals
• A big selection of men's jewelry
• Emphasis on the use of natural stones, with a few pieces of dichroic glass here and there
• A bit of chainmaille, especially bracelets
• Styles that incorporate leather cords
• Lots of Harley Davidson licensed jewelry styles
• Some southwestern-influenced jewelry designs
• A good selection of rings for ladies, including some enormous sterling silver designs (not a big ring size, just a big ring design)
• A bit of body jewelry, but not as much as I had expected to see - mostly naval jewelry
• Upper-arm bracelets

If you're wondering about the volume of jewelry you might be able to sell at a motorcycle gathering, one T-shirt vendor in a 10' x 20' tent booth told Laura he sold $15,000 of shirts on Tuesday alone. And Tuesday is one of the quiet days of Bike Week.

Bikers appreciate jewelry, and like to take home souvenirs from their bike trips. If your craftsmanship is good and your designs are of interest to customers in this market niche, I think you could do quite well selling your jewelry to them.

May 19, 2005

How a Little Gemstone Lore Can Make a Sale

Gemstone lore is a powerful tool for your jewelry business, because one of the keys to success in selling your work is to know as much as possible about your jewelry and its components. Not only is is it a factor in gaining your customers' confidence in you as well as in your products, but it also connects people with the romance of a piece of jewelry.

For example, yesterday my jewelry buddy Laura and I went to Myrtle Beach Bike Week to do some jewelry market research on the motorcyclist niche. We were browsing through one vendor's wares and were captivated by a particular pendant. I was pretty sure the stone in it was gaspeite, but I wanted to double-check on that, so we asked the vendor what the stone was.

His totally unimpressive reply:

"I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, it's 100% real."

Oooooooooookay. 100% real what? Real plastic? Real glass? Real gemstone? Or just 100% really sitting there in the display?

If I were an actual customer looking to buy jewelry (instead of a jewelry artist doing research), I would have wandered away from his booth at that point. I'd be seeking a vendor who understood what he/she was selling, communicated it to me, and helped me feel comfortable with making a purchase.

And as a vendor, I wouldn't feel that I was doing my job if I didn't at least know the names of the stones in my jewelry. I'd also find out in advance a little of the lore associated with each stone; gemstone lore can really help sell your jewelry.

So instead of answering a customer's question with "whatever it is....," I'd feel much better saying, "That's gaspeite. It's a fairly rare stone that wasn't discovered until the 1960's. It comes from Canada and Australia, where the Aboriginal people use it as a stone of success and good fortune."

And if I'm the customer, that's the kind of information that makes me even more fascinated with the pendant, and start to think seriously about purchasing it.

(More about our Myrtle Beach Bike Week research tomorrow.)

May 18, 2005

Trend: Customers Increasingly Purchase Jewelry Away from Jewelry Stores

The number of jewelry-only stores has dropped by approximately 10% since 1997, according to the Jewelers' Board of Trade.

What's causing this decline? One reason is the easy availability and relatively low prices on jewelry at general-merchandise retailers such as Walmart. Another factor is the enormous popularity of the home shopping television networks, which make it easy for a customer to buy jewelry from her favorite armchair while dressed in her pajamas.

The rest of the reason for the decline in traditional jewelry stores is good news for home-based jewelry artists:

Shoppers are increasingly interested in

• non-traditional jewelry
• shopping online
• more personal buying experiences.

All of these customer desires are things jewelry artists are perfectly positioned to provide. So what can you do to benefit from this information?

1. Concentrate on creating beautiful, unique jewelry lines that your customers won't find elsewhere.
2. Build or beef up your jewelry business website, and make it easy for your customers to buy your jewelry online. See top jewelry website resources and jewelry business website tips to get your site on the fast track to success.
3. Think of personalized, innovative ways you can make jewelry shopping pleasant and easy for your customers.

May 17, 2005

Prevent Sterling Silver Tarnish - A Reader Tip

A great tip for preventing sterling silver tarnish is to store jewelry in an airtight container or ziplock bag along with a small piece of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil attracts the toxins that make silver tarnish.

Keeping jewelry away from light and air is also helpful in slowing down the tarnish process.

Tip from Angela of Grove Jewelry Design.

Reader Comment:

Thanks so much for this tip! It came in so handy yesterday.I was showing my pieces to a prospective boutique and she asked how to prevent silver from tarnishing. I quickly remembered what I had read here and told her and she was very impressed and very pleased so THANK YOU! You sealed the deal. My pieces are in her stores display case. I am now her one and only custom jewelery designer!

-From Kat.

May 16, 2005

Getting Your Jewelry Designs Featured in Magazines

In my Jewelry Business Success interview with Gretta van Someren, we discussed how one of her jewelry designs was featured in a recent issue Art Jewelry magazine.

Several readers wanted to know more about how to have their jewelry designs featured in magazines, so I highly recommend this excellent article by Faith Harper: Getting Your Jewelry Designs Published.

May 15, 2005

Jewelry Presentation - A Reader Tip

If I've learnt anything it is that presentation is everything. I've been amazed at how important the boxis to my customers. After all, they don't wear the box.

Do seek out really nice jewelry presentation boxes. They enhance your product and your reputation, plus the client's perception of you and their pride of ownership. It's really important.

Tip from Malcolm of Ampalian Direct Jewellery.

May 14, 2005

Creating Effective Signs for Your Jewelry Booth

Good signs can be an essential part of your jewelry booth. They're a great way to communicate important information that either you wouldn't just blurt out verbally as people walk up (I accept all major credit cards!) or you can't possibly say to every passerby (50% off this group of earrings today). Signs are an ideal way to communicate the name of your jewelry business and any pricing, product, or promotional information that's relevant.

As people pass your booth at the average art/craft show, you have something like three seconds to catch their attention and get them to stop in. A well designed sign can do just that.

What are the most important things you can do to ensure that your signs give your jewelry business an air of professionalism and quailty?

• Print them out from your computer - don't hand-letter them. It's so easy to whip up really stunning and effective signs with just a few minutes at the computer. Choose a font and color that complement your jewelry and your jewelry business literature. Please promise me you won't use construction paper and felt-tip markers. :o)
• Proofread signs carefully. Unfortunately, spelling and punctuation errors can really detract from a professional image. Also, do your signs communicate their messages clearly, and without vagueness or double meanings?
• Avoid having too many signs - or you'll look like a booth that sells signs.
• Each sign should communicate just one very clear and important message.
• Use only two (three at most) colors in each sign - and be sure the colors don't interfere with the readability of the sign. For a really professional look, have all signs in the same font and color scheme.
• Use as few words as possible on each sign. No one will read a book printed on a sign! :o)
• Put signs in self-standing photo frames to keep them protected and visible. You can have a lot of fun choosing frames that fit in well with your overall jewelry display.
• Don't place signs in front of any jewelry.

May 13, 2005

Earring Display Idea - A Reader Tip

Make an earring display quickly and easily:

Hot glue several thin (1/8) dowels horizontally across an empty, backless picture frame, approximately 3 to 4 inches apart. Then prop the frame either against a wall or upright with a frame backing.

Hang your earrings on the dowels for a great, chic, and cheap earring display!

You can also paint or stain the wood if desired.

Tip from Zevelyn of Zevelyn.com.

May 12, 2005

Jewelry Website Report

A reader named Kristin asked about a free service that could rate her jewelry website, including the items being sold.

She asked,

I just recently started my own website where I TRY to sell my handcrafted jewelry online. but although I do get a bit of traffic (not a lot) the people that do visit, don't buy from my site, although they seem to look around quite a bit. I just wanted to know if there was a free service that would rate my website as a whole, critique it and such....as well as the items being sold....if so, I would love to get a rating on the items and site if there is such a service.

- Kristin Weninger of Crazy Lace Design

My Answer:

Kristin, one place you can go to have the mechanics of your website checked for free is www.sitereportcard.com. You'll very quickly get a free rundown of any inaccuracies in your site's code, broken links, and other general workings of your site there. It's a good place to start.

As far as analyzing your products, I'm not aware of any such service - but perhaps some readers would be so kind as to visit your site and give you some feedback?

Rena

May 12, 2005

Using "Alt Tags" in Your Jewelry Website - A Reader Tip

I learned something new about making your website more visible to search engines... use alt tags on your photos.

Many search engines will use this information when crawling your site. For your logo, you should put the name of your company and a brief description of your site. For your product images, instead of the name of the design, describe it.

Also, most search engine spiders can't crawl image maps, so it is best to avoid them so that they can index your entire site.

I love the tips on your website - I've been a subscriber to your newsletter for nearly a year now, and have used many of your tips and articles to grow my business!

Thanks, Kim

Tips from Kim Budai of Isara Creations.

May 11, 2005

Jewelry Business Success News #22 just published

I've just published issue #22 of Jewelry Business Success News and sent it out to 4631 subscribers.

This issue contains Jewelry for Sentimental Occasions - a niche market, a tour of the British Crown Jewels and Queen Elizabeth's jewelry, and much more.

There are a lot of interesting features lined up for upcoming issues, so if you're not already signed up for it, you may want to subscribe now so you won't miss anything. :o)

May 10, 2005

Increase Your Jewelry Sales

How to Throw a Perfect Jewelry Sales Pitch -
Polish your jewelry sales pitch and learn some of the basic sales techniques used by top-producing jewelry sales people. Adapt them to your own jewelry business and watch your sales increase. By Vicky Therese Davis, A.J.P., of Indulgence Jewelry Corp.

May 10, 2005

Vintage Plastics

New article:

Vintage Plastics -
Vintage plastics such as bakelite, lucite, and celluloid are becoming increasingly valuable collectible items. Join guest author Sharon Lemell of Years After Ruby Lane shop in finding out the fascinating variety of jewelry and household items that were made from vintage plastics.

May 10, 2005

Jewelry Store Markups

We know that retail jewelry store markups tend to be high, and this new guest author article delves into the reasons for the markups. The importance of this article to jewelry artists is an understanding of how the major jewelry retailers price their items:

Understanding Jewelry Store Markups -
Why are jewelry store markups often several hundred percent? Guest author Eugenia Bivines of Wholesale Jewelry Connection explains offline and online jewelry store markups and discounts, and how to get the best deal when buying jewelry from a retailer. Use this information when pricing your own handcrafted jewelry.

May 19 2005

Jewelry Pricing Strategy: Finding Your Price Points

A reader named Sandra wrote in to ask about jewelry price points.

A price point is the ideal pricing for a product. It takes some testing to arrive at this figure for a particular piece, because it has to do with customer psychology. Here's how it works:

Say you have a bracelet line priced at $30. If you changed the price to $29, you might sell a lot more of those bracelets. If so, that would make $29 a price point for that style.

But let's say that instead of taking a dollar off, you increase the price by ten dollars, so now you're charging $40. In some cases a higher price might result in more sales - or at least, the same amount of sales. If that's the case, then $40 is a price point for that style.

To maximize your profits, you'll need to know the highest sellable price point to go for. And usually testing different prices is the only way to find the most ideal price point for your particular product in your specific market.

You don't want to charge less for that line of bracelets if your customers would be happy with paying more (assuming you could sell at least the same quantity of them at the higher price). Even if you sold slightly fewer bracelets, the increased price would drive up your overall profits.

So I'd say price point means the maximum profitable retail price for the item. And when pricing jewelry, don't forget that underpricing a piece can make customers think it's junky so they won't buy it - even though it's a better deal for them when the price is lower.

So sometimes going for a higher price can bring in more sales. It depends on the item, its perceived value, the demand for it, and the competition you have from others selling similar items.

And the only way to know for sure is by testing. Try different prices and track what happens.

Reader Comment:

As a Lapidary Artist I can concure with you that the higher price will sell more jewelry, lower prices do mean I make junk jewelry. Selling through Art Galleries for years has taught me that I can sell outright for the same higher prices that the galleries charge for. Also by listing on a fact sheet/brochure the galleries that your jewelry can be found in gives credance to your abilities as and Artist and people are willing to pay a much higher price for the jewelry. For instance if you will observe an Art Gallery will never sell a pair of earings for less than $25.00 on the lowest end of the spectrum, even though the earings may have cost only 1.00 to produce.

I urge people that do quality work to go into a nearby art gallery and look at the prices the sell their jewelry for and guage thier pricing on area trends.

You may find that you way underprice your creativity and design skills as a true Artist. This may well move you from the self imposed title of just a "Bead Stringer" to a True Artisan.

-From Charles.

May 08, 2005

Getting Your Jewelry Worn by Celebrities

In my recent Jewelry Business Success interview with Amy Peters, she mentioned one of the ways she has gotten her jewelry noticed and worn by celebrities:

I have had my work featured in several high profile gift bags for celebrity events, including the SAG awards gift bag, an Oscars post-show gift bag, and many high profile nonprofit events gift bags.

A few readers have asked for more info about getting their jewelry to celebrities, and how the gift bag thing works. I've found this article on getting products into celebrity gift bags that covers the topic in detail.

And Chris Franchetti, who is a great source of information on jewelry trends, has this insight into celebrity gift bags.

May 07, 2005

Designing an Effective Jewelry Display

Your jewelry display is always in competition with other retailers' offerings. At an art show, your customers have anywhere from a dozen to a few hundred other booths to see. Online, thousands of other jewelry websites are just a click of the Back button away. Everywhere you go, other businesses are competing for your customers' attention, loyalty, and dollars.

One of the best ways to capture and keep your potential customers' attention is with an effective jewelry display - which means your tables and booth for shows/parties, and your photos and website (or auctions) for online sales. Your visual presentation needs to tell people at a glance what kind of business you run (your products, your style, your market niche, your level of professionalism), and whether your products merit a closer look.

The most effective visual presentations are attractive, interesting, unique, and easily understood. That sounds like a no brainer, but it isn't always easy to accomplish when you're designing your own jewelry display. Consider these tips for an effective jewelry presentation:

• Start with a focal point. Give customers a primary element or piece of jewelry to notice first, and be sure it stands out from the rest of your display. One effective type of focal point is a really show-stopping piece of jewelry you've created. For tips on that, see my article How to Get Customers to Stop at Your Booth near the bottom of Jewelry Business Success News issue #13.
• Position your focal point item at approximately eye-level for your average customer. It won't be very effective if it's flat on your table. It has to be up where they can see from a distance so it can draw them to your booth.
• Decide how you want peoples' eyes to travel around your presentation. After their gaze leaves your focal point, what are the next most important places you want them to look? This is especially important in your jewelry website. Lead customers to what you want them to notice next.
• Plan your use of line and shape in your jewelry display and online. Do your pieces inspire angles, curves, or straight lines? What lines will make the best use of the amount of display space you have?
• Determine what type of visual balance gives your jewelry presentation the most impact. Symmetry lends a tranquil, classic sense. Asymmetry feels dynamic, and a bit on the wild side. Too much asymmetry tends to give people a feeling that something's wrong.
• How about the levels and shapes of the jewelry display elements themselves? Tall, thin necklace busts rising elegantly above lower displays can impart drama and high fashion. Earrings suspended from a triangular rack can set a mood of mystery. And in any display, grouping similar objects makes for good visual sense and style - and easy shopping.
• Good lighting is an extremely essential element in an effective jewelry presentation. You'll make the most sales when your pieces are sparklingly visible thanks to sufficiently bright, natural-colored lighting. Similarly, be sure your jewelry photos in your website or online auctions are bright, closeup, and clear.
  
• Most importantly, keep it simple. Don't let any of the elements take precedence over what you really want people to focus on - your jewelry. Remember the goals of an effective jewelry display are to attract attention to your jewelry, and make it easy for customers to find what they want.
• Experiment with setting up your jewelry display at home, testing different arrangements and elements till you find the presentation that has the right feel for your jewelry. Decide which angle most customers will see when they approach your display, and arrange for the maximum impact there. Now move back and check out your overall presentation from every angle to see if the look you're striving for is still effective from every viewpoint.

May 06, 2005

Tips for Getting into Juried Shows

Many of the best art and craft shows are juried. To get into a juried show, you'll have to jump through a few hoops - but if you make it into a good juried show, your sales can make it very worthwhile.

Usually when you apply to a juried show, you're asked to send slides or photos of your work (and sometimes shots of your booth too), an application, and other supporting materials. Then either the show's promoter or a panel known as a jury will examine all the applications and photos to decide which artists to accept to the show.

The intention of the jurying process is to maintain a certain level of quality for the show (for example, by eliminating the folks who sell cheap imports instead of handcrafts). It's also used as a way to screen out too many artists in the same category.

If big shows are in your future, check out Applying to Juried Shows.

May 05, 2005

Save money on jewelry displays and jewelry packaging

Jewelry displays are an important element in selling your work through shows and home parties. However, it can be hard to accumulate all the displays you need to set up a booth without spending a significant amount of money, especially when you're first starting out.

Here's a nifty article on how to make some of your own velvet jewelry displays. Making these can save you a bundle of money, and I think you could adapt Staci Allen's instructions in the article to make other types of displays too.

And although it may not be the first place you'd think of looking, you can also save money by shopping for jewelry displays on eBay. Browse carefully and be sure to check shipping charges, and you can find some super display deals there.

Also, if you're in need of jewelry packaging, you can find great deals on jewelry pouches and jewelry gift boxes on eBay too.

May 03, 2005

Jewelry Studio Pictures

Whether you think of it as your jewelry studio or not, every jewelry artist has some type of favored workspace. Here are some especially neat ones I've come across:

From Bernardine Fine Art Jewelry, you can follow the links on her My Jewelry Studio page for a tour of her to-die-for studio. And don't miss her fantastic array of jewelry while you're there.

The jewelry workspace of Robyn Harton. Robyn's entire site, Crystals and Jewelry, is an informative and fascinating place to keep returning to!

Connie Fox's jewelry studio tour - if this doesn't inspire you to buy some organizers and get your jewelry making supplies in order, nothing will! :o) She also has some great jewelry making tutorials while you're there.

The beadmaking studio of Amy Scherm Baldwin's Schermo Beads.

Scroll down to the bottom of the home page and click on tour the studio when you get to the jewelry studio of Jen Smith. The well-lit atmosphere is a lovely place to create her unique photo jewelry.

And if you haven't already visited the jewelry studio tour Gretta Van Someren generously included in my recent interview with her, it's definitely worth seeing. What great jewelry making workspaces she's developed for her Pizzazz Creations.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get serious about overhauling my own jewelry studio space after visiting the places designed by these artists!

May 02, 2005

Getting Jewelry Display Ideas for Shows and Parties

Are you looking for new, exciting jewelry display ideas for parties and shows? Here are some resources for inspiration:

• Spend time looking through jewelry and fashion catalogs. Especially notice little things like what colors of backgrounds they use for particular colors of products, what props they use, how their props are kept from distracting you from the product, and how the product is positioned or arranged in the display.
• Similarly, look through magazines. Study the above points, and also consider what attracts (or repels) you about each ad. How do the tone and style of the ad coordinate with the product's style and intended audience?
• Go to your local shopping mall and take a good look at jewelry store displays there. These businesses are masters at marketing jewelry, so you can be sure that whatever they are doing has proven successful for them. Then brainstorm ways you can put your own unique spin on some of their jewelry display ideas - how can you give your own display the feel of your unique jewelry style? That unique ambience is one of the elements that attracts people who love purchasing handcrafted jewelry from the artist.
• Research what kinds of jewelry displays are available from suppliers. Many jewelry supply catalogs have a section of displays, and the web is an excellent source for jewelry displays. Consider how much jewelry you'll be able to display on each piece, how bulky it will be to store at home between shows, and how awkward, fragile, or difficult it may be to transport to shows and parties. Can you leave it loaded with jewelry between shows to streamline your setup and takedown times?
• And when you've made a decision and are ready to order some jewelry displays, please do some thorough comparison shopping. I was amazed at how widely jewelry display prices can vary - one supplier might charge two or three times as much as another supplier for the very same display item. Also check on the suppliers' charge for shipping the displays to you; often the cheapest supplier secretly makes up for their low prices with big handling fees or inflated shipping charges. And of course, since jewelry displays tend to be bulky and possibly heavy, you will pay less shipping if you don't need to have them overnighted to you. Planning ahead here and ordering well before your next show can save you some huge dollars on shipping.

May 01, 2005

Silver Cloth - a do it yourself project to stop silver tarnish

From my jewelry buddy Laura, here's an incredibly cool tip for protecting your jewelry from tarnish.

Make your own custom display covers and jewelry tray covers using silver cloth (from Hancock Fabric's website, silver cloth fabric is described: Silvercloth is the exclusive tarnish preventing material that keeps silver and silver plated articles clean, bright, and shining between uses... without polishing! Made with 100% cotton material, the fabric is both unique and durable. Measuring 58/60 in width, the delicate fabric has multiple proposes. Silvercloth is easy to cut, sew, and glue in making your own custom storage pouches, pocketed rolls, and linings for drawers and cabinets. Please note that you do NOT wash this fabric.)

You don't even have to sew to create these cool tarnish-prevention covers. Laura suggests simply wrapping a length of silver cloth around earring racks or any other display that's already loaded with jewelry.

And you can cut pieces of it to fit over jewelry trays or anything else you keep jewelry in, as well as use it as a tarnish-preventing liner in the bottom of your jewelry display cases or stacking jewelry trays.

And how about in with your jewelry supplies and findings, to prevent them from tarnishing before you even use them?

You might even consider cutting silver cloth into small strips with pinking shears and including them as a nice freebie inside each boxed jewelry item you sell.

Reader Comment:

This is a great tip on using the silvercloth! If you are looking for the cloth, check your local fabric stores as well. I happened to find the cloth at a local JoAnn's fabric store for $5.99 a yard - much less then any of the online prices I found!

-From MaryEllen.

Return to current month's Jewelry Business Blog.

Return to all Jewelry Business Blog Archives.

Return to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips home page.