Jewelry Business Blog
November 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!
November 30, 2005 Keep Your Hands Warm While You Work I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who are always cold. Maybe it's because I grew up in the desert (southern Arizona) and now live in a cooler climate. Anyway, my hands do get really cold, even indoors, and when I'm at my computer or making jewelry the cold in my hands seems to travel to the rest of my body and then I just get uncomfortably chilly through and through. So last year I came across a great solution for this: fingerless gloves. Actually they're more like fingertip-less gloves. They go nearly up to my elbows, so my lower arms stay warm, and they cover everything down to about the top half of my fingers and thumbs. Because my fingertips remain uncovered, I still have plenty of dexterity for jewelry making and typing (I'm wearing them right now, in fact!), but I stay a lot warmer since more of me is cozily covered. My mom (who, unlike me, sews wonderfully) even made me an extra pair of fingerless gloves in some of that ultrasoft, warm fleece fabric. And in case fingerless gloves sound like a silly-looking thing to wear, I've actually received compliments on mine when I've worn them in public! I think the person who admired them thought they were a sort of a cool punk accessory.
Anyway, try them and see how much warmer you feel! :o)
November 26, 2005
Jewelry Inspiration Tips - a new guest article Jewelry Inspiration
When you're in need of new jewelry inspirations, try exploring these resources to fill your creative reservoir with impressions of color, culture, nature, and other wonderful design-starters. A new article by Shelly Richardson of Nidia Sophia Jewelry.
November 25, 2005
Valuation Equipment - a new article Your Personal Valuation Equipment
Find out what valuation equipment and information you'll need to gather to conduct your own valuation appraisal of jewelry. Part 3 of guest author David Foard's mini-course, "How to Value Your Jewelry at Home or Work". A new article by David Foard F.G.A.A. of Online Jewelry Appraisal Center. I enjoy David's Australian sense of humor that appears now and then in his mini-course lessons. :o)
November 24, 2005
Thank You! :o) On this day of thanks, I want to thank all of my readers for taking the time to read my Home Jewelry Business Success Tips website, newsletter, and blog. I know your lives are filled with balancing jewelry, home, family, and other responsibilities - and I appreciate that you manage to fit my writings into your balancing act too. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving, great jewelry sales, and many blessings through the upcoming holidays! Reader Comment: Thank YOU for posting everything! I check your site several times a week and am always learning new things. What a great place for inspiration and ideas-- and such a friendly atmosphere!!! -From Alice.
November 23, 2005
Planning Ahead for Your Own Holidays when You're a Jewelry Artist Since November and December are two of the busiest months for jewelry artists, it's helpful if you can prepare for your own holidays ahead of time. Although I'm aware of this, somehow this year I haven't followed my own guidelines in this area! Several years ago, after my first good year of selling jewelry, I realized that the end of the year could be so much more enjoyable if you're not trying to do several shows, fill special orders, attend all kinds of holiday gatherings, and do your own shopping, Christmas cards, baking, etc. at the same time! So after that first year I tried to make a point of deciding what I did and didn't feel was important to do for my own holidays, and then finished most of the preparations by the beginning of November. I really enjoy everything so much more when I can take my time doing it, and when I'm not staying up till 2:00 a.m. signing Christmas cards and baking cookies! Here are a few of the things I've done by the beginning of November (in previous years!), to make our holidays less rushed and more fun: I got all of our Christmas cards completely ready to mail and sitting in a nicely finished stack, so I had only to drop them in the mailbox at the end of November. I did any of the holiday baking I could do ahead of time, and froze it till it was needed. You can do many cookie doughs and bread doughs this way. In fact, we discovered that it was great to mix up a huge batch of sugar cookie or gingerbread dough and freeze it in small packages. Then we could periodically thaw, roll out, cut, and bake a dozen or so cookies at a time - great for spur of the moment giving, or having a fresh holiday dessert to take to a party or serve at home! I made/bought all of the gifts I was going to give. I wrapped them all and boxed the out-of-town ones so they'd be completely ready to be dropped off at the post office or handed to our mail carrier at the end of November. (I do my own postage online, so I never have to stand in line at the post office for the postage part of mailing packages.) It's not my nature to be a super-organized person who does things well ahead of time (obviously, since I haven't done a thing yet this year!), but I found that it can make a HUGE difference in having your own stress-free, very enjoyable holidays. The other key to more enjoyable holidays is to scale down. The simplicity feels much more "real", and it allows everyone to actually experience and enjoy the season instead of spending the whole time working so hard to try to accomplish things. I decided many years ago that I couldn't spend my holidays trying to meet everyone else's expectations. I used to dread the holidays, and that was part of the reason. Now we discuss as a family what each of us would really like to do during the season, and focus on just those things. We're not obligated to anything more. We have each person responsible for making the holidays what he or she wants, and enjoy sharing these things together. If people outside of our immediate family expect or demand more, we can't be accountable for meeting their expectations - that's up to them. And if they get annoyed with us for that - well, they're missing what the season is all about. But anyway, I haven't done much ahead of time yet this year, so we will probably have an even simpler and more scaled-back holiday than usual. And I'm looking forward to it.
November 22, 2005
Pricing Your Handcrafted Jewelry - a reader tip Many of us have a great deal of difficulty pricing our beautiful creations. Everyone I speak with follows some kind of formula, and so do I for the most part. When I started selling my jewelry a few months ago, I had it in the back of my head that if I price things too high nobody will buy. I'm not the only one who has thought this! I do have pieces that are $10, $15 and so on. I also run specials - in the next 20 minutes purchase a necklace and recieve matching earrings for FREE! I have come to realise that pricing makes a huge difference and sometimes for the better. So here is my tip: If you have a design that people pick up a few times, then put it down and walk away, try doubling the price at your next show. I bet it SELLS! Also, if you have a product line that sells great, raise the price. Start with a few dollars, then ten, twenty etc. If people love a product and pay $60.00 for it, I bet they will pay $70 or even $80. See how far you can go and then back down. We as artisans need to see the value in our work. Our pieces are unique and take passion to create. If you price too low, others may believe there is no value in your product. People want handcrafted, unique jewelry designs, at least in my niche market, and will pay for them. Your time and effort are precious, and you should receive a great benefit from them! Tip from Kimberly of KJF Designs.
November 20, 2005
Make Gift-Giving Easier Here's another tip from the show we're doing this weekend. It's something I happened onto a few years ago, and it's a great win-win situation for everybody: Many visitors at this gallery show's opening-night gala came as couples but wound up browsing around individually. At least two of the women who came by our booth found jewelry they really wanted, but they didn't feel right buying things for themselves at this time of year. They were happy to have us set their personal jewelry choices aside for their husbands - and then, when the husbands came by, they were delighted to make a quick and easy purchase of exactly what their wives wanted. As a side note, in my experience with this technique, the guys NEVER even ask how much the item costs. They just really want to give their lady something she wants, and are very happy to know what it is! And again, complimentary gift packaging puts an even bigger smile on their faces! :o)
November 19, 2005
Report from a Gallery Show Last night my jewelry business partner Laura and I exhibited in the opening evening of a three-day gallery show. Customer purchasing trends we've noticed so far in this show: People seem to be a bit more budget-oriented this year, with under-$20 jewelry gift items selling best so far. Fortunately, we planned for this and have a big selection of nice jewelry gifts that are still very profitable to us in this price range. A high volume of these sales adds up quickly! Possibly because of the lower-priced purchases, we noticed an upswing in the number of people paying with cash and checks vs. credit cards. Our "twofer" deals are selling quite briskly (e.g., "buy one for $15, two for $28"). People are motivated to buy that second item to get the price break, especially at gift shopping time. These "twofers" do especially well when grouped nicely in a container such as a treasure chest, small basket, tray, etc. where people can rummage gently through them. Have a clearly written, attractive sign attached to the container stating the regular pricing and the price break. Earrings are our most popular pieces so far in this show. Lots of people are purchasing jewelry for pre-teen and teenage girls. As usual, customers are pleased and relieved when their purchases come in free gift packaging. It lightens their load to know that all they have to do is sign the tag and give the gift - one more thing they can cross off their list as being completed! It was nice to hear so many customers say, "This is great - I've just done a huge part of my Christmas shopping, and I didn't even have to go to the mall!" I've got to go and get ready for today's show now. Hope you all are doing well with your jewelry sales too! :o)
November 18, 2005
Selling Jewelry Supplies on eBay - a new article Selling Jewelry Supplies on eBay
If you've considered selling jewelry supplies on eBay or other auction sites, here's a collection of success secrets you won't want to miss. Learn how to create popular auction lots and build a loyal following of customers.
November 14, 2005
An Open House Jewelry Show with Less Stress Don't leave any of the housecleaning, display setting up, or other preparations to do on the day of the open house. Try to have absolutely everything done by the end of the day before, so on the day of your open house jewelry event you can conserve your energy for taking care of your customers and selling your jewelry! Although it's a lot of fun, it's also very tiring especially if you haven't done it before. You want to be able to sparkle and make the most of this opportunity you're creating for yourself!
November 13, 2005
A Holiday Jewelry Boutique in Your Home If you have a basement, guest room, second living room, or other space you could use for this, here's a way to expand your holiday jewelry sales. In my last house, we had a guest room which I usually set up in early October as a jewelry-shopping boutique. I left it set up through Christmas (except when I took it down to do shows elsewhere). When customers know you have a jewelry boutique set up, ready for them to stop in by appointment and make some purchases, they come to shop...especially the closer it gets to Christmas! You can email or call them to let them know you're "open" for holiday business by appointment. My customers were thrilled to purchase unique gifts without having to brave the crowded stores for them. They especially appreciated being able to arrange to stop by on their way to or from work.
November 12, 2005
Invite Customers to Shop Directly from You One thing that makes people who shop from your home or studio want to come back again is when you give them a very "non-shopping-mall" experience. Consider what people dislike about shopping at a mall for gifts, and then do the opposite for them. Have a relaxing, friendly, informal, unhurried atmosphere for them. A few cinnamon-scented candles and relaxing background music are wonderful. Leave your shoes off and invite them to take their shoes off too. Make sure everyone has a very warm and fuzzy, personalized shopping experience; they'll come back for your next open house/studio if they have a pleasant time and feel well cared-for. Let your unique personality shine through in every touch!
November 10, 2005
Start a Web-Based Jewelry Business - questions and answers In a comment at the end of the "How Do You Store Your Jewelry" survey, a reader named Angelica asked, "I am trying to start a web jewelry business. I am very lost and I really don't know where to begin. I have millions of questions, but I'll just ask the more important for me right now. I hope you can help clarify my ideas. How many pieces of a particular design should I have in stock? How many strands or pieces of material (beads, findings, etc...) should I buy? How do I register a web based business? Thank you very much in advance for any information or ideas you could give me." Hi Angelica, For your jewelry business website you can concentrate on one-of-a-kind pieces, or offer multiples of each design. It's really up to you, your jewelry style, and how you like to do things. One drawback to focusing on one-of-a-kind pieces for a jewelry website is that you have to spend time photographing, writing descriptions, and uploading the info for every single piece of jewelry you intend to sell. This can become time consuming if you have a lot of inventory. In contrast, if you offer multiples of your designs, a single session of photographing - writing descriptions - uploading the info to your site can cover many pieces. It really depends on whether you prefer to make more than one of an item, and whether you mind spending time photographing and adding products to your site. Regarding the quantities of supplies to buy - if you're just beginning, it's a good idea to test the market before gearing up to make a lot of one design. Perhaps buy a variety of supplies and try offering various designs - evolving them as you go along, until you hit on some really popular pieces. Then you can consider buying supplies in volume to make multiples of your most successful pieces. In a previous post I said, "Although you may or may not make a lot of sales while your jewelry business is in its beginning stages, your goal should be to learn everything you can about your market - what your potential customers are looking for (in both jewelry styles and price points), and what kind of shows are most successful for you. Keep track of what sells well, what people are interested in, what they ask for, who they buy for, and how much they're willing to spend. To make the most jewelry sales, you'll need to be aware of what your market demands - and to be on the lookout for styles that can become profitable "bread-and-butter" items for you." And "I recommend having a variety of pieces in a variety of price ranges to test your market. Be sure the mid-priced and higher-priced pieces represent some of your best work. Don't forget to include a selection of under-$20 jewelry items that would make nice gifts, and under-$5 items that make great impulse purchases. Although selling these lower-priced items may not be the reason you started your jewelry business, they can turn out to be profitable hot sellers and a welcome addition to the rest of your line. "While you're testing your market, you may not want to make too many pieces of any particular design until you find out what sells well for you." For how to start your web-based jewelry business, I have a section of articles on Jewelry Business Website Tips that should help you - there you'll find about 20 articles covering different topics related to building jewelry websites. And in that section, be sure to read Candy Loya's extremely insightful article, What Turns Me Away from a Jewelry Website. I hope these ideas help you, Angelica, and I wish you the best of luck! Rena
November 09, 2005
Using Patinas - a reader tip Add value to your work by using patinas, or changing the color of the metal. Use any type of ammonia to turn jewelry metals green, blue and teal. Or you can use liver of sulphur (pretty smelly, like rotten eggs) to turn metals black! Very neat and inexpensive! Tip from Brian of BT Dezigns Jewelry and Metalworking and Brian Thomas Metalworking. A note from Rena:
You can also oxidize sterling silver by enclosing it in a baggie with a peeled boiled egg.
November 07, 2005
Displaying Earrings Inexpensively - a reader tip Here's an economical tip for displaying earrings... Go to the floral department of your craft store. There are easels used for floral display which are cheaper than an art easel. Next, wire a piece of foam core to the easel, and staple fabric to the back of the foam core. This project costs less than $10,and can be used over and over again. The earrings are easy to display (simply stick in the foam), and easy for your customers to remove and replace. This project also is good for brooches and necklaces. Tip from Ursula of URB'n Charm.
November 06, 2005
Jewelry Photos on an iPod - a reader tip Have an iPod that can hold photos? Put photos of your jewelry on it! This is a compact way to carry examples of your work without having to lug around a portion of your inventory. You can also use this in addition to the inventory to carry on you to show a larger variety of your work. When you hand someone your business card, you can show them some of your work (and perhaps even end up with a custom order on the spot). Tip from Melissa of Sabre's Squirrel.
November 03, 2005
Jewelry Website Text Tip - a reader tip Concerned about spelling and puncuation on your website? Draft your copy in Word and use the spellchecker, then read over it to pick up anything spellcheck might have missed. Then simply copy and paste. Tip from Melissa of Sabre's Squirrel.
November 02, 2005
Designing Jewelry - Lessons Learned (a new article) Lessons Learned in the World of Designing Jewelry
A fascinating account of Charli Knight's experiences in the professional world of designing jewelry - where secrecy, possessiveness, and design piracy exist alongside creative beauty, craftsmanship and vision. A new article by Charli Knight of PassionFlower Designs. Return to current month's Jewelry Business Blog. Return to all Jewelry Business Blog Archives. Return to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips home page.
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