Limited Resources for My Jewelry Business

by Angela
(Columbus, Ohio, USA)

Angie's Store

A simple cross necklace.

Pearls and Shells.

As a stay at home mother, I thought it would be an excellent idea to start my own jewelry business.

I have been making jewelry since I was a teenager so this should be a breeze, right?

Well, not exactly. Since our family is surviving off of one income, I have not had as much funds to spend on my hobbies or new business.

As a result, I do not get the chance to make the jewelry that I want to make, I am left to use the materials and beads that are more readily available according to our budget.

I would like to get a chance to shine in my own unique way. In an affordable, yet extravagant way!

How do people overcome the financial pressure of this economy and still succeed with their own company, especially when they are just starting?

Angela

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Limited Resources for My Jewelry Business

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Cheap or free jewelry supply sources
by: Rena

Hi Angela,

Thanks for writing to ask about this! Your question prompted me to put up a new page full of tips for making jewelry on a limited budget:

Getting Cheap or Free Supplies for Making Jewelry.

An important point that I've emphasized on the page at the above link:

"As with most free things, you'll need to invest a bit of your time and cleverness instead of money to acquire a stash of free jewelry components and tools."

Why not give this a try -

Instead of starting out with a pre-conceived idea of the jewelry you'd like to make, think beyond standard jewelry making supplies when creating your jewelry lines.

What cheap / free / repurposed / found objects can you access and make jewelry from?

This is truly an opportunity for you to shine in a unique way - and to stretch your creativity and artistry as well.

And your resulting jewelry will almost certainly be quite different and much more artistic than what your customers see elsewhere.

On the page linked above, you'll also see a very inspiring example of "trash to treasure" jewelry, plus lots of ideas for free jewelry supply sources.

And if you're seeking ways to display your jewelry inexpensively, be sure to check out all the fabulous ideas and DIY projects shared over at Jewelry Display Ideas. Many of the displays shown there involve household items or found objects that are free or extremely cheap.

I hope this helps, Angela, and I wish you all the best!

Win jewelry supplies
by: Regina

Do you have a blog? If you don't, you should consider one. You can start one at no cost on popular blogging sites. Then join the community of beaders that share ideas, sales, techniques, etc. Almost every week there are free giveaways of very high quality beads, books and other supplies, that you can enter to win. This is a great way to join a circle of fellow beaders, make friends and win some free supplies as well.

Thank you both
by: Angela

Both of you have excellent ideas. I have been reading other articles on this site and doing some independent research to find more resources in my area. I do not have a blog yet, but have been giving it some heavy consideration. Do you know of any links to the community sites that I could join?

Thanks again,
Angela

forums
by: Amy

Hi Angela - I agree with the suggestion for a blog - it is free on many sites (like blogger), and a great way to start a web site. Also Etsy is a great site for handmade goods and the cost for listing items is only .20. A great beader's resource is the Beading Daily forums: http://www.beadingdaily.com/forums/

Good luck!
Amy

http://amybeads.blogspot.com

Limited Resources
by: A.O.

You can make your own beads. I made some necklaces from paper beads by using junk mail, newspapers, magazines, and get good complements on. Once you fancy them up, they don't look cheap at all.

Try alternative materials
by: Glenda Munguia

Experiment with feathers, leather, aluminum wire (I get mine from the hardware store). These materials are less expensive than gemstones, they need to be transformed by you into something beautiful, and usually result in unique and eye catching jewelry. Do not limit yourself to gemstones or beads. Seashells, nuts and wood can also be used in jewelry. Also, find a retail shop that caters to whole sale buyers. Sometimes their minimum is $100 though, but you can get really good deals with that. Several do not have minimums. Try to attend a gem and bead show if you have them in your city. Go on the last day (usually Sunday), when vendors have their best deals.

Just keep your eyes and mind open to new materials and perspective.

Glenda Munguia
http://web.me.com/glenda.munguia/bj/Home.html

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