Issue #166

Welcome!

February 7, 2012

The Jewelry Blogging Success Guide is here!

In this new ebook, I reveal loads of ways you can get more customers, traffic, fans, and comments on your jewelry blog.

And if you don't know what to blog about, I also give you 260 jewelry blog post topic ideas - plus 123 blog post starters.

You even get my personal blogging checklists to make sure you cover all the bases.

I also share my guidelines for protecting your privacy while blogging.

So if one of your 2012 goals is to get your online jewelry business in gear, check out the Jewelry Blogging Success Guide.

Jewelry Challenge Wrap-up

Our second Jewelry Challenge, "Leftover Odds and Ends", has ended.

I'm so impressed with the incredible variety of unique jewelry everyone shared - each using up various bits and pieces of things.

And I especially love the stories that accompany them.

I deeply appreciate all of the participating artists for sharing your work with us, along with the story behind it.

I encourage everyone to see all the fabulous entries.

And sharpen your pliers - we'll start Jewelry Challenge 3 in a few weeks!

Rena Klingenberg,
publisher

Pass It On

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Quick Tip

Artist's Bio Postcards

People are always curious to know more about Ann Nolen's unique, hand-painted coin jewelry.

So she created artist bio postcards - with a compelling photo of her jewelry on the front, and a photo of herself plus commonly asked questions on the back.

These nifty postcards have brought her additional jewelry sales and opportunities.

See both sides of Ann's fabulous artist bio postcards in her article My Best Jewelry Marketing Tool.

Ann says, "I used to give a business card, but sometimes people would turn them down. People are always curious to know more about artists, and I have found they are always eager to take one of my postcards."

She also shares how she successfully displays these cards in her booth.

Thanks so much to Ann for generously sharing her lovely postcards and the great results she's had with them!

Please Link and Share - Thank You!

Near the bottom of every page on my websites is a box that says "Share This Page", which makes it easy for you to link to the pages you like, or share them around the Web.

Thank you - every link helps! :o)

New Jewelry Business Ideas

• Romance in a Tin!
  For special Valentine gift wrapping, Kim came up with this romantic idea.


• I'm Making Jewelry Again!!!
  Patti's excited to return to jewelry-making, after time away creating other art.


• Gift Wrap or Gift Box? Shipping Charges?
  Please share your tips for Caron, who's deciding on her packaging and wondering whether to offer free shipping.


• Daisy's Jewellery
  Daisy considers Etsy from both the buyer's and the seller's perspective.


• Custom Jewelry - the Perfect Fit
  Meet Alicia, a custom jeweler / customer service manager at a jewelry store.


• "Is That Not Bad Advertising?"
  Three examples of businesses inadvertently making a bad impression.

New Jewelry Display and Packaging Ideas

• Padded Frames Make Good Displays
  See Mechelle's beautiful way of framing her jewelry for display.


• CD Rack Reincarnated
  A fresh coat of painted turned this thrift-store CD rack into a tall earring display for Jackie's table.


• Earring Hanger
  Hudda came up with this interesting hanging rack for earrings.


• Economic Satin Bracelet Roll
  How Dixie created luxurious bracelet displays very cheaply.

New Jewelry Making Inspirations

• Wool Bangles
  How Elena created these eye-catching bracelets from leftover yarn, beads, buttons - and the inner roll from adhesive tape.


• Missing Bruce
  Natasha created this romantic necklace to feel closer to her husband when he's traveling.


• Dead Hard Drive Jewelry
  From geeky leftovers, Lady Mockingbird created these gorgeous pieces.


• Rainy Day Afternoon
  While the rain poured down outside, Lynda sat cozily creating these Valentine jewelry designs.


• Circles in Circles Pendant
  See Zoraida's Celtic-inspired design created from construction-site copper pieces.


• Destiny and Desire
  Cori designed this stunning mixed-media necklace using treasures including a handmade silk flower, wire bundled paper beads, buttons, orphaned beads, and sections of vintage chain.


• smART Jewelry
  See Grey Wolf's clever statuette of a lily that comes off the stem to be worn as a pendant.

New Highlights from
the Handmade Jewelry Gallery:

See many more wonderful new jewelry designs in the Handcrafted Jewelry Designers' Gallery! There are too many to list here - so these are just a few of the most unique new submissions:

• Recycled Laserwire Wrist Bands
  by Terrie


• A Link in Time Necklace
  by Sandra Howard


• Swirls of Gold Cuff
  by Sherry Odum


• Rag Rug Crocheted Cuff
  by Sylvie


• Bead Tray Metal Leftovers
  by Nancy


• Copper Basket Necklace
  by Zoraida


• Cleopatra's Blue Goddess Necklace
  by Meghann Lynch


• Helms Necklace
  by Carys


• Little Turtle Brooch
  by Sharon Butcher

Your Profitable Jewelry Business

Explore the Allure of
Long Fringe Necklaces

by Rena Klingenberg

Here's a fun and stylish way to give your necklaces the appearance of extra length:

Add an ultra-long fringe element.

Here are three examples I saw this week in a store window.

Note that all of these are fairly standard-length necklaces - probably between 20" to 24" (50 cm - 60 cm) long.

But each has a long, interesting "fringe" element that gives the appearance of a super-long necklace.

Necklace 1:

A seed bead necklace, with multiple strands around the neck that are drawn together with a focal element, and then allowed to cascade down as dramatically long fringe:

Necklace 2:

A faux pearl necklace, with two strands draped around the neck, knotted casually, and the ends left to hang down elegantly:

Necklace 3:

A simple chain necklace, with the "fringe" made up of long feathers and more chain:

I thought you might be inspired to play with this idea - possibly on some of your existing necklaces, or with new ones you design to take advantage of this cool trend!

Neat Jewelry Website

Our neat site today is The Art of Can Tabistry by Tiffany Hinnen.

I can't believe the fabulous, imaginative accessories Tiffany creates out of ordinary can tabs!

She gathers the metal pull-tabs that are on the top of soda cans, beer cans, soup cans, etc. - and creates wonderful steampunk and medieval "chain maille" with them.

Tiffany calls her art form "tabistry".

She's used this technique to make a variety of corsets, belly-dance accessories, hats, jewelry, purses, hair adornments - even footwear.

Some of her pieces include additional materials such as horseshoe nails and bottle caps.

If you'd like to give tabistry a try, Tiffany's patterns and tutorials are available in her Etsy shop.

How Can I Improve This Newsletter for You?

If you have suggestions, wishes, or feedback, please contact me to let me know, so I can keep making this newsletter a better resource for you.

I grant as many wishes as possible! (Although sometimes I'm a rather slow fairy godmother.) :o)

Thanks so much for your help, and thanks for reading!

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Copyright © 2003-2012, Rena Klingenberg
(or guest author named in article byline),
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