Adventures in Handmade Jewelry

Recently I listened to a one of the Create & Thrive podcasts  that talks about procrastination and the excuses we have for it. They are legion, but fear is probably the biggest one. Fear of failure. Fear you won't be perfect. Fear of rejection or losing face. Fear of ridicule. Even someone who believes in her work and talent can fall into this trap. Ahem. So I got over myself. For literally years I have had a very good video camera in my possession. It isn't some fancy deal, it's just what my regular camera is capable of. I've been a photographer for more than 1/2 my life and you'd think I'd have jumped right into making videos, but I didn't. Or rather I did very sporadically. All my amazing vacations - Grand Teton , Big Sur , Argentina, Belgium, Netherlands , Oregon - very little or no video at all. All my time in the woods, on the water ... practically zilch. And I didn't do much with what I did shoot. Most of it is sitting on my hard drive...

No lines No hassle Just gorgeous handmade jewelry that will make your day a little nicer. Head over to shop now before your favorite goes home with someone else.

Welcome to part two! Recently I've begun working with my stylist, J, to sell jewelry in her brand new salon. In the last post I wrote about the more creative side of a venture like this; packaging, branding, whether to create an exclusive line or not and understanding the clientele of the business you want to work with. This time I'm going to cover the business end - Paperwork Pricing Inventory Your presence and online sales Papers, business papers Even if you've known each other for ages, be sure to get a wholesale or a consignment agreement in place before you place your products in the space. It should cover things like who is responsible for shipping inventory to them, what to do when things don’t sell, how you’ll be compensated for theft or breakage and of course, how much money each of you will get from each sale. Oh and sales! Can the retailer put your items on sale at a discount? If so how much, for how long, and who gives up the revenue? And how ...

Just looking at my newest batch of pendants makes me smile. I said I'd let my own style guide what I make and damn if this isn't dead on - Going from left to right there's a Swarovski crystal, a matte finish carnelian rondelle with gold beads, also wired in gold, a malachite bead wired in gold and a turquoise rondelle wired in brass with a little square bead on the front as a button to secure it. I wired it in brass just to see if the technique would work and I think it will. It adds a bit of a steampunk feel to the piece. And I LOVE the red leather cord. I knew when I found them that I'd pair them with turquoise. The malachite is on a sterling box chain, but I think it's a little too thick for the pendant so I'll swap it out for a smaller one the next time I put in an order. The carnelian is on some faux leather and the crystal is on some silk. All the frames are pure silver and are fused and shaped rings. So that's what I've been working on ...

Creating a jewelry line for beauty retail Recently I’ve started making jewelry to sell in a salon in town and it’s been a while since I’ve sold this way so I made myself a little checklist! Hope you find it useful, too. This post focuses more on the creative side of things - What I'll be creating How it will fit into the Wire Smith as a whole Branding in a retail space The next post will be about the business end, consignment agreements, inventory and pricing. Understand your client and her clients When J and I met she had a chair at another salon, but her personality was too big to hide and I got a really good sense of who she is. Now she has her own place that personality has room to spread out and I paid attention to exactly how she presents herself and why her clients love her. And, for that matter, why I do. We talked a bit about what she’d like and after listening to her suggestions I found some beads that are PERFECT. After I made a few items with those I...

Most jewelry artists are known for a specific look. Think David Yurman and you know there will be twisted sterling silver involved in every piece. Bankable and something customers come to depend on. But what about an artist just starting out? Should you stick to a particular look or design or should you branch out and have a wider field of possibilities? This is something I'm working through myself. In the early 2000s when I first started making jewelry, I followed the herd. Doing the easy stuff - the stuff I saw on other shop sites and at craft fairs. The problem is, I don't want to be known for stuff you can get at craft fairs. I don't buy or wear that kind of jewelry and making it doesn't appeal to me. So. I need to define my style and therefore my customer. In doing so, that means I can jettison some of the fussy/cutesy stuff that used to be in my line at first. Also, I can identify a particular type of jewelry that will help bolster that style to the cu...