Materials Education Series

One thing I noticed when it comes to handmade jewelry is a suspicion on the part of the buyer that they may not be getting the real deal when it comes to what the piece is made of. Granted, not every jewelry lover is a gemologist or metallurgist and so a lot of trust goes into the relationship. Is it really sterling silver? Is it really turquoise/jade/lapis/insert gem here? How come this lampwork glass piece costs so much more than others? Gold filled? What the heck is gold filled? It's crazy and sometimes confusing. Especially online where terminology is flung about sometimes arbitrarily and a prospective customer cannot handle the merchandise before buying. Accuracy is key, but what if the shopper doesn't understand the terms you use? Frustrating on both sides.

So in order to shed some light here I've started a blog series on my 1000 Markets Site that will go into detail regarding many of the materials and terms used in handmade jewelry making. I'm going to focus mainly on what I use in my work, but of course those things are not confined to me alone. Hopefully this helps with understanding between artist and customer.

First article - Argentium Sterling Silver

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A little post about branding

Branding is important. Having a consistent look and feel to your work, your identity as an artist and in how you present your work is part of having your own business. It can be a little tough, but once you've got your logo and colors and associated motifs, that's enough, right?

Maybe.

Lately I've been trying to develop a routine with my business - to do at least one thing a day to promote or create or interact with other people in craft or home businesses.

The other day I decided to work on packaging since what I had was running low and I wanted something more distinctive. That led me down a tangent, let me tell you! Part of what I need are stickers and while looking at my current logo documents, I did a bit of a refresh. Nothing too drastic, but definitely an improvement. Check it out!

became

It's subtle, but I think it's important and I didn't catch it in my first go-round with logo design. A professional probably would have, but 'what do you want for n…

What is good design?

People have been asking this since...I don't know...forever?

And it isn't a universally accepted standard, but I'd like to post about things I love and designs I admire. So because I'm a reader and it's the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I'll begin with SP Books' inspired cover of her original manuscript -

I think it's brilliant because it's understated. It's restrained. Many Frankenstein covers are garish and shocking, but this one is subtle and subtly painful.
Sutures.
Just that. ~~~ shivery! ~~~

Sunday Showcase ~ early spring

Partly a sneak-peek at what will be in the shop, partly a wrap-up of what's already there, I'm pleased to bring you a little Spring Collection showcase!

It's a little hard to do with an Etsy shop, so I set up this curated selection to show how beautifully coordinated these pieces are. Plus I had a lot of fun setting things up in my travel jewelry case. Don't you just want to take them all home??!! Very hard for me not to just keep everything.

That's totally my fault though. I don't make jewelry I wouldn't wear myself, or, for that matter, wear with my "good jewelry". Handmade doesn't have to be cheap or tacky and we all know that when we see it. My work is different if I do say so myself. Yes, as the name states, I use wire, but I work hard to produce high quality pieces with designs that stand out and wear well. I'm too darn picky to do it any other way.

Lots of pearls up there, and kyanite, amethyst, garnet, citrine and some luminous Czec…

Adventures in Handmade Jewelry

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