Changing Directions in your Jewelry Making

If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be spending my retirement making jewelry, and not playing golf...I would have told them that they were nuts. I'm the one who was wrong though - two years of shingles totally ended the golf game that was already waning in interest for me even though I was a single digit handicapper.  The jewelry appeared by chance.  I am probably the only artisan who got started because she needed to have cataract surgery.  After the healing, I needed to wear reading glasses, something I'd never done before.  I wanted some eye glass leashes and there were none that I liked - so I remembered a small bead store close by, figured "how tough can this be" and got there, bought some stones and tools and off  I  went.  Before I even got home the thought of what cute earrings I could make with my purchases were floating through my head.  I made my leashes and I made a few earrings...by the way, if you're ever looking for eye glass leashes, I think I have cornered the market on them...somewhere around here, is a basket filled with about 75 leashes...I wish that I could learn to bring some moderation to my life.

I did have some motivation here - I had badly wanted to take a jewelry making course in college, but I was a chemistry major with a minor in math, and I could never fit the 2 prerequisite art classes in my hectic schedule filled with labs.  That whole thing sank way back in my mind as I went about my life.  Always did crafty things...was an avid knitter and was a fairly good tole painter. But those and all the other things that I dabbled in, never sucked up my life that way that jewelry has...I would do it 24/7 if I could.

I started out using good stones and precious metals.  During my first trip to Tucson for the Gem and Bead Extravagancia held there every year, I got seduced by the beauty and versatility of  Tibetan pendants and started incorporating them into my jewelry.  Did very well with those necklaces for a long time and then I walked into two of my best boutiques and there were necklaces that looked exactly like mine,  down to some of the same pendants, but they weren't mine.  I know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but don't try  to sell them in the same store where you stole the idea...that approaches tacky!! !

At about this same time, the bottom fell out of the economy here...I sold absolutely nothing for almost 3 months and knew that I could continue the way I had been going,go broke, or I could try some new things.  I didn't have allot to invest, because I hadn't sold anything,  but this is where I discovered resin - colorful and cheap...is there a better combination???? I also found annealed steel wire, which you can buy in the hardware store for next to nothing.  Unfortunately, I also discovered Swarovski crystals at this time - which are also colorful, but not cheap - but I loved the combination with the steel and the resin - they dress the resin up and they do incredible things for the steel wire.

To me, these are not just attractive pieces of jewelry but they are fun, colorful and unique.  The Swarovski makes all four of these special and different, they're combinations that aren't often seen.  The resin pieces have been selling like hot cakes and they have a great price point, people are buying and often buying more than one piece at a time.  The annealed steel does not have as good a track record, because most of my shop owners don't like it, so they don't carry it, but the one that does has sold a few pieces and I love the medium so much I will keep plugging away with it. Either way, these are vastly different from the tradition stone, or pearl and precious metal that I was doing.  I am using plated silver or gunmetal to finish these , so that also helps keep the costs down.

In my first jewelry life, I made beautiful, expensive jewelry and I did truly love what I made but,  I knew with the economic climate here that not only did I need to change what I made, I needed to lower my price point.  The boutiques that carry my jewelry are VERY high end, and they were having problems selling their clothing and jewelry wasn't moving at all.  These well to do women had the  real thing jewelry wise, and they weren't about to spend their dwindling allowances for  high priced bling.   I changed directions for a number of reasons, mostly because I wasn't selling and I was being copied, but also I needed to get the attention of these women again. I am really excited about where my journey has taken me.  I think that change is good for all of us and helps us to grow...I hate to admit it, but I usually fight any kind of change...but not this time and it has really paid off for me and my Artfire shop

RESINation Revisited or Fun Resin Jewelry

I did a blog several weeks ago called "Do These Resinate with You" that was about my new resin earrings and I related how I had made these because of the demographics of one shop that my jewelry is in.  I was trying for a lower price point, but still with allot of pizazz...and I felt like I got what I was attempting.

So now I have to complete that story.  I had several earrings remaining from the first batch that I made and decided to take them out to my "high end" shops just before Christmas.  I had 11 pairs.  I figured that nothing was selling, so why not try something that I would never have thought would fit these shops.  The first shop that I went to wanted all eleven and I asked her to give me the pair that she like least so I had something tangible to show to my other shop owners.  The other owner that I was able to see, went bonkers...she loved them and wanted lots.  I got them to her just before Christmas.

Meanwhile, I am reordering stock like crazy, even did a rush shipment...something I've never done before and I decided to try some necklaces, too.  I took the necklaces out last Friday, intending to visit my 5 most active shops and I never got past the first one, the one who went bonkers with the earrings.  She not only took 95% of the earrings that I had with me, but she took 19 of 21 necklaces.  She kept saying that these are going to sell and sell fast!  She has added the necklaces to her website and is now in L.A. on a buying trip and says she is going to find a rep for me for the west coast.  I had to come home and reorder again, because I needed necklaces for my other shops.

I am starting my fourth full year as a business, the first 8 months last year were record breaking for me. I envisioned not only a huge leap in sales, but also profits...and then Sept hit. My best shop sold one pair of earrings from mid September til December...not one other piece of jewelry.  She had sold exceptionally well during the summer, when nothing sells in Phoenix...but it's hard for a small business to absorb no sales for almost 3 months...needless to say, I am not breaking any records this year...but these resin pieces may resurrect me.  I have sold allot of earrings in the last several weeks and now the necklaces are out and ready to go...I'm working harder with this much lower price point, but profits are profits whether you get there with one $250.00 or five $50.00 checks. So I have my fingers crossed that clients will like these as much as my shop owners have. The funny part of this whole thing is - the shop that I orginally made these for - the beads I never would have ordered if this owner hadn't given me a go ahead - she has not sold one pair.  Boy, life sure is a crap shot isn't it????

Here are pictures of some of these necklaces and they are available in my shop

Soooooooooooooo - whaddya think - kinda fun aren't they????Have a great day, all...til next time

Resin Jewelry and Do These RESINate With You???

I am a jewelry artisan.  I love to make jewelry and I use pricey stones, pearls and metals to achieve my goals.  Because of the time, effort and the cost of my materials, I am very serious about what I make.  I spend allot of time planning my piece and putting it together exactly right....But once in a while we have to jump out of our rut - and I did that today, and boy, did I have fun! ! !

My jewelry is in a marvelous little boutique in the artisan section of Phoenix, called Made Art Boutique, and it is certainly worth your while to do some browsing there if you are in the area of Roosevelt and 7th.  This shop is very different from most of the boutiques that I am in and the demographics especially are quite different from my other shops.  They have many college students and people with limited pocketbooks shopping there, but the owner likes my work and I like her shop - so we work at finding the right things at the right price for her.

I found these great pieces of resin at one of the web stores that I buy from and the owner of Made liked them as much as I did...so I ordered them and today I created earrings...all for $40.00 or less.  I am very excited about them and think that they came our great.  Some have Swarovski crystals and all of them have silver filled ear wires so I didn't cut too many corners.  The majority of them are 3 to 4 inches long so they really make a statement and if I could wear earrings that are that long, I would wear them in a heartbeat.

I must admit - I had allot of fun today.  It's fun to do something different.  It's fun to work with bright colors.  It's fun to do things that I consider retro, like the pink and black that I used allot of.

It was also fun to use a material, resin, that I hardly ever use - it's light, very reasonably priced and takes great colors and I will definitely be using it again...It would be a great way to cut the weight on a heavy stone necklace.  I'd also like to try a really long necklace in resin because it would not be too heavy - but that's for another day and another blog.

I do not have these earrings in my Artfire shop, but I do have the materials to make them.  If anyone is interested in purchasing them...please go to my shop and contact me.  I will send more pictures of the ones that you are interested in and the cost. Here's a few more of today's creations...and remember, to keep yourself and your creative muse fresh...try something utterly different once in a while.

Edited to add - Have no idea why that one image is so large and even less of an idea of how to correct it - please see other blogs about my techno-tardness