Gemstones for Men

Bracelets, including gem-set and gemstone beads, are growing in popularity as fast or faster than rings. Photo courtesy Eli Halili Jewelry.

Bracelets, including gem-set and gemstone beads, are growing in popularity as fast or faster than rings. Photo courtesy Eli Halili Jewelry.

For the last five to seven years, trade press and jewelry bloggers have commented on the growing demand for men’s jewelry. While a good part of this growth has been due to an increasing number of men’s wedding ring purchases, men’s fashion rings have also seen a bounce. Bracelets, too, are in great demand. “If men are not buying a wedding ring,” says Israeli-born New York designer Eli Halili, “they’re buying a bracelet.”  Bracelets are also prevalent in the offerings of designers such as William Henry, and the world-renowned David Yurman. Continue reading

Quote for Monday, September 14, 2015

Aside

“In alchemy, the Latin word labor is used to describe the procedures, methods and techniques—the daily struggle with materials. Also in Latin, ora means prayer, and the alchemists never tired of point out that labor and ora spell laboratory. As in the artist’s studio, so in the alchemist’s laboratory: both of them mingle labor and ora.”

James Elkins, What Painting Is

Retailing Your Jewelry: Sell It Online

Selling your production jewelry line at retail art and craft shows is a great way to meet your customers, get valuable feedback on your designs, and get a shot of energy from the people who love your pieces. But if the thought of selling face-to-face freezes your blood, and you still aren’t ready to produce the volume you might need to wholesale your line, you’re in luck. You can sell your work through your own website or through an online marketplace—or both.

Your website is like having your own retail shop, only it’s open 24/7. It’s all about you and your story. It’s where you can focus and individualize your brand through the use of layout, colors, fonts, and the information you provide. You can express your personality through the voice you use when writing your bio and your artist statement. (Yes, you’ll have to have them both. You can write your own, or work with a professional to create them.) You can blog, have a newsletter to stay in contact with customers, and link to other artists. Your website is your world.

And because it is your world, you have to be conscious of how you present yourself—and your work. The site should be professional looking. All the links should work correctly, and allow your visitors to navigate your site easily from one piece to another. People should be able to buy and pay for your work quickly. A contact form gives them the opportunity to ask questions. (Always respond promptly, of course.)

Professional-level photos are non-negotiable. Your buyers can’t actually hold your jewelry, so your photos must give them the best experience possible. Learn how to take high-quality photos or hire someone who can do it right. Include multiple views. And always include a description that includes any or all of the following information: metal and stone types, sizes, weights, manufacturing techniques, and story. (If you’re a whiz at CAD, and are selling from a virtual store, you won’t, of course, need photos. But the quality will still have to be high, and it will help if customers can rotate the image to see it from various directions.)

You can set up your own up website using online website builders such as Squarespace or WordPress, or you can hire a professional website designer. Either way, be sure all elements of your website are consistent in presenting your brand.

You can avoid the development of your own website by selling through an online marketplace, such as Etsy or Artfire. These are more like selling in a mall. Your work is presented with others at random. Buyers can skim through images quickly and comparison shop for design and price. “Shops” are much less individual and there is less opportunity to impress your brand on them. But they’re usually pretty easy to set up and maintain. You’ll save the costs and time associated with creating your own website, but marketplaces usually charge commissions or membership fees for your shop.

Marketplaces usually provide a way for potential buyers to contact you directly or to jump to your website. They can be a good place to reach a broad audience, especially when you’re just starting out. You can discover if your work is selling, how it compares to other, similar work, and who’s buying.

And you won’t have to talk to people directly.

 

Are Retail Shows Right for You?

Tropical Bracelets by 2 Roses. Polymer clay. Photo John Lemieux Rose.

Tropical Bracelets by 2 Roses. Polymer clay. Photo John Lemieux Rose.

Selling your production jewelry at a retail show seems to be a “no-brainer”—you have work you want to sell and that’s where there are a lot of customers. But not everyone is cut out for retailing and not every show is “your” show. There are some things you should consider.

First, do you enjoy talking to people about your work? Are you energized by selling directly to a wearer? If you’re terminally shy, selling to the public might not be for you. (Though if you just hate “selling” you can look at last week’s post on some tips to make it less painful.) If you really can’t bear to talk to people, but retail sales seem like the best outlet, consider online sales. (You will still have to communicate with people—and this time via writing, which is even worse for some people than talking.) There’s always the option of hiring friend—or trading for jewelry—to work the show for you. However, most buyers at an art show want to talk to the maker. Otherwise, they can go to a gallery.

Second, is this your show? Always visit the show you want to enter before you lay down your entry fee. Look around. Who are the attendees? What’s their demographic as far as age, lifestyle, earning potential goes? Does your work fit with the products being sold in terms of price, style, materials? What is the environment like in terms of lighting, space, parking, security? Do sales appear to be good or are there more lookers than buyers? Can you determine why?

Third, how far away is the show and how will you get yourself, your booth, and your work there? Airfare, shipping, hotels can quickly add to the cost of a show. John and Corliss Rose, of Two Roses in Anaheim, California, only attend local shows in order to keep costs down. If you must attend distant shows, for whatever reason, you may want to limit the number of such shows you do a year. Or, if you like the gypsy life, outfit an RV with a shop so you can travel and work on the road.

ColorPop Bangles, by 2Roses. Polymer clay. Photo John Lemieux Rose.

ColorPop Bangles, by 2Roses. Polymer clay. Photo John Lemieux Rose.

Fourth, what are the costs? What is the potential return in sales or in marketing information? Do these outweigh the financial costs as well as the time lost in the studio?

Fifth, do you need the feedback you can only get from real customers? Are you introducing a new line or design? Are you trying to break into a new market or a new demographic, are you using a new material? Going into a retail show and meeting customer face to face is often the only way you can find out if you’re on the right track. The Roses, who sell primarily wholesale, always participate in a few retails shows a year, just so they can get exactly this kind of invaluable information.

You may have to experiment a bit at the beginning—or any time you make a change in your product—in order to find out whether or not the “show fits.”

Selling at Art Shows: Treat or Torture?

"River Pebbles." Sterling and 18k gold, with blue sapphire and Tsavorite garnet. Photo courtesy Deb Carus, <a href="http://www.elentari-handverk.com/">Elentari Handverk</a>.

“River Pebbles.” Sterling and 18k gold, with blue sapphire and Tsavorite garnet. Photo courtesy Deb Carus, Elentari Handverk.

If you attend art and craft shows—and if you make artisan jewelry, you probably have—you know they can be a lot of fun. At a good show, there are lot of interesting pieces—not only jewelry, but sculpture, painting, fibers, woodwork. There’s lots of potential for inspiration.

But for a retail show to be successful for someone holding down a booth at one, the artist has to be willing to engage potential customers. Many artists enjoy the chance to “chat up” their work to potential buyers. They are, after all, enthusiastic about the pieces they make. (Aren’t you?) Continue reading

Shapes: On the Edge

Because shapes inhabit finite areas, they have edges. Edges are always active places, where the material, color, dimension/thickness, elevation or texture changes. At edges things can dissolve, penetrate, escape and enter each other—think about cells. They can dive under or soar above each other.

Edges slice, border, enclose, separate, divide, surround, protect. If interior shapes pierce other interior shapes or the borders of the piece, they may be interpreted as either having a lack of control or making a bid for freedom.

"Second Blossom." Betty Helen Longhi. 18k/ss bi-metal, sterling, niobium, stick pearl. Photo Michael Cunningham. Photo courtesy of the artist.

“Second Blossom.” Betty Helen Longhi. 18k/ss bi-metal, sterling, niobium, stick pearl. Photo Michael Cunningham. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Edges are where things can change from solid to insubstantial or back—and usually suddenly. (We use the term “on edge” when we’re tense or irritable. Or “edgy” when something is new, pushing the envelope, pushing the edge.) As a result, edges can be exciting or terrifying. Stand on the edge of Grand Canyon and depending on how you feel about heights or space, you’ll see what I mean.

As we’ve already seen, edges are not seen alone but in context with other shapes. If a transparent or translucent shape overlaps another shape, it can alter the color or the apparent texture of the shape below it. That area of overlapping creates yet another shape, one with its own edges. It’s like looking into a hall of mirrors.

The quality of its edge says something about a shape. Edges may be blurred, sharp, soft, rough—do you want to approach or back away? Torn, ragged edges say something different from smooth, worked edges—is it old, worn, experienced or new? Edges stop the eye or, if permeable or fuzzy, let the viewer’s eye roam past.

The way shapes interact at their edges can carry meaning. Look at Betty Helen Longhi’s brooch, “Second Blossom.” There is a small change at the edge between the sterling and the gold–some change of dimension, some in color. But there is a much more pronounced change between the gold and the purple anodized niobium. The darkness of the color exaggerates the edge and the apparent depth of the “drop off.” But from that difference in edge springs a pearl–symbolic of new growth. 

One of the most important shape edges in jewelry is the border of the piece, the place where the jewelry meets the air, clothing, or body. These edges are usually sharp and definite, framing the piece so that everything inside the edge becomes the subject when seen in the larger context of the body’s background. Edges determine where your piece ends, how large it will be.

So what’s your edge?

 

Retail Venues: Think Small and Special

 

Crowds browse at a Comic Con. Photo courtesy Devon Monk.

Crowds browse at a Comic Con. Photo courtesy Devon Monk.

Are you intimidated by trying to break into the same shows, the same online marketplaces that every other craft jewelry maker is trying to get into?

Without a doubt, there’s a lot of noise out there to cut through. But with a little creative thinking, you might find a venue open to craft jewelry makers that you could make your own. This is where knowing your story and knowing why people choose your work can be invaluable.

What do you love besides making jewelry? Can you tie that love to your jewelry? Do you love vintage clothing or Civil War reenactment? Are you passionate about wild animals, cats, dogs, horses, gerbils, chamelons? Are you a science fiction fan, a steam punk buff, devotee of the Zombie Apocalypse? Do you spend your non-jewelry-making time haunting knitting or quilting stores?

Darth Vader maneuvers though traffic. Who knew he was Scottish? Photo courtesy Devon Monk.

Darth Vader maneuvers though the Seattle traffic at the Emerald City Comic Con. Who knew he was Scottish? Photo courtesy Devon Monk.

Almost all special interest groups have their own websites, conferences, conventions, shows—and lots and lots of fans. Many of them would be open to you setting up a link or booth to share your work. You already know what makes these fans tick (you are one yourself). You speak the language, understand the concerns, and are familiar with the special niches within these groups. You know what colors, shapes, textures, images are popular among fellow fans.

How can you connect to your fellow fans through your jewelry? What can you give them that will allow them to show their enthusiasm for the interest you share?

If you can marry your jewelry making skills to another special interest of yours, you may never need to look at a mainstream art or craft show. Just one caveat: this is not something you can fake. Your audience will know. (Wouldn’t you?) It has to come from your heart.