Share Great Jewelry Business Related Resources Here
Do you know of a great jewelry business resource? I would like to compile the best resource list on the web with your help. Add a great resource in the comments. Note: All comments are moderated. No personal advertising please.
Resources are organized into these categories: Books, Business Advice, Communities, Display, Legal, Packaging, Podcasts/Audio, Supplies, Tools, Tutorials
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Make 3 times the Average Artisan Income and 10 times the Sales Revenue by Outsourcing?
Did you know that arts and crafts businesses with employees make, on average, three times the income of solo artisans who do everything themselves?
The Craft Organization Directors Association (CODA) did the first major craft economic impact survey in 2001, and they found that, “Craftspeople that have paid employees have three times the household income and ten times the sales/revenue of those that work alone.”
Unfortunately there has not been a follow up study since then, but I bet the results would still hold true in terms of who makes more.
What does this mean to you and me? Paying people to do the tasks that you don’t excel at and/ or don’t enjoy doing can actually make you more money.
What is outsourcing? Outsourcing is essentially hiring someone to do work for you, but without the headaches of becoming an actual employer that has to pay benefits, collect income taxes to submit to the government, or any of the other headaches associated with having employees. The work is done by a person who is essentially considered a service provider. They bill you, and you pay the invoice. They are responsible for paying their own income taxes, reporting income, etc. The cost you pay would simply be a business expense, just like paying a lawyer or accountant.
How do you make more money by paying someone? Think about it. If you were free from the tedium of bookkeeping or production work for example, you could free up your time for revenue generating tasks like marketing, sales calls, designing new jewelry lines, meeting with clients, etc.
I know the first thing you are probably thinking is that you can’t afford it, you don’t want to spend time managing other people, you could do it better, or you don’t want to train people. That’s how i feel too, but I’m still intrigued. Read more…
How do I Price my Handmade Jewelry?
By Christine Gierer
Pricing handmade jewelry seems to one topic that jewelry artists never agree on. There are lots of different viewpoints and philosophies. This article will discuss some of the things to think about as you consider how to price your jewelry, and some of the common pricing models that jewelry designers use.
Keep in mind that you do much more than make jewelry as a business owner. In order to cover costs and overhead it is essential to charge more than your hourly rate + material costs, or keep your hourly rate on the high side (i.e. $18/ hour is much more realistic than $10/ hour) if you want your business to be profitable.
- One mistake that new jewelry designers often make is to price their work too low. Don’t compete with imports on pricing! Your quality is better, and you can never compete with those that make $2 a day. Instead, position yourself as the high quality artisan that you are, and command reasonable prices.
- As a newcomer, you can start lower if you would like, and move your pricing up as you become more well-known.
- Lower pricing also can work against you because it cheapens the perceived value of your work. People tend to think that you get what you pay for, so if you charge too low, people tend to think you make garbage. Read more…
How to Oxidize Silver and Copper Jewelry with Liver of Sulphur
Look at the color of that silver! Blackened to perfection. I neglected to take a picture of the before, but everyone knows what shiny white silver looks like right?
I am a bit of a jewelry magazine junkie so I know that wire wrapping has been a popular topic in the past couple of years. You have probably admired gorgeous patinated jewelry and wondered how that’s done. Well read on and I’ll tell you how I blacken silver and copper.
Liver of Sulphur is a chemical you can buy from a jewelry supply vendor (I get mine from Lacy and Co. in Canada). It’s a little stinky, like rotten eggs so make sure you use it in a well ventilated area.
When you open the jar, you will see sharp lumpy rocklike chunks. Before I knew what it looked like, I had always wondered so I took a picture for you, dear reader.
Here are the steps I use to oxidize silver and copper.
- Put a pea-sized chunk in a glass bowl that is big enough to hold the item you wish to oxidize. Break up a bigger piece if necessary by smashing it with something hard. Read more…
Nectar Jewelry Designs ~ Featured Jewelry Artist
By Christine Gierer, The Jewelry Sweet Spot, http://www.thejewelrysweetspot.com
Nectar Jewelry Designs, owned by jewelry designer Sharon Fiorini, instantly caught my eye when I was surfing on the Etsy website.
Sharon’s jewelry is a really interesting mix of elements. Some of her pieces have a really modern feel with clean, clean lines, while others sort of feel fragmented and post-industrial. These remind me of post-apocalyptic movies for some reason like Blade Runner.
Christine: Hi Sharon, tell me a little bit about yourself and your work.
Sharon: Well, I live in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA, and I’m married with one son and two dogs. I started making jewelry in 2003 when I was pregnant with my son. I started with stringing beads, graduated to wire-wrapping, and from there I moved on to forming metal and polymer clay. Since I’m completely self-taught, I always want to learn more. There’s so much out there that I have yet to learn! I discovered that designing and creating jewelry is my passion – it’s what I love to do. I’m always thinking about new jewelry designs. I have post-its all over my work area with designs I have sketched out while I was at work. Read more…
