Archive for January, 2009

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Timeless gunmetal

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

There aren’t many jewelry findings that are available in basic black.  And that’s probably a good thing.  But in the craft jewelry world, we have our own timelessly classy color: gunmetal.

Thanks to a post over at Dawno’s blog, we can see why this dark, glossy metal plating is such a perennial bestseller.  Take a peek at the elegant necklace she created along with grey freshwater pearls and mother of pearl, to go with her suits at business presentations:

dawnos_gray_pearl_mop_gunmetal_necklace1

We think you’ll agree this is a versatile, even dignified, color.

Inspired?  Browse all the gunmetal components you could hope to buy, in our online store!

*Necklace image used by permission of Dawno.  Here’s her followup post about making the gunmetal necklace.

Posted in Trendspotting | No Comments »

Growing your craft jewelry business (part 2): Newsletters

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

(Part 1: Books)

If you could have a mentor who would patiently guide your fledgling craft jewelry business, and not charge you a dime, wouldn’t you leap at the chance?

Well, there are experienced coaches out there who regularly give information away for free in their newsletters.  All it takes is for you to click “Subscribe” at their websites, and you’ll have email access to all kinds of insights for nurturing your little business.

One of these is Rena Klingenberg’s Jewelry Business Success Newsletter.  A couple of times per month, Rena sends a potpourri of selected, focused tidbits.  These include specific pointers on how to run your business, advice on how to remove stumbling blocks from your path, and actual stories from jewelry makers about how they’ve grown their businesses.  This newsletter is always worth reading.

A second great resource is the Jewelry Seller Newsletter published by Dr. David Weiman.  This is published weekly, and tends to feature one article that goes into quite a bit of depth on its topic.  Other article links go to David’s website, where he shares insights based on his unique combination of experience with jewelry and training as a psychologist.  We never miss an issue!

For guidance that spans the basics of jewelry-making techniques and running a business, check out Christine Gieren’s I’m Making Jewelry in My Jam Jams newsletter for neat tips from this writer of the How to Make Jewelry Blog.

We’d also like to mention IndieBizChicks.com, a newer circular with a focus on “women who’d rather work for themselves, than work for the man.”  It’s a very digestible weekly that zooms in on one topic per issue, so it won’t eat up your valuable time.  For even more information, also download and listen to their podcasts!

As always, Rings & Things produces an email newsletter you can subscribe to, supplied to you without charge every month.  Get the latest tips, hot product information, free projects and more from a trusted source.  (You can also read back issues of our newsletter.)

If you’re a more advanced crafter, or would like to become one, check out the highly respected Orchid forum, available as an email digest (like a newsletter) from Ganoksin.

Share your tips: what’s your favorite newsletter for craft jewelers?  Post your reply below!  :)

Posted in About Rings & Things, Grow your business | 2 Comments »

Getting creative about birthstone beads

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Birthstones are always a popular theme for beaded creations.  Did you know, you can create a whole line of jewelry using not only the “official” stones but appropriately-colored alternatives?

One creative approach that keeps the quality level high is to use Swarovski crystal beads.  Since these are available in so many great colors, you have some gorgeous options for each month.  An array of suggested birthstone equivalents is laid out in our Swarovski Birthstone Chart page.  Or follow your own inspiration and browse through all of the colors available: the crystal bicone beads section of our online store is a good place to do this.

Another way to go is to look into traditional birthstone lists, like the ones in Bruce Knuth’s neat book “Jeweler’s Resource“.  This can be your starting point for finding some great equivalent stones.

For example January’s traditional stone, garnet, also comes in a green variety, and one stone often considered as “green hair garnet” is green tourmalated quartz. You can find these “green garnet” beads in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Voila, there’s a great birthstone equivalent!

Jasper is also sometimes considered to be January’s gemstone, and there are countless varieties to choose from, including fancy jasper,

leopardskin jasper,and poppy jasper.

And that’s not even getting into February’s stone!  (Amethyst.)  What ideas do you have for birthstone equivalents in the jewelry you make?

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DIY popular clasp extender: how clever!

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Happy New Year!  Here’s a very quick tip for growing your business in 2009.

One of Rings & Things’ popular free jewelry projects lately is a clever clasp-extender item that’s easy to make.  This gadget makes it easy for your customers to, well, customize the necklaces they buy from you, making them just the right length.  Using less than a handful of stock items, you can expand your inventory with a truly useful and attractive product.

Check out this great project, #68-002-51: Necklace Extender with Magnetic Clasp, along with dozens of others that we provide!

Posted in Projects | 1 Comment »

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