On Sale?

If you are like me you signed up for several newsletters to keep up on what’s new with an on line business, for me that’s jewelry making news. Are you as disappointed as I am? News, I think not. All I seem to get is barraged with announcements of another sale.

But are those sales a “good buy”? I don’t think so. Realistically I would say that those products are so over priced that even the on sale price isn’t really a sale price. I mean really, 10% for this or that can easily be understood as a sale price. But when you see 30% off consistently, I’m thinking that the regular price must be way over priced.

Wouldn’t it be nice if shop owners didn’t consider us as idiots? I mean really, price the merchandise at a fair mark up price on a regular basis and forget sending me daily and weekly sale emails, enough already! These sales are marketing gone bad, period.

For the number of regular and frequent “On Sale Now” emails I am getting, business must be really bad for those shops. Or, have those shop owners bought into the SEO’s email marketing sham; "how to drive traffic to your sight for only $ x@!!.oo

So what happened to the “news” letter I signed up for? Is venting the same as being negative? LOL.

Free Tutorial and Video on Wire Wrapped Rings

Video:  Wire Wrapped Rings (DIY Production)

The video is good but incomplete, setting the stone is a bit tricky, make sure you get the stone tight. It's not quite as easy as it looks. The ring band itself should be wrapped to make it more sturdy, in my opinion.

Materials and Tools:

(My advise is to start out with copper or brass practice wire until you get the hang of it!)

3 ft. 22-gauge 14K/20 gold-filled 1/2-hard square wire
2 ft. 21-gauge 14K/20 gold-filled 1/2-round 1/2-hard wire
1 ring cab (1/2" wide x 1" long) [You can use any size, the smaller the stone, the harder the setting process]
ruler with millimeters
permanent marking pen
ring mandrel
pin vise
flush cutters
flat nose pliers
fine-blade knife

DIY about Making Enamel Beads

Make Your Own Enamel Beads

This is a good vido about making Enamel Beads, this also can be done to make colorful head pins, I've seen some and they quite pretty.

"Green" Etching for Jewelry without Acid

There is a fabulous tutorial at http://www.making-jewelry-now.com/acid-etching-metal-jewelry-part-1.html by Virginia Vivier (Esprit Mystique Jewelry) using acid. The tutorial has great tips and techniques.  This article is about using saltwater and a battery. If you dig a little you can find ‘how to’ information free of charge and that is what I did, or you can buy it from a popular magazine.
What you need:


Patience (this process takes longer than acid)
Safety Glasses and Rubber Gloves (strong salt solutions can burn)
D battery and a D battery holder
Alligator clips and heavy ga. copper wire
Copper to be etched and scrap copper
Kosher or canning and pickling salt
Glass container deep enough to hang your art piece
Resist

Resists Available: PNP blue paper (good info on this at: http://www.makersgallery.com/goss/pnp.html ) , nail polish (if you’re desperate), enamel paint, etc.

Hook up a D battery in the battery holder, attach alligator clips to the lead wires on your battery holder and then to the two pieces of copper wire to suspend the art piece and the scrap piece in a saltwater bath. Current draws copper from the piece being etched to the scrap copper. You can use the same kinds of resists you would use for acid etching. Red alligator clips on your jewelry/art piece. Put resist on the back of your art piece or etch a design on the back too.

Make a saturated salt solution by dissolving salt, (lot-o salt)


Clean your art piece and clean it again, alcohol works well.

Draw or transfer your design with whatever resist you want. The scrap copper needs to be cleaned off with a scruby pad to remove any residue, then it's ready.

Fill glass (I don’t like plastic) container with the salt solution, attach your two pieces of copper to copper wires and hang them from the sides of the container so they are submerged in the solution. Attach the positive alligator clip to the art piece etched and the negative clip to the scrap copper. You will see little bubbles rising from the scrap copper, and the water will become cloudy.

It takes an hour or more to get a nice deep etch (patience).

Disposal of used salt water, well I’m not convinced it’s a good idea to pour into the sink, there is copper in it. Maybe consider calling waste management services and double check with your area requirements.

Love those little Altoids Tins? Etching Altoids Tins: go to http://steampunkworkshop.com/altoid-etch.shtml

The fun of this is you can transfer virtually any image or pattern to copper, nickel, or brass.

Want more info? Search the web there is a lot of free information. Take some time and learn something new!!  I welcome any comments and additions to this method of etching.

How to wire wrap a briolette

If you want to have a really nice look to the wire wrapped briolette thread tiny beads on either side of the briolette. Why because the wire, usually very thin has a tendency to get out of shape. In other words it is ugly. Then after you connect the two wires by wrapping, put another tiny bead on the wire before you make your top loop. The reason is that the bottom wrap and the top wrap show way too much wire showing. The tiny bead will take the eye away from all of those wraps.



Briolettes can be tricky, start out using copper wire before you dive in to wrapping something to sell. Practice, practice, practice to make it near to perfect. And please, don't use the excuse "its hand made" for sloppy work.

This technique is duly noted in many "high-end" jewelry designer pieces. Kick it up a notch, go the extra mile and make your jewelry something better. Can't figure out why your jewelry isn't selling?

This video is good for learning the technique. The finished product is unacceptable for excellent craftsmanship.

Welcome to Girls Night Out

You are welcome to view the videos posted, look over my work and check out anything else you'd like to view.

I have another web design site at WebSitesWork.blogspot.com where you can get some handy applications to make your website or blog even better.

If you are a home based jeweler you might like a listing on Home Based Jeweler's Showcase.

View Private Stock Jewelry Here

May the Sun Be With You

This is the coolest sunshine jasper I've ever run across. Love it and it looks great all wrapped up and dripping in gold (14/20).

Just in Case You haven't Heard

Jewelry Artist and Author Rena Klingenberg.

You can jump-start your home jewelry business with thousands of the best tips for marketing handcrafted jewelry.



If you'd like to receive email updates on new techniques for the business of jewelry art, you can subscribe to her free newsletter, "Jewelry Business Success News".

And for quick gems of home jewelry business advice, tips, news, and updates that you won't find anywhere else, you'll enjoy making regular visits to her popular Jewelry Business Blog.

Looking for specific jewelry business information? There's a ton of it here! You can search this site or browse through a complete listing of all 1,000+ of our articles in the sitemap.

She adds new articles there regularly, with information on jewelry home parties, photographing and scanning jewelry, creative jewelry sales, making your own jewelry tags and earring cards, setting up and maintaining your own successful jewelry website, cheap jewelry display ideas, professional looking jewelry packaging, consigning and wholesaling jewelry to shops and galleries, handling taxes, permits and other business matters, and more.

She even tells you about all the mistakes she has made in her own jewelry business, and how you can avoid them.

Here is her Link

Woo-hoo

I'm exited to announce that Bead Trends is publishing one of my turquoise pieces in the December issue. (I rally am exicted)

The publisher requested that the piece be removed so I complied.

This has been an awesome week for me. I've had more good things happen than I could have imagined. I am very excited also how well the Home Based Jeweler's Showcase blog has been received. We are getting super traffic. If you haven't joined there is no time like the present. See the site for details.

Rhyolite from New Hampshire

Blue Lace Agate wrapped in Gold

Gold Tigereye Wrapped in Gold

Dreams in Gold

Chocolate Chain

Chocolate (Yummm) Chain and Copper Accent, byzantine weave

Brazilian Hues of Blue and Green Agate

Brazilian Agate and Gold (14/20) Love the blues

Gold Hoops and Carnelian Gold Wrapped Bead

This was a challenge, one wire half hard, wrapped continually including the ring at the bottom and the earwire, all in one piece. I of course, wrapped the hoop with half round for a more finished appearance.

Turquoise Nuggets and Copper

Jasper Desert Sands and Gold (14/20)

Turquoise in Gold

Sold

Sterling Wrapped

Ocean Blue Quarts and Sterling