Empty Nest

This week I took both of my sons to college. I have dreaded this day for many years. What would I do without my sidekicks? Who would do the heavy lifting? They have now been gone since Wednesday and this thought came to me.

$500 for security deposit
$500 for 1st months rent
$1000 for text books
$200 for groceries
Having an uninterrupted day in the studio PRICELESS!

Pictured above, Stephen age 21 and Christopher age 18.

Art Jewelry Magazine Article

I have an article coming out in Art Jewelry Magazine's November Issue on how to make my resin pendant titled Celestial Seasonings. At first they said September so I hope there are not any other delays. Keeping my fingers crossed.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I love the work of resin artist Lulu Smith. Her use of vivid colors accented with silver is amazing. If you have not heard of Lulu here are some of her pics.

Three Dimensional Resin YIKES!

I am working on a rendering for a new jewelry line that I have had in my mind's eye forever but I am struggling with how to make the resin rise above the metal design without detracting from the metal or the resin. Placing resin on domed objects has always been difficult for me but since this piece is not just inlay it is a combination of sculpted resin and metal it is a challenge. The thickener that I use to add to the resin tends to make a lot of air bubbles. That is why most resin artists work on a flat surface or use opaque colors to hide the bubbles. I do all of my work in translucent resins and I am determined not to stop now. My primary incentive was that my 3 dimensional resin work did better at Artscape than the flat work that I usually do. Before I become too frustrated I am going to set the sketch aside. I'm sure the answer will come to me in a flash of brilliance usually found drinking my morning coffee and petting my dog. When done I will share my sketch. Until then it is coffee with Brittany.

Exciting Month

July was a blast! I had my
own booth at Artscape and I received an advance copy of a Lark book that featured my work. See Lark Book images below. For my first Artscape I did not do too bad. I can't wait until next year to capitalize on my presence. Highlight of Artscape was a free performance by Robin Thicke (I'm so in love with him.)

I Feel Pretty

I just love these hand blown scent bottles by Eloise Cotton. Eloise is known for her lampwork jewelry but her scent bottles are a lovely addition to her line.

Selling Jewelry Online Part 2

Selling jewelry online is always a question of time or money. Do I have enough time to run my own shop or am I willing to give up a piece of my revenue to have someone else do it for me. Let's take a look at the online vendors I discussed in my earlier post and how they may fit into your marketing plan. I have divided the different venues into three categories.

The first category I call wholesale sites. Wholesale sites ask the jeweler to provide them with a wholesale price (usually 50% of retail), images and descriptions. The site then manages the sales process. The wholesaler advertises, runs the site, pays the cost of shipping, processes payments, and pays the artist a commission at some designated time. They have a stringent jury process and can therefore maintain quality on their site. Two examples of wholesale sites are Artful Home and Art Jewelry Online. I think Object Fetish falls into this category but I am not certain. If someone could give me a heads up I would greatly appreciate it.

The second category I call step up web sites. They maintain a juried site so there is some guarantee of quality but since the fees are significantly less than wholesalers you will have to do a lot of the work yourself. Soleyne and America Creates fall into this category. Soleyne charges an 8% commission and America Creates charges 25%. In both instances you have to upload images of your work, provide descriptions, list tags and input pricing. Both sites indicate that advertising is forthcoming. They are both relatively new.

The third category I call the "It's Your Shop" venue. Here there is no jury process and anyone can sign up to sell their work. This is the case where you definitely have to have time. You do everything from category 2 plus all of your own marketing and advertising. They usually cost little to nothing to list merchandise and then take a small fee once something sells. Some have said that these venues are primarily for less expensive work but I have seen some high end artists do well on these sites. The key is know your customer and market like crazy to that market segment. Etsy, Shop Handmade, iCraft, Artfire and 1000 markets fall into this category. Etsy is the largest vendor of the group.

I don't claim to be the all knowing writer so I hope folks chime in and give me their perspective on things.

Part 3 will discuss how to write a business plan or what I affectionately call, "Where do you want to go and what are you willing to do to get there?"

Earrings by Emanuela Aureli