Shiney Lounge

Selling your jewellery Part 1

Jewellery Designers and bead shop owners Jane Purdy and Amanda Pickstock share their knowledge on how to fund the bead habit. Prior to opening their two bead shops in Bristol and Bath, Jane and Amanda both sold their crafts through party plan in order to fund their hobby. Nowadays, they share their tips on how to successfully sell jewellery with their customers.

People everywhere get involved in jewellery making for different reasons, however, very few set out with the aim of selling their pieces; it just seems to happen naturally. When you wear a piece that you have created and someone says “I like your necklace, where did you get it?” the reply “I made it” often sparks enquiries from friends, colleagues or family and then comes the difficult bit: How much do I charge?

Things to consider…

Investment
The investment to start your hobby might include attending classes, tools, and trekking around your local bead stores to build your collection. All these costs are not often considered when pricing a piece of jewellery, when the beads may only cost a couple of pounds!

Pricing and selling your jewellery
Over-pricing and under-pricing are as equally detrimental to your success. When pricing your items consider the time taken to make it and the cost of the materials. There is no magic formula, as you may find that something that has taken you hours to complete just simply cannot command the price it deserves. However, a simple pair of earrings that takes just minutes could easily address the balance.

If you have a hidden box of treasures that you’ve been building up over the months, why not invite a group of friends and family over and showcase your jewellery. This is a great opportunity for you to gather feedback from people that are close and try out your pricing.

Once you get started, the chances are that friends will hold a party at their house too. It’s exciting when someone parts with their hard earned cash to pay for jewellery that you have made. Now you are a success, you may want to consider the following:

• a name for your jewellery designs
• offering a commission to the party host
• professionally displaying your jewellery
• packaging
• receipts
• returns policy
• gaining further party bookings
• other venues to sell your jewellery
• approaching local shops
• professionally printed business cards and invitations

It takes time to develop confidence when you first start making jewellery. You won’t always like every item you make, but that doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t buy it. As long as its professionally made and the finishing are neat and secure, put a price tag on it and wait for a buyer! Don’t be put off if someone doesn’t like one of your designs. Everyone has their own individual taste and we can’t please all of the people, all of the time.