How Much? Finding a pricing scheme that works

     Awhile ago I read an article in 101 Bracelets Necklaces & Earrings (2012 Special Edition) by Lorelei Eurto about designing everyday jewelry. She said, "Jewelry buyers want to buy wearable, everyday jewelry that is both unique and affordable." Up to that time I had been struggling with pricing my work ~ if its too low you don't cover your overhead and go broke trying to do what you love, if its too high no one can afford it and you go broke.... the circle of sparkle. I had looked at the prices charged by other artists, read articles about pricing formulas, talked to other people - mostly I just got headaches.

     Lorelei's statement made me re-think my process for pricing. ..."unique and affordable".... that's what I want to sell! I already know I have the unique part figured out - affordable, that's more of a challenge.

 I decided that I wanted my price point for bracelets to be in the $20 to $30 range.  I love glass! I love lamp work. Problem is - artisan made lamp work can be V-E-R-Y pricey. I've seen 15mm beads for $40! An average number of beads in one of my bracelets is six - do the math!  I also love silver as an accent - well silver prices have soared in the last couple years. I don't want to give up working with materials I love, so what I do is combine artisan made beads with commercially made beads and I use good quality base metals and silver plate.

     In the piece pictured here the flower bead was made by Laura Critchfield, one of my absolute favorite artists, the remaining beads are commercially made glass from bead shows or local bead stores. The silver accents and toggle are about half and half silver plate and base metals - I love the look of it and best of all I can sell this piece at $30 and not go broke!

Be creative - not just in your designs but in the way you run your business!

Themed Jewelry ~ Do You or Don't You?

This is a question I struggle with - should I make a bunch of skeleton earrings in the hope that I'll be able to sell them before Halloween? Or ~ do I skip it because really, how often is anyone going to wear holiday themed jewelry???

Should I only make jewelry for the really B-I-G holidays?? Are people going to be happier rockin' a really cool Santa necklace? Is Santa more important than the Easter Bunny? or those adorable leprechauns? How does anyone decide?

How about this... maybe I just go with vaguely seasonal jewelry? It's Fall!... wear orange, it's Spring!.... wear pastels, it's Summer!... wear tangerine and citrus, it's Winter!.... ick.....

What's a jewelry maker to do?

Where Do You Work?

 It's fascinating to see other peoples creative spaces.  It gives me good ideas for storage and work areas. It also makes me feel better - I know I'm not the only messy, creative person! So, here's a look at my current workspace.

This is temporary space for me - we moved in May and the plan is to build a work room off the garage. Until that happens I'm using a little sitting room. Its a good space with a huge window but not big enough for everything.

 I have a couple of these spinning tool holders - this one came from Pampered Chef but I've seen them in office supply stores too. It's a wonderful way to have just what I need at hand and they don't take up much space.

This is another one of my favorite storage ideas. Shallow drawers, on wheels with little  compartments - Awesome!

These little guys were a gift from my clever son. Their actually for nuts and bolts but they work really well for beads! They stack, are really sturdy, have clear fronts so I can see what's inside and are only about $10 each!

Here's another idea that has worked out really well. I bought these 6' lengths of counter top from Lowe's. They're already mitered so the corners fit together perfectly. They have a built in back splash so nothing rolls off to the floor! I have base cabinets under the ends and legs under my seating space. The counter comes in 4' - 12' lengths and about half a dozen colors, it ranges in price from $40 to $100.

I still need to head out to the garage when I want to cut jumprings or do any other messy projects but this is a great little temporary space!

Here Fishy, Fishy!

     I found these really cool little piranha charms at the Bead & Button show in Philly. I love these little guys, they look so fierce! Here's a piece I made with them recently - who could resist these little killers?

Lorelei Eurto Bohemian Challenge

About a month ago I read about Lorelei Eurto's challenge. She was on vacation in Maine and stopped in Beadin Path and picked out some lucite beads.  Heather and her staff, put together the kits and offered them for sale on their website. As soon as I saw the colors I decided I had to have a kit. Even though the giant links and even giant-er black flowers weren't something I would normally choose - I decided that I should step out 'da box and try something new.

Today is the day we get to reveal what we made!

As soon as I saw the flowers I knew that they had to be the focus of my piece. I used glass bead caps from my stash for the centers on two of them and a flower button for the third.  I also wanted to use different types of chain but kept them similar enough for a cohesive look.

I loved the lucite beads but didn't want to simply string them altogether.

So.... I added bundles of little silver star bursts, green and white striped glass beads and some caps.

I know what you're thinking... where are the giant links?? Still on the workbench.... I'll come up with something, this just got to be so, so.... much? But I had a great time - Thanks to Lorelei and the folks at Beadin Path for coming up with a great idea!!

Wing a Ding Ding!

I managed a little playtime this weekend -- so of course I had to see what happened with the wingdings I got from Genea. I gotta tell ya, I love these little beads. Each one is unique but they all  have this cheerful feeling to them! I may need to get about a thousand more in every color! This piece is simple but gives that warm fuzzy feeling, ya know? Won't this look perfect with your favorite sweater?

Checking a few names off the Christmas gift list with this....

Thanks Genea!!

Last week, I was one of the three speediest mouse clickers online and managed to snag a set of Genea Beads uber cool Wing Ding sets that she had on sale. Today, I got home from a long road trip ~ hot, tired, hungry.... and guess what was in the mail!??! YES!! Genea's beautiful, colorful beads!! Awesome!!

Now ~ if I could just find a little free time to play......