Broken!

 

I bought this necklace last year – yes, I do buy jewellery occasionally – but after only three of four wears – it broke suddenly last week. Just as well I was in the bedroom as the carpet stopped the pearls scattering everywhere! I wondered how on earth this could have broken despite such few outings. On close inspection, I could see it had broken in the middle, where the heart stone was. I thought it a bit odd, as most necklaces tend to break at the clasp end where the threading material is under lots of stress from moving around the neck, and the regular handling when removing/putting on. It seems in this case, the heart stone has rather rough drill holes and, being quite heavy, gradually cut through the thread. Had it been knotted or stabilised either side with some crimps, there would have been less of chance of breakage, but I think the thread used was too thin to hold the weight.

            

So, I’ll be using a strong, fine metal thread which has a kind of thin plastic coating (this helps to minimise discolouring the pearls). I might even use some French wire through the bead as well – if the hole is big enough to take it.

We shall see!

Crafty Craft Room Update

How remiss of me! I haven’t followed up on my ‘Crafty Craft Room’. Better late than never, here’s the finished room. I’m a lover of white in my house – white walls everywhere – and neutral colours like greys and creams, although my kitchen cabinets are bright blue.

Right, back to my room. The grey carpet we chose for the stairs and all the bedrooms is gorgeous, and now there’s a link between each room.  For some reason, I couldn’t get into choosing new work desks and storage, seems I’d lost a bit of sparkle after all the work of clearing out had been done. I usually love walking around IKEA.

Hubby was suggesting this, and that, then I saw a white chair. Kind of a funky style, and then boom! I finally got it! This was to set the theme for the room. I’ve done this before – chosen accessories and then worked around them, seems to work for me.

A rather traditional desk, but in white, seemed to be screaming at me ‘Pick me! Pick me!’. So I did. Two of them.  I had plans.

The existing shelves on the wall would remain, and after doing some research around Pinterest for ideas, I decided on white boxes for storage. These I found in IKEA’s ‘market place’, flat pack and at only around £1 each these were practical, stylish and cheap.

 

The room is now finished and for a while I just wanted to sit in its white pristine glory. Didn’t last long though…out came my gemstones!!

CRAFTY CRAFTROOM

 The half emptied existing room!

It all started with our new shower room. Wanting to sort of ‘age proof’ our house (yes that might sound a bit dramatic) we ripped out the whole bathroom, got rid of the bath & shower and installed a modern walk-in shower complete with pale grey tiles and silver fittings. Then, a few weeks ago, we decided to fit new carpets upstairs, firstly because the existing ones were now rather shabby after eighteen years of use, and secondly because the new shower room was putting the rest of the upstairs to shame.

So what’s this got to do with my craftroom? Well, the furniture I was using belonged to my then office, which was also rapidly looking a bit worn out, so hubby suggested some new cabinets and worktop space from Ikea. Well, I wasn’t going to say no, was I?

 This is the new soon to be craft station

The carpet will be fitted in a couple of days, and we’re currently sitting amongst 52 drawers and the contents of two wardrobes (thank God the main wardrobes are fitted or we’d really be in trouble. In the meantime, we’ve re-decorated all the rooms in readiness.
I’ll keep you posted!

Craft Fayre no. 3

When I applied for a stall at a fayre in Maes y Coed, Cardiff, I’d beeen reading up on setting out an effective but attractive table. I looked at template layouts, display props and pricing. This was a new fayre run by a long time friend; there was no application form to fill out  and the table price was reasonable. I even remembered to ask about the size of the table after the last time (see previous posting) and gave myself a pat on the back.

So, when I arrived 45 minutes before the doors open, you’d think I was all ready and knew what I was going to do. NO. Yet again, I was worried about reining myself in and ended up gettting in a fuddle over what was going where. I had plenty of room, so that wasn’t an issue; it was me panicking about time and getting the display ready that made me nervous.

I was more prepared this time though, in fairness to me. I had ordered some very professional price displays so there was no need to tag each individual item. I even had a comment from a friend who said ‘Where on earth do you get things like that!’ I thought I’d try grouping together items of the same price in order to avoid too much clutter, and I think it worked rather well but this method doesn’t really allow for colour co-ordination, so again I felt it was a bit messy. I can’t help that I like things matchy matchy!

Pricing. Yes, that old thing again. Because I’m new to fayres, pricing for venues can be quite difficult and I decided to take a chance and just sell items between £5 and £25. I think I got it right, but here’s a surprise – the cheaper items didn’t sell at all! The average price of an item sold was between £15 and £20. I think I learned something there for future fayres.

Still on pricing, a jeweller was perusing my table with interest and she said my prices were too low for gemstones and chains. She picked up a silver plated large link bracelet and couldn’t believe the  £10 price tag. When I explained it was silver plate and quite lightweight, she said ‘But see how effective it looks – it stands out!’. Good point, and I shall take that forward (I have already upped my price on that already).

I sold a few items – not as many as I would have liked, but there was quite a bit of interest and again some picked up my business card. I really must put more items on my Folksy page!!

 

 

 

 

Craft Fayre No. 2

I’d been reading up on craft blogs – the do’s and the don’ts – and scouring Pinterest in preparation for my second ever craft fayre. I didn’t apply to exhibit my jewellery, I was invited to take a table at the same venue as last year so I was really pleased when the invitation text pinged my phone. A lot of the advice is very good, like how to set out your table, etiquette and so on, but much is down to common sense really.

I don’t think the craft fayre ‘circit’ is for me, but the occasional one is good. My initial reaction is of excitement, which then leads  to ‘have I done the right thing?’ type questions, especially when it’s too late to back out. During one such self doubting moment as I was loading up the car, I got a bit distracted, which threw me off track so I forgot a few things to take with me like all my pricing labels, lighting and my donation of a necklace to be auctioned for charity (more about the auction later).

I arrived at the golf club in a bit of a tizz, but early enough to set up the table. I had asked for one table and, as it was the same venue as last time, I ASSUMED the table would be the same size – except it wasn’t. I hadn’t realised that last year’s table was made up of two, and I had only asked for one. One was just under a metre square (that’s about 3ft x 3ft in old money). I stared at it. Just stared.  Oh. Not only that, it was next to another jewellery table, all glamorous and blinged up with lights and sparkle which was two tables long. My fault – I should have confirmed the size beforehand. Lesson: NEVER ASSUME.

I’d taken less stock than last year, but I could only get a fraction of it on show. It looked really unassuming and underwhelming next to my neighbour’s, but  I remembered some advice from another blog about ‘less is more’ so I tried to convince myself that was the way to go. Anyway, this would be good to test out the theory. I also took advice on creating different levels to lead the eye – there wasn’t much room for the eye to wander off anyway!

                

All in all I’m pleased to say it was a good evening for sales, and enjoyed some chit chat with the buyers. I noted what people were buying – mainly bracelets and necklaces, but not one single pair of earrings.  I think the earrings got a bit lost, but maybe no one wanted earrings anyway. Thank the Lord I remembered my business cards (which doubled up as price tags) and some people took them away after browsing so perhaps some future sales, who knows!

The Auction. I was quite crestfallen  when the pearl necklace only reached the princely sum of £5 in the auction. That hurt that did. I can’t buy the particular pearls I’d used in the design for less than £5, was that really all it was worth in someone else’s eyes?

My mother always says ‘there’s too much competition for jewellery’ but I’m not really bothered about that. Yes, there’s huge competition for just about everything (unless you’ve just invented something before anyone else does) and jewellery does have a massive market with a number of world dominators within the industry, and I’m not about to compete, or would want to, with them. If I don’t sell ’em I’ll wear ’em myself!

I arrived home, poured a glass of fizz and settled down to watch ‘The Apprentice’ (a UK based programme about entrepreneurs where only one will win an investment – the rest fail). Hmmm.

Distractions

The problem I have making jewellery is that I don’t make enough! An idea pops into my head and I promptly go to my workroom to find the beads I need – only I get distracted by other beads as I empty my colour coded bags. I end up making something totally different to what I set out to do and I can’t see the table for strands of gems all over it. Still, I end up with a piece which I think would look great at the end.

Yesterday was such a day. I had to do some wifely chores first though – hoovering, putting the washing on the line outside and a general dust around with Mr Sheen (that’s furniture polish, not an actor) – then it was off to make something gorgeous.

I was in a turquoise mood. I’d spotted something on Pinterest which inspired me, so I pulled out my ‘turquoise bag’. I find it’s easier to keep gems of similar colour together in large muslin bags, that way I’m not rummaging through trying to find what I want (it also helps the distraction factor).

I found the beads I wanted…but then I saw some unusual shaped magnesite which I’d forgotten about. There was a tube of 24kt gold plated spacer beads on the table, which I hadn’t put away from being recently delivered, and I thought the two together looked like a great match.

I kept two of the magnesite to make earrings. I couldn’t really make them a straight drop because the beads are top drilled, so I copied the design I used for my hoop pearl earrings. They were a bit fiddly because I’m a bit ocd on perfection – if it doesn’t look right or I’ve made a mistake I’ll start again from scratch. It’s a wonder I get ANYTHING from a strand to jewellery!

                              

I Mean Business!

Ok, so in my last post (waaay back in November) I said jewellery making is my hobby. Well, it still is, but it’s going to be a bit more than that – I decided a few weeks ago to start selling my pieces online. I’m not so keen on the craft fair circuit as I like to be at home, and I still have the garden design business to run. So I joined the FOLKSY website to give it a go and see how I get on.

There’s loads of things I need to think about while I’m setting off on this new adventure: style (do I need one?) ; pricing (how much is too much – or too little?); selling (who are my customers?); time (shall I allocate specific days to make?); website (should I have one of my own or not?) packaging (so much to choose from!).

I know the business side of it like HMRC returns, insurance, presentation etc. but I also need to think about the creative and practical side of The Reluctant Gem.

I went out for dinner with some professional friends last night, and one asked about a particular gemstone featured on my Facebook page. I haven’t put it up for sale yet so I hadn’t decided on a price, but it would be in the region of £45. ‘Is that ALL?!!’, he said, somewhat taken aback. Here’s my dilemma (and I’ve touched on this before) – one person will happily pay for what I think is a good price, while others would not pay anywhere near it. Now I’m thinking it’s priced too low and he’ll think it’s cheap so won’t want it as a gift for someone. Which brings me back to one of my questions – who are my customers? I’ll have to make a decision soon!

My First Fair

It’s been a while since I wrote a blog – too busy designing gardens! Anyway, I’d like to write about my first attempt at selling jewellery at a fair.

I’d been invited to take a table at a local charity event in a nearby golf club, St Andrew’s Major, by a friend of my sister’s and I jumped at the chance. This would be a test to see how my pricing, style and presentation would work among other sellers. To be fair, there was only one other jewellery and scarf seller there (jewellery & scarves seem to have a relationship to each other – I see other sellers making this match) but it was ‘bought in’ ready-made jewellery. To say her prices were ‘reasonable’ was an understatement and I was really surprised at how low they were (to me, anyway).  I didn’t see much of her jewellery fly from her very professional set up. She had arranged them in three tiers and    all in black (it was silver tone jewelleryso shone out), smart lighting and very smart props with aqua blue presentation boxes. Here was a seller who really knew her business.

For me, it’s not a business. It’s still my hobby so I was quite open minded and interested to see how other people set out their wares. The ladies either side of me were complete novices too – one sold artwork and the other seemed to be an ‘middle woman’ for The Body Shop gift boxes. Both said they hadn’t sold very well  – in fact one of them didn’t sell anything at all, which must have been very disappointing. They mostly sold online and at house parties.

You could tell the ones who appear at fairs regularly – they were all set up and ready to go even though the doors were opened early, while I was still hanging some earrings on the stand. People were at my table before I had a chance to put out some prices so I had to tell people how much the items cost. For simplicity, I thought I’d set a blanket price for each category and was prepared to win or lose. It didn’t last long because some pieces were made up of unusual pearls and gems which were difficult to get hold of, and I couldn’t let them go at a loss.

One or two baulked at the prices – £20 for a pair of sterling silver, amethyst bezel set drop earrings, while another happily paid the price of £25 for simple pearl earrings and a matching memory wire bracelet. Bearing in mind I’d spent time making each one, I wasn’t going to sell cheap, but I guess it depends what value the customer sees in each piece. I wasn’t wildly out, but in future I need to state ‘Hand Made’ and ‘Genuine Pearls & Gemstones’.

All in all I was very pleased with what I sold. Funnily enough, I sold very few earrings, but necklaces and bracelets were on a par though. I made a couple of sets – which didn’t sell but worth the experiment.

This was very much an experiment for me and I didn’t want to put in too much effort, but what I must remember is that customers didn’t know that and probably weren’t interested in my thoughts. A well presented display is the first thing they see. Room for improvement!

Spring has sprung!

It’s always great to feel a slight warmth in the air, watch leaf buds and blossoms slowly unfurl and look up at blue skies – yes, Spring is a wonderful time, a time of hope and optimism. What’s this got to do with jewellery, you may be asking? Well, for The Reluctant Gem it’s a time to look around for inspiration and choose new combinations. I’m not interested in what featured on the catwalks last year – I’ve got my own ideas!

I remembered when we stayed at our usual ‘Eixarida’ finca, northern  Mallorca, after Christmas in 2012 – looking at this picture you wouldn’t believe it’s January and 15 degrees. Each morning the dew would rise to a mist, and when it lifted these stunning Oxalis would open up against the clear blue, crisp morning sky. These are colours of spring, for me anyway.

 

So how does this translate into my jewellery? Looking to nature for colour combinations and forms sends me on a memory journey – it could be in my garden, my beloved Mallorca or even just looking at sky.  Translating that memory takes me a while to create a piece – because it has to reflect the mood, the feeling at the time.

So, this bracelet made from large aquamarine nuggets, freshwater pearls, peridot, lemon jade, amazonite, amethyst and citrine incorporates my interpretation of Spring through gemstones. I hope you like it!

 

Still Sexy at 60!

A very good friend of mine hit sixty the other day, and I wanted to make her something rather special incorporating her birthstone – Aquamarine. I wasn’t sure it was ‘her’ colour though, but I didn’t have anything remotely like the salmon pink  she likes to wear…what to do.  I considered champagne freshwater pearls – too aging; what about orange carnelian? Nope, looks a bit ordinary; how about those peachy pink opal pears – drat, no two match close enough. Oh well – it’s back to aquamarine then.

I’d just received a bundle of rose gold on sterling silver findings – now THEY have that pinky colour AND they work with the blue/green tone! Yay!

My friend is no ordinary 60 year old – she’s full of fun, travels A LOT, loves parties and girly get-togethers – so deciding on a style was a big consideration. I didn’t want to make something to easy,  or too complicated; not too simple or too too fussy.  I also considered when she would like to wear them – day or night? If they’re too over the top they’d look a bit, well, a bit over the top on days she spends at the golf course. They had to reflect her personality as well so I scoured the net and Pinterest for inspiration.

Having spread out the findings on my work desk, I noticed the rose gold clasps and t-bars…jewelreka! It suddenly came to me – attach the clasps to the shepherd’s hooks and dangle some jump rings with the aquamarine rounds on each one. Each bead was individually wrapped – a bit fiddly but then again I said I didn’t want it to look too simple didn’t I?

I think I’ve got the balance right with these…they’re one of a kind and I won’t make any more of these – and that makes them special too!

Making jewellery is the easy bit – it’s putting together colours and working out the style  that takes the longest!