Jewelry Business Tip: Know Your Style & Master Your Jewelry Making Skills
I wrote a post about How to Be Successful Selling Handmade Jewelry about a year ago. That post gave an overview of some tips.Since so many people have asked, I have decided to teach an online Jewelry Business eCourse! It starts on March 2, 2015. It's a 5 week course with videos, worksheets, audios and PDF eBooks designed for you if you're wondering how on earth to get started selling handmade jewelry.I have lots of experience selling jewelry. I started making jewelry when I was a child, started making jewelry again many years ago for my friends, started selling to people I know and then officially began my jewelry business in 2005. I started online on eBay (and then Etsy) and then started doing craft shows. I've sold in shops all over the place (all over Pennsylvania where I live to Chicago.) I even had my own retail space for four years.I think that most of us start by giving our jewelry to our friends and family because we start making more jewelry than we could possibly wear ourselves and eventually start charging people for pieces. Then people start asking for custom pieces and it just grows from there.To have a business, though, you need to be organized and have a plan, regardless of how you started. My Jewelry Business eCourse will help you with that! Click here to get on the list to be the first to get information on the Business eCourse and to get emails with free jewelry biz information!In the post I mentioned before, I gave an overview of some of the steps you can take. Today we'll dig into Step #1 deeper.Knowing your style and mastering your skills.First off, you want to make sure you master your craft. I don’t think you need to go to art school or you need to be a master metalsmith by any means (I didn’t and I am not), but you should have a firm grasp on what you are making.Suggestions for Mastering Your Skills:
- Practice, practice, practice and practice more. The more jewelry you make, the better you will get at it. If you're just starting, don't worry. Everybody was new at some point.
- Take some classes if possible. Learn from people who know what they're doing. I offer several jewelry making eCourses throughout the year. (Rediscover Your Creativity & Make Jewelry is a great one if you're creatively blocked or are looking for your own unique voice) or Wire Wrapping for Beginners is a great book to start with as well (it will be an eCourse later this year, too!)
- Use inexpensive materials while you're learning so you can make mistakes without worrying. And so you can experiment more freely. Then switch to more expensive materials when you feel ready.
- If you're not sure how to design your own jewelry yet, learn from other people until you start getting ideas. You can get individual patterns or you can try some eCourses like I mentioned before. Read books and magazines.
- Every time you make a piece of jewelry, make it the very best you can. That loop not quite right? Try it again until it is right. Keep practicing. The only way you get better is to keep at it.
- Wear the jewelry you make. See how it holds up and how it feels to wear it. If it's not quite right, work on it some more.
Knowing Your Jewelry Style:Know your unique style and try to stick with it in. Your style might be specific like you make jewelry based on a certain type of movie or your style might be earthy. You might make jewelry themed around a cause. Picking a specific niche will help you particularly if you are going to be selling online.Think about your experiences and your passions and consider how they could related to jewelry pieces.Let's take my jewelry business for example:I have always been really passionate about the earth, nature and recycling in particular. When I first started making jewelry it was sort of all over the place. I was learning my style. Once I started selling my jewelry and decided to have a business, I had to clarify my style. I realized that I loved using recycled materials in my jewelry. So I focused on that. I decided that all of my pieces would be based around an upcycled material. I used other materials with the upcycled piece as well, but the main focus was on recycling.Not only is it easier for your customers to find you when you focus on a niche, but it's also helps you with jewelry design. You might think of it as limiting, but it really makes me feel much more creative to narrow it down.Do not pick something that you are not passionate about because you'll grow tired of it quickly. Don't make Dr. Who jewelry just because that show is popular right now. If you are a fan of the show maybe it would work for you, though.So what are you passionate about? Does your jewelry already have a theme or a style? You may not realize it, but it probably already does. How can you combine your passion and your jewelry?I hope this has been helpful! I have a brand new mailing list just for Jewelry Business Tips! You can sign up below. If you're at all interested in the possibility of a Jewelry Business eCourse, sign up. I'll send you information about it soon!There are tons of people on the internet who talk about business. There are a lot of really great people with lots of wonderful information. Here's the thing, though, by and large the people who are teaching about business never actually had a business. Their business is teaching about business. It's always confused me. I had a successful jewelry business. I want to share my knowledge with you so you can do it, too!Sign up for my Jewelry Business Tips Newsletter: