Posts Tagged ‘making money’

Repairing Handcrafted Jewelry For Profit

A lot of beaded jewelry designers work throughout the day putting together unique jewelry pieces and buying jewelry supplies for that next necklace or pair of earrings. One good way to avoid that jewelry making burn out while still using your jewelry making talents is to begin to repair jewelry on the side! Making jewelry is a challenging hobby and it can be very rewarding, but it can also drain your creativity if you’re making a lot of unique jewelry designs and then spending lots of time putting together the materials for each piece over and over.

Instead of making a anklet from your own ideas, you usually need to take an existing jewelry pattern and find beads to replace missing or broken jewelry pieces that either look similar to the rest of the jewelry piece or at least compliment it. Fixing jewelry requires a slightly different approach to buying jewelry supplies because you’ll want to have lots of connectors, seed beads and stringing materials available. You’ll also need think about using a professional jewelry management program to track what jewelry supplies you have on hand, what you’ll need to purchase soon and where you can get them for the best price. Repairing handmade jewelry uses your jewelry making talents and will often present some fun challenges. Here are some other tricks to remember when you start fixing jewelry for clients:

Matching jewelry supplies to older jewelry is often very difficult. You have a better chance of locating replacement beads or pieces that are complimentary, though sometimes matching the color of certain gemstones can be very frustrating.

Keep an eye out for structural aging in older jewelry pieces. Even though a clasp isn’t broken, you may want to suggest replacing it before it does fall apart.

Remember to price yourself fairly. Often times you will be fixing a piece of jewelry that holds a special meaning or is particularly liked by your client. You are providing a service of not just fixing a piece of jewelry, but often you’re helping restore a memory or feeling!

Finally, remember to have fun with it! Both fixing custom jewelry and designing your own jewelry are enjoyable ways to make some extra money, but it’s up to you to find the right balance to keep you smiling and profitable at the same time. You can usually charge just as much to fix a piece of jewelry as you would to create it. But because are often working with existing jewelry materials fixing a piece of jewelry may be much more profitable.

Want to pick up more tips and tricks? You can visit our site to read more about handcrafted jewelry making and get some great jewelry ideas while you’re there.

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Should You Create Your Own Jewelry Business?

Jewelry making is growing in popularity because the slowing economy has forced many women to look at inexpensive jewelry to buy while others are looking for ways of supplementing their income. If you’re thinking about creating you may be considering if you have “what it takes” to be a successful jewelry designer. While there is no mystical formula for being successful at making jewelry, there are some traits you should possess and be ready to nurture.

You Should Be Enamored With Jewelry: It’s difficult to get into making jewelry if you don’t enjoy shopping for jewelry of all types. It also helps to understand that there are many kinds of jewelry and not every jewelry piece will appeal to everyone. Sure, you may have a preference for making bead jewelry, but having an appreciate of other types of adornments will help broaden your horizons and creativity. Which leads to the next skill…

You Need Creativity: If you’re going to make handcrafted jewelry on your own then you’ll need to realize that you’re starting your own business and things won’t always be easy. You need to not only be able to come up with new jewelry ideas, but you also will need to think of marketing ideas, unique methods of marketing your jewelry and you may need to design your own website. If you’re having a difficult time coming up with new jewelry designs, you can get the creative juices flowing by looking over some of the many free jewelry making tutorials available online. Making your own jewelry requires a lot of creativity almost every day. That’s where the next trait comes in handy…

You Need To Be Persistent: Beginning your own jewelry business and creating your own jewelry isn’t always enjoyable and simple. You’ll probably begin slowly, picking up some of the basic skills at first and then expanding on to more challenging jewelry making methods. You’ll also have to pick up some entrepreneurial skills and training if you hope to succeed. Starting your home jewelry business can be challenging even if you have some basic business skills or have worked from home before. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to make your own jewelry all the time without ever having to worry about selling, marketing or just plain old bookkeeping. There are many good jewelry business books available that can help get you started.

There are lots of normal people who have turned their part-time jewelry making hobby into a full-time business. Jewelry making is a wonderful way to pass the time and make some extra cash on the side. Making jewelry isn’t always without challenges but it can be a fulfilling way to increase your income and have fun at the same time!

Want to learn more about making your own jewelry? Visit our site to learn more about making jewelry and to pick up tips and tricks for beginning your own home based jewelry business.

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