Have FUN with Jewelry Making

You know, I may be sounding too serious on this blog so today I want to write something FUN and LIGHT! It is really FUN to make your own jewelry. As I am growing older , I like to connect with my Inner personality more and now I am making jewelry that is appealing and fun to do. I use only Natural elements because since I moved to East Tennessee I have been connecting with Nature more and I find that using elements found on my farm and the surrounding mountain areas really fascinate and appeal to me. I have always loved nature, but have been afraid of using the common elements in my jewelry making, but now I am FREE and I Love it! ..... I like to use feathers for instance. My farm yard is filled with chickens, so I make use of the feathers while they are in molting season. And no, I NEVER pluck the feathers ! I love my chickens and I never want to harm them! Anyway, back on track here.... this jewelry is made into earrings, bracelets, pendants, and hair jewelry. I also add some interesting elements... I have old watch parts from my jewelry business days of old ...so I make use of them in earrings, and pendants. I sell them on EBay and I am having fun with it!

My EBay store is : www.windyhillnaturalfarmtreasures/ebaystore.com You can go here to see some of my creations. Anyway, use the elements you have available ... Get creative!

.....Tomorrow night, my husband and I are helping with a benefit auction and I have donated some of my jewelry to auction off. This is a great way to get your name out there so the public can see what you are doing. So I thought I would give you some ideas to inspire others to go with your own gut feelings. Express your own personality in your jewelry making. I like to keep up with the trends in fashion and I am always looking for new ideas for jewelry making so I am learning the art of wire sculpture jewelry making also. This is a lot of fun to do and it is very expressive and inexpensive to make. You can take courses in this technique online and I have been doing just that for about a year now. My point is don't be afraid to get out there and learn new things. If your interest is in jewelry making , look on the Internet and find interesting courses you can take to fulfill your need for artistic expression. There are classes on beaded jewelry, wire sculpture jewelry, precious metal clay jewelry, and many more. You can find many classes in your local community on jewelry making. Just contact local Parks and Recreation centers, local libraries, or your local colleges. The most important thing to do is get started, get involved and just do it. You will have so much FUN and meet new people too! Until later..... I hope to hear about your new hobbies soon! Email me and let me know how much fun you are having!

Anyone can Start a Jewelry Business in Design and Repair

I want to start out today addressing the point.... Anyone can start a Jewelry Business in Design and Repair! It doesn't take a rocket scientist... and it doesn't take enormous amounts of money to get started. What it does take is alot of hard work, perseverance and dedication to learning about the jewelry store business. I know you are thinking, that I was born into the business and I had it easy.... but I NEVER had it easy. Jewelry sales and customer relations are no different from any other retail or wholesale business. You have to do much pre planning, marketing and preparation before starting a business.You must have a PLAN of Action, to start. And you must know what those specific short and long term goals are. If you can stick to a plan, you can start this business! That is to say, if you already have some creative skills in art and design , and a pure desire to create jewelry with metals, gemstones and/ or wire sculpture, you don't have to start out with a lot of knowledge and or money, but have some common sense skills in business and some creative talents in jewelry. That is aIl you need.... PURE DESIRE!!!!!

Here is an article by Doreen Richmond that explains how easy it is to capitalize on selling jewelry to different personalities in a HOME BASED JEWELRY BUSINESS. I really liked the way she approaches this and I agree that Home Based businesses are money makers and a great way to open a business .....

In order to develop this ability you need to understand the five different types of style. These are fiery and expressive, natural and peaceful, styled and sophisticated, romantic and gentle or fun-loving and adventurous. It is also important to understand what colors and which forms will enhance the personality of your customer. The most exquisite pearls could look dowdy and boring on a fiery and high-spirited person. A bold and exuberant necklace full of ingenuity and charming creativity could look gaudy and crude on a romantic and gentle person.

A home based jewelry business is very special because it really gives you the time to get to know your customers. Jewelry is excellent for subtly branding positive and unique traits of our personality. If you, as a jewelry designer, can match your designs explicitly to the positive and individual personalities of your customers, you have a very good chance of succeeding with your business.

It takes time and commitment to master all aspects of such a jewelry business. It is worth the effort though. You will certainly create a business that will bring great artistic and aesthetic fulfillment to you personally. You will also acquire a circle of customers highly appreciative of your work. They will certainly love you for seeing the jewel like qualities that they sometimes tend to forget during the stress of everyday life.

I invite you to visit my site to learn more about colors, styles and beading: http://www.colorcherish.com

Doreen Richmond

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Doreen_Richmond

Growing up in a Small Southern Town Jewelry Business

I have been in the jewelry business since I was a toddler..... that is right , my Mom and Dad brought me into the family business when I was not even walking yet. I grew up thinking that diamonds and pearls were what every southern girl wore to church on Sunday . And I had my first birthstone ring when I was in pre-school. Back then you were lucky to get to go to kindergarden, so my brother taught me to read. Yes, one of the first things I read was an advertisement for Bulova watches, my father being a watchmaker and I looked up to him as the expert in everything. I was the first in my class (first grade) to learn to tell time by the old round BULOVA wall clock at our family jewelry store in Aliceville, Alabama.
I thought I was the "Queen" of Sales by the time I was 10 because every time my mother would have a Jewelry Sale , she would put a table out on the street in front of the store for me to talk to and bring in customers. I got really clever and would always gather a crowd around to give them my" SALES PITCH!" They really just thought I was cute... but I didnt care as long as they were buying something.
I finished high school and went off to college in Birmingham, the" big city", and thought I would change the whole world. I wanted to become a physical therapist, so I went to UAB , and I learned that I really didn't like physics in my 2nd year. I finished college in Tuscaloosa at the University of Alabama with a general education degree in the late 70's..... Roll Tide. I moved back home and decided I wanted to manage the family business after all. I had been fighting against the idea since high school. I got married, had a beautiful daughter(Melanie Hope Drain), in 1981, and wanted the freedom to be available for her gymnastic lessons, softball games and field trips, and I had to admit I was good at managing and operating our family business by now. So I decided that I could do this . My mother and father were getting older and they wanted to be free from the headaches of the business. My brother, who had been managing the store, decided he wanted out of it. I went to gemology school , and went on to find my mentor, Mr. Phil McGuire , of Macon Mississippi, to take me under his wing. He taught me the fine art of jewelry design and repair ....... I will forever be grateful for his mentoring and helping me learn what I know today. I did however, have a very good mentor in my father, but his specialty was watchmaking and this was NOT what I had in mind to do with the business. So this gives you my background..... now on with the making of a great jewelry business!