Remember Dawn Woodward, who recently shared her article, "Window of Opportunity - Parisian Inspiration", on my Home Jewelry Business Success Tips website?
Dawn's website got so much traffic just from having that article published on my main site and mentioned in my newsletter, that it changed her online jewelry marketing plan.
She says:
"Traffic was pouring in through my (Parisian!) shop door and made me realise what a powerful marketing tool I had discovered. Finally, I had found a way to bring potential customers to my site and I wasn't going to stop there."
She adds: Read more
Here's a neat tip from JoAnne of DL Creations:
Selling older pieces of jewelry is easy, and these pieces are well received.
I have one display box labeled "Estate Jewelry".
When people ask, I explain that I buy estate jewelry from individuals and auctions, clean it, repair as needed, and resell it.
Some of my customers Read more
After seeing this photo in my article on jewelry display mannequins:
Many people have asked me where they can find these laughing mannequins.
Here are two sources for them:
Mannequins on eBay - they always have a big variety of mannequins in all sorts of moods, and you never know what you'll turn up there.
BigSmile Mannequins online store.
Hope this puts a smile on your face! 
People often ask me how they can sell a used wedding ring, or how to unload other manufactured jewelry for a good price.
Well, although I can tell you thousands of ways to sell handcrafted jewelry, I'm not an expert on selling manufactured jewelry!
I can share a few tips with you, though - and I can also tell you about my own recent experience with selling some unwanted gold jewelry I hadn't worn in years.
But first, a word of warning - you will probably not be able to get anywhere near the price you'd like to get for your used wedding ring or other jewelry, even when the precious metal market prices are very high.
So don't expect too much - although there's always a chance you may be pleasantly surprised.
Here's what I would recommend:
If the piece is Read more
Recently I interviewed jewelry sales rep Jo-Ann Gibbons, to find out what this type of selling arrangement is like from the rep's perspective.
Specifically, I wanted to know: what can a jewelry artist do to help the sales rep sell more jewelry?
Jo-Ann's insightful answers contain several gems, such as:
"If the products are new or the jeweler is new to the public, I suggest a laminated Introduction Card introducing the jeweler, nicely displayed among the jewelry.
"Also an introduction to the jewelry itself - discussing the stones and other materials used, the quality, free of nickel & lead, etc. This takes the pressure off the selling clerks, and describes the jewelry for sale."
Read the entire interview here:
Interview with a Jewelry Sales Rep.
Jo-Ann now represents Fifth Avenue Collection jewelry.
Dr. David Weiman, "The Jewelry Marketing Doctor", has just released the DVD package of his live seminar, "The Five Keys to Selling Handcrafted Jewelry".
I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dr. Weiman is entertaining and informative, and as you watch the DVD you simultaneously fill out the accompanying workbook.
Afterward, you have a concrete jewelry marketing plan (your finished workbook) in your hands.
Also included in the package are an audio CD and a printed transcript.
Read my full review of The Five Keys to Selling Handcrafted Jewelry to find out what I liked best about it!
Many jewelry designers feel that they aren't true "artists" unless they design and produce only one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.
However, it can be difficult to sell one-of-a-kind items and still make a profit - much less make a living.
Gloria Browne discusses the pros and cons of producing one-of-a-kind pieces, production pieces, and limited number editions - and how to decide which production strategies work best for your jewelry business:
Designing Unique Jewelry - One-of-a-Kind vs. Production Pieces - a new article by Gloria Browne of Beading Design Jewelry.
Anne Rush has spent 20 years as a jewelry designer and design director for major brands such as Liz Claiborne, Monet, Kenneth Cole, and Sigrid Olsen.
She says talented jewelry designers with fresh ideas are in big demand by major established lines.
If you think it sounds interesting to be an independent jewelry designer, freelancing for large corporations, Anne explains how to get in the door and present yourself in a way that would win the job.
In her article Freelance Jewelry Designer, Anne generously shares her top 10 tips for getting a successful start.
She also tells how to contact the right people to get started.
After reading the article, be sure to check out Anne's blog, The Savvy Designer.
She shares a wealth of experiences and tips from inside the jewelry design industry.
On a trip to Paris, Dawn Woodward was awe-struck at the beauty of the jewelry shop window displays she saw there.
After returning home, she decided to give her online jewelry customers the experience of seeing her jewelry designs in a Parisian window.
Read Dawn's story of how an amateur model and an amateur photographer helped her achieve her Window of Opportunity - Parisian Inspiration.
Her article includes lovely images from the resulting photoshoot.
Article by Dawn Woodward.
Over the years I've found that my jewelry business and my son's school can work nicely together in a lot of ways.
Jewelry artist Linda Blackbourn of A-Z Jewelry Design shares three especially cool ways her jewelry business and her children's school benefit each other:
How Your Jewelry Business Can Help Your Kids' School
I was particularly impressed with the third idea Linda mentions in her article.
I'm sure the kids absolutely love this one!
