Jewelry Sales

Well the new web site has been up and running for almost 2 weeks now and no more kinks have surfaced that I am aware of. This is good news.

The open house I hosted in my home went well and I received lots of good comments on the web site design and on my jewelry designs. I had 6 customers who wanted special orders and some of them were in multiples. I guess now I have to get to work!

I have 3 more shows upcoming in November and now I'm wondering how I'm going to have enough new material for them to be profitable. I guess this is why we have 24 hours in a day.

I'm always trying to trend what is selling so that I can make more of that type of item, but at this last show, a few things sold that I had made last year...go figure...I was just about to tear them apart and design something new. What I can tell you is that gold and silver items sold about equally which is different than last year when it was mostly silver items that were selling.

If there is any advise I could give someone new in the jewelry design business it would be to create what you would wear...now I expand that and create items that myself or my mother would wear, since she tends to raid the jewelry stash whenever she needs a piece of jewelry to go with a particular outfit. She and I do have somewhat differing tastes in jewelry...hers more simple and understated and mine is a little bit more bold, so we make a good pair. My mother-in-law however will wear most anything I create, because I created it. My husband is my critic and that is the role I place him in. I try out new designs and colors on him...okay, he doesn't wear them, he just has an eye for designs that look good and he will be honest with me. If he doesn't like it, I go back to the design board and start over until I get it right.

I just can't go wrong with family who support me in almost anything that makes me happy, except that now they want me to paint more pictures. Not sure how to do that and make jewelry. Maybe if I start making small paintings that people could wear...now that would be interesting. :-) -d

Up and Running

Well, what a relief. The web site is up today and now we just have to work out some of the kinks. If you are ever going to develop a web site, be sure to get the SSL certificate way in advance of your site going live. I have found that this has been the biggest delay.

Look for future posts on jewelry design ideas, gem tree design, cleaning gemstones, etc. as I am trying to look to the future and what type of information folks would find interesting. If after looking at my site, you find you have questions about where I have found material or how I have made something, please let me know and I will post it here.

www.danasjewelrydesign.com

Web Development Kinks

Well if I thought coming back from vacation and getting started on the web project was busy, I didn't have any idea what would hit me when I went back to work. Working full time and running a jewelry business is a bit much, but I love what I do.

The web project got even more difficult when my developers informed me that they forgot to have me get a SSL certificate...okay no problem, but when I checked out my server host, they wanted a ton of money and they wouldn't use a 3rd party vendor. Needless to say we are now working through the moving of my site to a new host (cheaper than the other one) and will be able to get a SSL much cheaper from GoDaddy.

My husband has started working out the kinks on the stuff I posted to the test site...lucky him and I'm just wanting to get back in the craft room and create more jewelry. I have designs and ideas just floating around in my head that I want to do something with.

Getting the Web site ready

I know that everyone seems to be really busy these days, but my husband and I usually have a very long list of things we need or want to do. Have you ever just wanted a night where you could just pop in a movie and relax? I want that night.

We did just get back from a weeks vacation visiting relatives in St. Louis and Savannah, but visiting relatives just doesn't count as a vacation to me. It was a lot of traveling from our home state of Washington. We did however get to see folks that we haven't seen in a couple of years including our grandson who is 4 now.

Prior to vacation, I hired a web design group to develop a web site for my jewelry designs. They came highly recommended by a friend of mine who also designs and sells jewelry. Within just a few weeks the site was up on a development server and now we are busily taking pictures and posting them along with gathering all the other information that needs to be completed prior to its release. Our release date is October 14th...we shall see if we make it. If you want to check it out after the 14th the address is www.danasjewelrydesign.com. Once all of the site information has been updated, maybe I can get back to designing jewelry.

The piece pictured here was made using moonstone and carnelian. It has a front closure with tassel and a handmade lampwork bead made by me.