[Jewelry making - Article 00862] - Re: [Orchid] FTC Jewelry guide, misleading and deceptive practices

[Leah]

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>      I wonder about the more restrictive shows, does that mean nothing
>     with Pearls, gold, silver, etc.? 

    I've often wondered about pearls too. If I make a piece using
    nothing but wire and pearls, is it handmade? A lot of my jewelry is
    nothing more than wire and pearls; then again, a lot of my jewelry is
    wire and gemstones, which I do not drill or facet myself - but the
    same amount of work goes into a pair of earrings with a pearl as a
    gemstone - based on the FTC guidelines, it would seem the the
    earrings with pearls might be okay to claim as handmade, while the
    ones with stones (or swarovski beads, etc) would not be - even though
    the same amount of work may have gone into each piece, ie, making the
    wire components and adding a bead or two. then again, I buy my pearls
    pre-drilled, so maybe that disqualifies them from use in a "handmade"
    piece as well. 

    Anyway, I'm not sure I'll ever understand the logic behind the rules
    entirely, but I try to clarify to my customers which aspects of my
    jewelry are handmade by me and which are premade components. I want
    them to know that my jewelry is not mass manufactured, but also to
    understand that there is a difference between earrings made with a
    premade french wire and headpins versus the earwires that I make
    myself in different shapes. Yes, I assemble everything by hand, but
    some of my work is "more" handmade than others. 

-- Leah
www.michondesign.com
leah AT michondesign.com


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