[Jewelry making - Article 00303] - [Orchid] Starting a Production Line

[Terri May]

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>      If someone can pay you more, add their own cut on it and sell your
>     work at a profit, then you should, it would seem, be able to add
>     those same markups to your own work and make the extra dough
>     yourself.

Hi Noel,

    Yeah, logic would indicate that; but the time spent selling and
    advertising is why the gallery, store, or reseller is able to market
    the work for more.  If you were able to spend all of your focus and
    resources on merely marketing the work, then you would have no time
    to make the work. 

    I used to know a very talented guy who made everything (he was an
    excellent designer and craftsman) -- he made precious metal jewelry,
    turned wooden bowls, jewelry boxes, furniture, stained glass,
    slumped glass, and a bunch of other things I can't even remember. 
    He made an enormous amount of inventory, and then opened a
    store/gallery of his work.  His store was a hit from the start --
    people told their friends, and he sold most of his inventory very
    quickly. 

    The problem came when he had to replenish his stock.  He'd work
    selling at his store/gallery for about ten hours a day.  He had a
    studio in the back of his store (sounds like a dream, doesn't it?
    <grin>), and would work on pieces between customers, at night, and
    on weekends. 

    Oh my goodness......it became a nightmare for him.  He almost never
    got any sleep, and was always working -- like 18 hours a day, seven
    days a week.  After a couple of serious months at this pace, the
    poor guy had a nervous breakdown.vHe had to close his store (no one
    to run it, no one to make the art). 

    This happened before I knew him.vIt was a high-end store/gallery in
    the Valley (next to LA).vHe made a bundle of money, but it cost him
    physically quite dearly. 

    I suppose this is why really good artists stick to making the work,
    and let others mark it up to sell the heck out of it -- it lets them
    stay healthy. 

--Terri

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