[Jewelry making - Article 00081] - [Orchid] [rec.crafts.jewelry] Highlights - Issue #1 **

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                           rec.crafts.jewelry  

                            H i g h l i g h t s

        Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques

                    November 2, 1997 Issue #1
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      Highlights Editor: 
                ~ Dr. E Aspler <service AT ganoksin.com>

      rec.crafts.jewelry newsgroup modarator:
                ~ Peter Rowe <PWRowe AT ix.netcom.com>
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Introducing Highlights
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From: Peter Rowe <PWRowe AT ix.netcom.com>

    Attached are a number of recent messages sent to the usenet
    newsgroup, rec.crafts.jewelry.  This group is a moderated
    newsgroup, and as such will be found to be pleasantly free of off
    topic spamm, unlike most non-moderated groups on the net these
    days.  Advertising is generally limited to non-commercial items
    such as used tools, for direct posting to the group.  On topic
    commercial ads and web site announcements and the like are
    combined into a single weekly digest post, keeping advertising
    visibility acceptable to most readers.  You can access
    rec.crafts.jewelry with any newsreader software if you ISP carries
    the group in it's news server, as almost all do.  New messages or
    replies can be posted to the group in the same way as with any
    other newsgroup, though because it's a moderated group, there will
    be a time delay, usually of about a day, before you see your
    message in the group (except, as noted, for ads, which will be in
    the digest post at the end of the week.)  Only ascii text posts
    are accepted.  No binary data such as image files or HTML coded
    messages, please.  A monthly FAQ, detailing acceptable posting
    guidelines, is sent the beginning of each month, or may be found
    in the dejanews archeives at http://www.dejanews.com .
    Not-for-publication contact with the moderator can be sent to
    PWRowe AT ix.netcom.com.  If not for publication, please be sure to
    indicate that fact in your message.

   thanks.

   Peter Rowe
   moderator
   rec.craft.jewelry

 .....IN THIS DIGEST.....

// -- N-E-W -- // 

   "Where to sell jewelry"
           ~ slbailey AT bu.edu (Sherry Bailey)
           ~ joyreside AT aol.com (JoyReside)

   "Babul (pointy granulation)"
           ~ sabuk AT aol.com (SabuK)

   "Bead tips-findings help"
           ~ joyreside AT aol.com (JoyReside)

   "Silver hallmarks on internet"
           ~ janjaap.luijt AT wxs.nl

// -- B-U-L-L-E-T-I-N  B-O-A-R-D --//

   "Annealing wire?"
           ~ slbailey AT bu.edu (Sherry Bailey)

// -- H-E-L-P --//

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Orchid D -  I -  G -  E -  S -  T  
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// -- N-E-W -- // 

Where to sell jewelry
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From:             slbailey AT bu.edu (Sherry Bailey)

    There are lots of good books out on selling crafts. Wendy
    Rosen's "Selling your Crafts" (I think) is popular these days, for
    one. Basically there is no one "best" place to sell, and anyway if
    there was, why would those who know about it ruin THEIR sales by
    telling the world about it!? 

    You have to find the places that work FOR YOU. I, for one,
    refuse to do "mass production" work -- I have nothing against
    those who do, I just can't stand repeating designs like that. So
    the wholesale options that production craftsmen use are not
    appropriate for me. I won't ever sell to store chains, etc. that
    order by the item number. Production craftsmen can make a living
    doing that exact thing, though, if they have the psychology to
    make things in multiples. (Good quality things, of course!) You
    have to figure out how much time and money you want to put into
    marketing, and how much time and effort into your work, and what
    you need to do to make a profit. (WAY too many hobby crafters seem
    to think making back the materials costs is good enough -- these
    guys are the ones who make it harder for people who know you also
    have to get paid a reasonable wage for your time and all the
    overhead costs, as well.)

    This is going to sound like I'm sneering, and I'm NOT -- but
    bead jewelry is a tricky area. A lot of it all looks alike, no
    matter who makes it, and there isn't a huge market for that stuff
    anywhere, especially since 3rd world countries assemble (for
    example) bead earrings and sell them wholesale to discount stores
    (and others -- flea marketers, for example) for pennies... why
    would anybody pay ten dollars a pair for your bead earrings when
    they can get a pair for a dollar in the mall? So with beads you
    really have to struggle to make your work differentiated.
    Fabricate settings, make your own beads, sell vintage beads that
    simply LOOK better, whatever it takes -- but if your stuff doesn't
    have special appeal, you are in direct competition with people who
    work for 50 cents a day with beads bought by the millions at rock
    bottom prices. No way you can succeed that way. Good luck Sherry

From:             joyreside AT aol.com (JoyReside)

    I did a country craft show in the beginning of my business and
    sold 1 pair of $13.00 earrings.  It was the fastest lesson I ever
    learned.  Call or write your State Arts Council,(Illinois has a
    great one!) many publish listing of fine art/crafts shows to jury
    into.  Next spend as much as you can afford to get HIGH QUALITY
    slides of your pieces made.  They need to be a good representation
    of your work.  It is from these slides you will be juried into
    shows.  (Slides... I can write a book about that subject).  As far
    as competitive, you will have jewelry at ALL fine craft fairs. 
    What makes you a high seller is not necessarily the price, but
    your individuallity, creativity and quality. Joy

Babul (pointy granulation)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From:             sabuk AT aol.com (SabuK)

    I think I asked if anyone knew about this technique a while ago in
    this newsgroup, and I just found out about it myself so I thought
    I would answer here. I had seen a pair of antique (marked English)
    earrings that where three spheres covered in tiny tiny pointed
    conical shapes so that touching one was like picking up a
    miniature sycamore ball. The earrings were very gold colored.
    People I asked about it usually said it was granulation, but it
    did not look like the granulation I had seen because the
    "granules" were pointed. In turns out, as documented in Oppi
    Untracht's Traditional Jewelry of India (Abrams 1997) that this
    work was done in India to look like an acacia flower. It is
    usually done on spherical or semicircular domes to imitate the
    flower's form, and the "granules" are made by pressing high carat
    metal into some kind of mold to make the pointy granules. They are
    connected to the metal the same way as granulation. Then, the
    whole thing is washed in acid to give it a matte surface. The
    technique was especially used to decorate traditional Indian
    earrings of one, two or three balls. The example I saw was truly
    spectacular. Unfortunately, I couldn't buy them, but at least I
    know how they were made. I hope I didn't condense the explanation
    too much. If anyone wants the verbatim text, I'll e-mail it. Judy
    Geib

Bead tips-findings help
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From:             joyreside AT aol.com (JoyReside)

    I bought my first ounce of PMC in Sept and had some fun.  My
    best products included pressing some fresh  leaves into the clay,
    baking then antique and polish.   Because of the porosity, you
    must burnish the area you wish to solder findings or the solder
    will be literally sucked into your piece.  (this was very
    flustrating in the beginning)...  Anyway, public response was
    positive.  Of the 6 pieces produced sold 3 at first show.  I also
    did a thin basketweave pin but found it to be to thin and ends
    broke easily.  My solution was to run it through the rolling mill
    to flatten the design and solder to a piece of 24 gauge.  I am
    glad I experimented but I am not sure I will reorder. Anyone
    else?????? Joy

Silver hallmarks on internet
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From:             janjaap.luijt AT wxs.nl

    Want to find silver hallmarks on the Internet try:

    http://home.wxs.nl/~luijt005/hallm.html

    Good luck, Janjaap Luijt

// -- B-U-L-L-E-T-I-N  B-O-A-R-D --//

Annealing wire?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From:             slbailey AT bu.edu (Sherry Bailey)

    I am wondering what you folks would recommend for someone who
    wants to do some one-step-above-basic wire work with annealed
    sterling, copper, and brass wire. I don't have a gas range (which
    I know can be used for annealing) and don't really want to invest
    the $100-150 in a little kiln for this purpose. I have seen small
    gas (propane, I think) "hot plates" which might work, although I
    have no idea how fast you'd use up the little cartridges. Are
    there any other options that will get the metal hot enough?

    (Eventually I hope to gear up to a more serious level, and
    refresh the skills I learned 20 years ago in jewelry classes in
    college, but at the moment I will be happy to soften some wire so
    I can hammer it!)

Sherry

-----  End of rec.crafts.jewelry Highlights Digest ---------

// -- H-E-L-P -- //

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