The November Chat

[#1]

New month, as you were.

[heartsabustin]

Today is FIL's birthday. We took them to the Golden Corral for supper. I'm exhausted, and the food was yucky.

[2di4jewelryoriginals]

Congrats on your show, Wendy!

I have a tiny bit of sales dust to share. Sold a pair of beaded earrings on Amazon.

I wrenched my back today. It was feeling tender from sitting hunched over while working, and then I twisted it this morning. Between that & my aching shoulder, I feel like an old woman.

[SilverCedarJewelry]

I can also offer some sales dust - sold 3 small pairs of gold earrings today.

[MostlyStoneware]

Nice to hear about good shows and sales. Congrats.

Erin you mentioned a sore leg\foot and now Dianna is mentioning shoulder. Occupational hazards.
Irene sure glad you are better after your shingles bout.

[Untwistedsister]

Kathy - they didn't actually 'finish' a complete bracelet. They got about 1/2 way done but I do pretty detailed photos and instructions and they got enough sections done that I think they can finish on their own if they go slow. I was there from 11am until 4 with a break for lunch. if enough run into trouble they are willing to pay me to come back so they can finish with a guiding eye on them.

Those over the counter tens machines are great for strained and tweaked backs.

Erin, I wasn't so much worried about the feather bracelet but was thinking of a pendant with a stone and a separate feather. I'm not there yet, so we will see. But thank you!

Jen - the one big difference in your charm pendants and hers that I see (besides the better quality of yours) is that she uses Jaspers and you use semiprecious. I would just suggest you sit on it for a week and see how you feel. That's what I did in a similar situation.

[MostlyStoneware]

My tile pendant customer wants two more pendants as Christmas gifts. Kicker is she wants them to be different tile patterns than the one she bought. Means carving another Steadler block (that white stuff that carves with carving tools) for each one.

What is the usual charge for design time ? I was thinking about $15 bucks an hour,

[cgwhitfield]

Good for Wendy's good show day.

To clarify, it was 6 sales but only 4 buyers. I always mix them up. Since this morning, dead.

[Untwistedsister]

I'll trade ya, CG - I got a sale for a tutorial - $11.00. Like I said, not braggable but they do add up. Tutorial sales make me think of the race between the tortoise and the hare.

Kathy - Will the design time push the price over the top? Sometimes people want a one of kind and then for only them to have it. I'd charge more for that. I like to make $25+/hr for whatever I do. My tennis pro charges $50 and we happily pay it.

[cgwhitfield]

I get a partial taste of that with repeats, list once, keep selling. Still have to make it though. Not the same as just straight to the bank with a tutorial, but for me the photo/listing process takes way longer than the average item does to make.

Just today noticed my best selling item has sold 98 times, one listing...I'd have to make a real adjustment if I were doing OOAK. I respect those who do sell OOAK for the time involved in listing.

[MostlyStoneware]

That is what kills me with the pottery selling, People liked mugs and those larger bowls and they are all just enough different with subtle glaze variations that customers deserve a look at the item they will get.
It's moot because my whole photo tent area and all extra stock is packed and will go to storage for the foreseeable future.

This customer wants scaled down silver models of the tin tiles that were in their old Chinese restaurant as keepsakes for her daughters. There are three styles. this is one the other 2 are more complicated.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211072827520238&set=a.1589576862971.2075624.1342327795&typ...

If she will say go ahead and use them for a series, design time could be absorbed into the selling price.

[Untwistedsister]

that sounds reasonable, Kathy.

CG - I have enough repeatables that are not one of a kinds and yes, it's nice to not have to do new photos all the time.

[2di4jewelryoriginals]

I got my modern mess pendant finished. Setting the stone was hard on my back. I had shooting pain with every movement. The pain is coming from the same side as my shoulder. I'm sure it's all connected, and somehow resulting from repetitive motion with my right arm. The pain is not bad, so I'm going to keep working through it.

Listing items is a huge time suck for me. I hate it.

[prox]

I don't think it's a mess I like it ☺️

[MostlyStoneware]

Picture Dianna?

[ArtistiKat]

I'd love to see a pic as well.
;)

[prox]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMc2qeQDcKz/?taken-by=2di4jewelry

[2di4jewelryoriginals]

Thanks, Jen! :)

Kathy: https://www.instagram.com/p/BMc2qeQDcKz/?taken-by=2di4jewelry

I was going for an industrial look, something a little different than how it turned out. I'm excited to get started on my next project, I'm using the fire bezel.

[heartsabustin]

It looks fine, Dianna.

[ArtistiKat]

I think it looks great!

[MostlyStoneware]

Nothing wrong with that pendant Dianna. I really like the geometry of it.

Gave my customer a quote on the two tiles and she's willing to give a $200 deposit. The damn chain alone costs a fortune, people seem to want 30 or 32 in chains these days.
Anyone else finding that with larger pendants? Those tiles are 2.5 inch square and I have to agree longer/heftier chains look better.

[2di4jewelryoriginals]

Thanks for the kind words on my pendant. I'm not thrilled, but not every piece needs to be a homerun. It's exhausting trying to think of new ideas on a consistent basis. It's exhausting trying to be different, and still sell, in such a competitive market.

[SilverBlueberry]

Dianna, I also love your pendant. Not a mess at all. But I get the feeling when something doesn't turn out like the vision you had.

[NanceDesigns]

Dianna, I so feel for your pains. When you can't put pressure from hands pushing down a bezel, carefully place a small tool and hammer carefully! Your body can only take so much. My body can only take so much, I have experienced.

Wendy, so glad your show was so well received! I need some sales dust too Wendy and CG. I'm not banging out the work that fast as I have great fatigue but I do have a list I want to do this month and hopefully have a good Christmas.

Today was about 68 and we went to a nearby forest to walk and explore. I found an interesting skeleton rather intact of a small animal. Bigger than a house cat and smaller than an adult raccoon. Arched back.

We are suppose to have 2 dry warm weeks and I want to get out an enjoy the sun. I get so happy just being here on my land.

[NanceDesigns]

Someone will absolutely love that pendant and next time you will know how to please yourself and build better on the design Dianna.

[mazuloujewellery]

Good morning 😊 Had a fabulous afternoon yesterday at Designer's Saturday, an event hosted every two years by five local manufacturing companies in Langenthal. For three days their production halls become show rooms for design installations and exhibitions of guest designers, but they also show what they make. At Création Baumann (high end fabrics) they had an entire row of looms going- very impressive! And then of course there were the swinging designer chairs- had to take a movie, here's the link forthe non-IGs😊:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMchSJcle9j/?taken-by=mazulou