As an emerging jewelry designer, not quite ready for craft fairs or farmer’s markets, I decided home jewelry parties would be the easiest way to introduce my jewelry line composed of vintage findings and Nina Designs jewelry supplies. To help spread the cost and risk involved, I decided to partner with a friend who’s also a budding jewelry designer eager to introduce her work. We immediately faced two challenges. The first was to find a willing host for our home jewelry party. The second was how to easily display our jewelry in an appealing and professional way without breaking the bank.
Hosting the Party: We decided a party just before the holidays would be the perfect time. That way our host throws a cool holiday party with a unique twist! As a further incentive, we decided to offer the host 10% of our jewelry sales towards any jewelry of her choice. And, most importantly, she must be a hip fashion-conscious woman with lots of friends in San Francisco – an urban social butterfly. After some search, it was easier than we thought to find a host for our first party. We sent out free online e-vites to all of our friends. Just to make sure we had a crowd, friends and family committed to bringing at least one friend to the show.
Jewelry Display Cards
(Click here to read about Yolanda’s Display Ideas) (more…)
Kids Beading are enough to make my heart melt, especially when those kids are my own. You might think that we would bead together all the time, but sadly it’s not true. I have found that there is a window around six years old when kids get very excited about beads, but if they don’t get hooked then, they can drift away. When young friends come to visit, they salivate over all our great beading supplies but my kids generally avoid any activity I enjoy. I am their Mom, hence inherently boring, hence anything I like must be boring too………
My youngest daughter, Tali, is now six year old and I sensed an opportunity. Over labor day weekend, I dug out the beading supplies and showed her how to make bracelets and dragonflies. Not wanting to be left out, my oldest daughter, Lyra, joined in. Before they knew it, both girls were entranced. I knew it might never happen again, so I snapped a few photos. Do you ever bead with your kids?
Lyra Beading
Tali Beading
Pandora™ style customizable bracelets and necklaces created with unique “moment” beads are the latest trend sweeping the jewelry world. In Style magazine has ads from Pandora™, Troll™ and Chamilia™ featuring beads to commemorate memorable events and milestones; Italian Vogue Jewelery has ads from Italian companies Tedora™, Piroppo™ and MaVi™ featuring “celebration” beads; and Elle Magazine has a four page promotional spread of Pandora™ customizable jewelry.
We couldn’t be more thrilled with this trend! It has provided an opportunity for us to select some of our most special beads and rework them with larger holes so they can easily slide onto Pandora™ style chain, leather or silk cord. The timing is great: over the last few years, we’ve seen a decline in bead purchases as interest has shifted towards pendants and charms. While we have become accustomed to items trending in and out, it was especially disappointing to see the beads diminish in popularity because beads are the ideal canvas for highlighting the meticulous and precise craftsmanship of the Balinese silversmiths. These gorgeous new large hole “slider” beads are a great way to bring the incredible skill of the Balinese silversmiths back to the forefront. Click here to see our entire collection of large hole slider beads. Gold plate versions of some of these beads will be available shortly.
Gorgeous large hole slider beads slide easily onto chain, leather or silk cords.
Create your unique Pandora™ style bracelet with these large hole slider beads.
When our new deer hide leather cord arrived, the office was filled with “oohs” and “aahs.” While I was enticed by the rich array of vivid colors, I was at loss for design ideas - a rarity working here! Generally, I would say that leather jewelry does not fit with my aesthetic, I’m more pearls and charms. I was a little reticent to try out this new product.
As I unraveled the Blonde bundle of leather cord my mind shifted. I was lured by its subtle buttery texture. I wrapped it around my wrist and loved the layered mass I saw. I played with the two opposing textured sides, the creamy smooth topside against the slightly rugged and rough underbelly. This juxtaposition, coupled with my inexperience with the medium, led me to design an asymmetrical, layered necklace.
I doubled the large link chain and slid the leather through a link on each side. I wire wrapped our faceted smoky quartz and chrysoprase, alternating them within the chain. I created the clasp by making a loop with the leather at one end and tying a wire wrapped smoky quartz to the other, essentially making a button type closer. I added one more chrysoprase as a dangle to the end. I left the leather ends raw and cut. The end product was at once feminine and rugged. Raw and chic. Modern and antique.
Needless to say I am now in love.
Desert Green Necklace
Detail of Desert Green Necklace
At the same time that we enjoy the benefits of flexibility, Designing Moms face many challenges. When your office is at home, it can be difficult to draw a line between work and household chores. Sometimes kids resent our work and compare us unfavorably to Moms who don’t juggle careers. Sometimes, we can’t stop judging ourselves. Sometimes, when we finally do sit down to work, it is hard to turn off the voice in our heads reciting a list of all the things we need to remember: “Pick Tali up at 4:00, Drop Lyra at dance class at 4:30, figure out what to make for dinner, Remind Tom to ask about the insurance, thank my Mom for watching the kids on Saturday……………….”
I would love to hear your tips for balancing family and work. All the little tricks that help you stay organized and buy you time at the design table. Here are two of my tips: 1. Don’t feel guilty saying no. I try to get into the classroom a few times a year but I don’t try to keep up with Mom’s who don’t work. I am grateful for their contribution and clear about my limitations. 2. Laundry isn’t rocket science, my kids do their own wash. Well.,OK, my six year old only folds hers but she is on a fast track to laundry independence. Anyone else?
Tali Helps QC Beads in 2003
Baby Lyra Models 1995
Jewelry findings can be easily modified to create a unique, custom look for your jewelry. When we are sketching new components, we often try to incorporate a variety of design options into the piece. For example, a top jump ring can be clipped off a pendant (use flush cut wire cutters and file off any remaining sharp edges on the silver) and then wire wrapped to sections of a chain or links. A beautiful clasp can be used as a centerpiece in the front of a necklace; dangles can be attached to the bottom edge of a pendant to add movement to the design; or a pendant can be used as a link instead of just a pendant.
Jewelry finding A475 used as is.
Jewelry Finding A475 used as a link.
A475 with jumpring clipped off and wire wrapped to links.
A475 with jumpring clipped off and flipped upside down.
As jewelry designers ourselves, we like to use components in fresh, unexpected ways. It’s a simple technique to set yourself apart from other designers. With a little modification, one piece can be transformed into a number of different components.
We’ve also had success with “blackening” our silver for a unique finish. Additionally, we’ve used matte paper to add a satin finish to shiny silver and gold plate (the matte paper “scratches” the surface slightly to dull the shiny finish). How have you modified parts to make them your own?
It is time to get ready for the busy fall and holiday seasons by stocking up on jewelry supplies at your local bead show. Since I spend about a third of my year at bead shows I thought I would put together a survival guide to help you navigate your way through those long hard shopping days.
1. Wear comfy shoes – the floors are usually cement and being on your feet all day is hard. I like to have a second pair with me to change into half way through the day, or for your ride home. You would be surprised at how much this helps.
2. Layer your clothes. It can start out chilly in the morning, but by the time the afternoon rolls around and the lights have been on all day, most busy shoppers are breaking a sweat.
3. Food and water – Show food is terrible. Sure a hot dog will seem like a good idea when you have been shopping for 5 hours, but if you just plan ahead and bring a sandwich, some nuts and dried fruit, and a bottle of water, you will be much happier. I always go to the grocery store in the morning to stock up on pre-made sandwiches and snacks and plenty of water.
Nina Designs in Tucson 2008
To read the rest of our handy bead shopping tips, click below.
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One of the things I love most about my work is the opportunity to help women jewelry designers thrive. I say women because of the over 3,000 active customers at Nina Designs, at least 90% are women. I am also willing to bet that a majority of our clients are Moms. Designing jewelry is a wonderful way for women to work while maintaining the flexibility necessary to raise a family. When my oldest daughter was small, I had an office in my living room. As she grew up, I built an addition to the house and eventually moved into a commercial space. As my own boss, I had the flexibility to pace my business expansion to the needs of my family. And because beads are small, I could work at home for a long time before I needed a bigger space. All over the country, women are having similar experiences. So Moms, what do you love most about your jewelry business?
Nina's Home Office 1996
Nina Takes a Break 1996
Here at Nina Designs, we love our gold plate sterling vermeil style charms, pendants and clasps. We have been offering gold vermeil style items for over 15 years, but in the last 3 years, gold plate has grown in popularity. Many of our customers are requesting additional details on our plating process. Here is more specific information about our gold plate vermeil style collection.
It is standard practice in the Fashion Press to refer to gold plate over sterling as Vermeil, to distinguish it from gold plate over base metal. This is a useful distinction. However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defines Vermeil as 100 micro inches (2.5 microns) of plating over sterling silver. Most gold plated jewelry has a thin wash of as little as 1 micro inch (.025 microns). Our gold plate is 40 TIMES as thick, at 40 micro inches (1 micron). We find this thickness extremely durable and more affordable than the 100 micro inches mandated by the FTC to legally label products Vermeil. Therefore, we will refer to our products as Vermeil Style instead of Vermeil.
For our Vermeil Style gold plate, we use gem quality plating that is 40 micro inches (1 micron) thick and very, very reliable. Our regularly stocked gold plate has a satin finish with 24 karat color. The electroplating process uses 98.5% pure gold. There is a fine layer of Nickel between the silver and the gold to prevent the silver from migrating through the gold to the surface. The Nickel layer greatly increases the longevity and durability of the gold plate. What do you think of our gold plate vermeil style collection?
Sterling Vermeil Style buddhas add a warm elegance to these earrings.
Sterlin Vermeil style Chrysanthemum pendant.
Every week, we personally hand pick our beautiful sterling vermeil for the best quality jewelry findings. Our products are carefully selected in silver, prior to the gold plating process. Once plated, we quality check each item one by one. All our vermeil style gold plate is 40 micro-inch plating using 24 karat gold with a satin finish. So, what we look for is a uniform color and coating and a smooth, silky finish. Click here to learn more about our vermeil style gold plate.
If it has passed our quality checklist and looks fabulous, it is prepared for sale. The jewelry findings are counted and sorted into packs of 10, 20 pieces, and on up, then matched into pairs or sets, if necessary. It’s a pretty time consuming task, but it’s all worth it. Sometimes I can’t help myself and pause to just gaze at all the gorgeous gold plating. I can’t seem to keep up with all the jewelry ideas I have when processing the sterling vermeil. Eventually, I come back to reality and continue with the process. All this attention to detail is to ensure the best quality sterling vermeil products for all of us!
Another weeks worth of sterling vermeil sorting!