It pays to spend a little extra time figuring out a jewelry display and packaging system that strengthens your jewelry identity. In previous blog posts I discussed the importance of maintaining a clear vision of what makes your jewelry unique and how that vision can inform your jewelry display which in turn helps you clearly communicate your jewelry identity to your customers. The way you package your jewelry is another opportunity for you to reinforce your vision. But for many of us defining that vision seems to come more naturally than developing all the supportive packaging and displays. I find that this is an ever-evolving process. I’m constantly changing the way I do things, and finding a new way to more clearly express my point of view to customers.
Jewelry Display for Silent Auction
Last week I was asked to donate to a charity in my hometown of Portland, Maine. I needed to make sure my design inspirations and identity were clearly communicated, without me actually being there. I was a little uncertain about how to do this and was worried about how to keep it looking cohesive and easy to display for the organization’s silent auction. I thought about how to keep the jewelry easy to view with out stands or props. The natural option was to simply use small jewelry boxes with my business card inside. Plants and biology inspire my jewelry, and I wanted to make sure this element was made clear to the audience. I decided to write a short bio that would tell a bit about my concept. I formatted the text to fit perfectly inside the lid of my jewelry box. Now my info is not only on display, but goes with the piece of jewelry and it’s new owner.
I think a good way to improve upon this, would be to design a business card in which the backside doubles as an earring or necklace card. The text on my card is a little distracting to the earrings, but a redesign with my info on one side and just my logo on the other side would make for a great multi-purpose card.
Silver Charms never seem to go out of style. Perhaps that is why this category has expanded to dominate our product line.They are fun, collectible and timeless. By now, most of our clients know how our Bali products are made by hand by extremely skilled silversmiths schooled in an ancient tradition of metal work. Some of you might not realize that our Thai Silver Charms, though cast instead of hand fabricated, are also very labor intensive and require both technical and artistic skill to execute effectively.
The lost wax casting process begins with a hand drawn sketch, usually made by Leah in our office. The sketch is emailed to Bangkok where a wax master model is hand carved using the drawing as a guide. A rubber mold is made from the model, then filled with wax repeatedly to create “Patterns”. The wax patterns are attached to a wax base to form a “Tree” with dozens of patterns on it. This tree is placed in a flask and covered with a plaster-like material called investment. Next,the flask is baked in an oven and the wax melts away, leaving an exact impression of the tree. Molten silver is then poured into the mold and allowed to cool. After the investment is washed away with water, individual charms are clipped from the silver tree. They are trimmed, filed and polished by hand.
See a beautiful Slideshow of the entire silver casting process!
Wax Trees
Clipping Cast Silver Charms
I’d like to share a lesson in jewelry design using our jewelry links. We often receive questions from new jewelers about how to approach the design process or what to do when confronted with a creative block. One of my favorite suggestions is to explore a theme, technique or color combination that has worked for you in the past or that you’ve always admired. What happens if you change the scale? What if you mix up metals? What if you substitute a different gemstone? Chances are you’ll hit upon another success that is in the same family as your original piece.
The three earrings below all feature the same theme: combining different shapes and sizes of our ½ hammered links. These links are incredibly versatile and so much fun to work with! We offer them in multiple sizes, shapes and finishes, allowing for almost endless combinations. By mixing up the scale and the metals, I came up with three very different earring designs. They all work because of the layered, rhythmic feel of the repeating lines in the links. What do you do when confronted with designer’s block?
Layered links symbolize keyholes in this pair of earrings.
Like honeycomb, these links create a framework for the honey and honeybee.
The links in these earrings create a golden aura around buddha.
At Nina Designs, I feel fortunate to work in the business of silver jewelry findings with so many other talented women in a creative environment. My obsession with jewelry findings is fulfilled and I am also inspired to continue with my own creative outlets. At the same time, as the inventory manager I can easily get stuck in front of the computer in my office with spreadsheets and bills and numbers of all sorts. In order to clear my mind for a fresh perspective and a change in visual stimulation I often get outside for short walks. On my morning breaks I like to go for a nice walk in the crisp morning air, during the afternoon I may take another walk to look at the flowers, get a warm drink, or stop off at the market for lunch. I see dogs from the local animal shelter being walked by wonderful volunteers, flowers in bloom or trees in transition from their stark branches to the new buds offered for the blooming sweetness ahead. Today on my walk, I stopped at a bush that was full of honey bees working away at the blue blossoms with collections of pollen on their legs. Spring is here but I also found time to enjoy the winter sun and will look forward to the heat of the summer ahead! Moving the legs, stretching, getting some air, watching the bees and smelling flowers. These are important remedies during a day at the computer.
Daily scenes from my morning walks
I saw a gold vermeil honey bee collecting pollen!
Thai Silver Charms are a growing segment of our business. These popular items are made at a production facility in Bangkok that we began working with in 2002. Since that time, our Thai Silver Charms and Pendants have expanded from a handful of items to hundreds. We selected our supplier based on the quality of their work and our confidence that they pay fair wages and provide other important benefits to their workers.
Thailand and Indonesia (where Bali is located) are the two largest economies in Southeast Asia but the people of Thailand enjoy a higher standard of living. When adjusted for purchasing power parity, the GDP per capita in Thailand is almost double that of Indonesia, though still far below the United States. The unemployment rate in Thailand in 2008 was only 2.1% (8.9% Indonesia, 9.7%USA) creating competition for skilled workers. The residents in Bangkok also have a higher standard of living than anywhere else in the country.
In keeping with a higher level of development, Thailand has substantial regulations for labor. The production facility adheres to rules handed down by the Tax Department, Factory Department, Labor Department and the Health and Environment Department. They pay a 5% payroll tax that covers health insurance, unemployment insurance, and retirement benefits. They also provide 16 paid holidays in addition to personal vacation time and three months of paid maternity leave. Entry level workers are paid well above minimum wage. Mid-level workers earn the equivalent of salaries at a four star hotel and experienced silversmiths earn about the same as a manager at a department store. The youngest worker at the factory is 20 years old.
Sorting & Grading Diamonds
Setting a Diamond
This February at our biggest tradeshow in Tucson, we received customer requests for a variety of jewelry charms: a cheer leading megaphone, a howling wolf, baby shoes and a baby carriage, a water polo ball and a soccer ball, and a head of garlic, just to name a few. One of the most often requested items were more stamping blanks in different shapes. Stamping, where small steel letters are used to create an impression in metal, is a huge trend right now. It allows for customization and a way to tell a personal story. Many mothers wear pendants stamped with their children’s initials; an anniversary date can be stamped onto a heart; or a short uplifting poem can be stamped onto a jewelry charm and worn on a bracelet as motivation to “begin again” or “enjoy the journey”.
In response to the numerous requests we received, we have designed a line of stamping blanks that provide an elegant palette for expressing personal sentiments. They are 19 gauge thick – nice and substantial for receiving stamped letters. Two of the charms feature 24k gold plate accents. For instructions on stamping, visit our classroom. Click here to see these stamping blanks.
Great new stamping blank silver jewelry charms!
Upcoming dog bone charms in the making.
Express your best wishes with silver charms and silk cord. Happy beading is my St. Patty’s wish for all fellow beaders! This is my last blog entry, which saddens me but on this St. Patrick’s day I feel lucky to share with you this cultural celebration. When I think of St. Patrick’s day I think of four-leaf clovers and what they mean. For most they signify good fortune and the advent of change to come. And, at this moment in my life, that is very appropriate because March 31st will be my last day at Nina Designs. I am very lucky to be taking with me many fond memories and tons of knowledge! Seattle, WA will be my new home and to jump start my next adventure I have created my “Let’s Celebrate” four-leaf clover silk wrap bracelet.
Let's Celebrate
I started by selecting silk fairy ribbon in leaf green because it represents the abundance of four leaf clovers I hope to find as I continue to fulfill my personal legend in Seattle. I surrounded the four-leaf clover charm with the word tags: love, luck, hope, and faith. They represent each petal of the clover. Wishbones symbolize good luck, dreams come true, harmony, and gratitude (plus it reminds me of feasting with family and friends).
I love creating jewelry that has a folkloric theme. To give this necklace a folksy appeal, I have separated each charm with a simple knot. I hope that my “Let’s Celebrate” bracelet is a good representation of such a happy day. I feel super lucky to have been part of your lives here at Nina Designs. My goal starting April 1st, is to follow in the steps of all the jewelry designers out there so that I too can prosper by using the beautiful jewelry findings Nina Designs creates for all of us. Good luck and I will miss you all dearly.
I love to wear a bunch of mixed charm bracelets!
Dolce loves charm bracelets too!
Every great office needs a great mascot decked out in silk bows and sterling silver charms! And we found ours in a lovable, absolutely adorable poodle/dachshund puppy named Dolce. As her name suggests, she is as soft and sweet as spun sugar, and a delight to have in the office. She follows Nina around everywhere, but we all take turns rubbing her pink belly and taking her for walks in the neighborhood.
Celebrate all the furry friends in your lives that provide unconditional love and endless enjoyment with our pet themed charms. Our collection is ever popular and just keeps growing. We started with our silver word charms: I love cats, I love dogs,, and wild thing. Before long we designed a series of whimsical paw print charms and a round charm featuring a cat silhouette. Be on the look out for our next cat charm, a textured version of a kitty sitting pretty, and a little dog bone charm that offers a small surface for stamping Fido’s name. And, for all you horse lovers out there, we are coming out with a series of horse charms and pendants soon!
Meet Dolce
Upcoming dog bone charms in the making
Last Thursday we all stayed late to socialize and play with some of our new silver jewelry links. We’ve recently expanded our links collection to include larger sizes of our ever popular ½ hammered round links; hardy new links made with square wire that’s been hammered for a distressed look; and rustic, organic shaped links inspired by twisted roots and vines that coordinate wonderfully with our branch pendants. We eagerly look forward to Nina Designs Bead Nights when we can unleash our creativity and play with the items that we’ve dreamed about as we pulled them for customer orders.
Nina Designs Bead Night creations
We had an especially productive and enjoyable evening, everyone leaving at the end of the night with a creation they were proud of. Juanita made a spirited bracelet with our lifelike skulls wire-wrapped to small links. Emily used thin blackened wire tightly wrapped around the larger size ½ hammered links to make dramatic, sculptural earrings. Anna also explored the coiled wire wrapping technique on our new large hoops and created a pair of fantastic summery earrings. Yolanda used the organic twisted vine links to make a long, sultry “Sunday Brunch” necklace. Stephanie made a double strand bracelet with a decorative box clasp and mysterious black pearls purchased at Tucson. And I tried embedding our ½ hammered round links into thin braided thread to create a light and open, yet structured necklace. What are some of the ways you build community around jewelry making?
I used our new sterling silver jewelry link to construct my Spring inspired statement earrings! With the first day of Spring upon us I have been feeling the need for a jewelry wardrobe update. When I begin to trade my bulky sweaters for sundresses, I trade out my petite jewelry for larger, slightly bohemian, still romantic, statement pieces.
I love to use our sterling links in unique and alluring ways. When all the new links arrived, I was inspired to incorporate them in to my new jewelry wardrobe! I chose the medium sized round link for its size and beautiful hammered texture, then added our sterling silver sprout charms and some of my favorite Nina Designs gemstones. Using silver wire I wrapped the link. This not only added visual interest but allowed me to space the components in the exact way I wanted. With the addition of our twisted wire oval link chain (used as a link) and a floral earring top the earrings embody the spirit of blooming, carefree, Spring days!
NOTE: Our thick gauge twisted wire oval chain is made up of Unsoldered links so you can open and close them. Great for use as a link! Just be sure to use your strongest pliers to open and close the links. Also note that these earrings are pretty heavy, but you could make a lighter weight version by selecting smaller gemstones!
A Spring Statement
