It’s Fashion Friday and I am thrilled to be blogging about my favorite jewelry component . . .
Mixed chain is in every fashion magazine I flip through these days. It seems to be all the rage right now and I love it! It reminds me of my heavy-metal and punk-loving days when chains were an essential accessory.
Wearing mixed chain has unlimited potential. It can be worn anywhere, with anything. You can wear the same mixed chain necklace with black leather on one day, a simple white tee the next and with an elegant cocktail dress that same evening. Mixing chain can transform even the simplest of outfits and there are tons of options to choose from to fit your personal style. I love layering several single-chain necklaces to create more texture too.
With all those images from the magazines fresh in my mind, I was inspired to create a mixed chain necklace of my own using several Nina Designs chains juxtaposed with our soft silk ribbon. It’s something I can wear with anything. I love the heavy look and feel of all the chain, and yet it’s fluid and soft in it’s movement. Plus, mixing chain is a great way to use all those odd lengths of chain scraps you’ve been holding on to!
Figuring out where to sell your silver charm jewelry online is no easy task. In Part One of this blog series I listed a bunch of online crafty markets as alternatives to Etsy. Today I started doing a little comparison. Of all the ones I listed I liked the look of Cargoh the best. The pictures are tasteful and well balanced, and because entry to their marketplace is juried, there is a nice balance in the variety of jewelry offered for sale. And, unlike Etsy, there is not an overwhelming amount of jewelry for sale. For instance, Cargoh currently has 37 pages of jewelry for sale, compared to Etsy’s 1250 pages of jewelry. Would you rather be a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond? That seems to be the choice.
Here’s the funny thing though. While I was shopping on Cargoh, I randomly selected a few jewelry shops to see how they’re doing. Each of the 12 shops I sampled had no more than a few sales. Most had been opened just about 6 months to a year. Weird, I wonder what’s going on? Why aren’t they selling more? Does Cargoh not drive traffic to their site as well as Etsy? Not sure. Do the shop owners have other shops? Indeed, every one had Etsy shops that had a lot more sales. Whether that’s because these shop owners spend more time marketing their Etsy shop and keeping their Etsy shops current compared to their Cargoh shop, I’m not sure. But that’s what it looks like. Of their two shops, the Etsy shops are filled with lots more items, and their Facebook pages direct traffic to Etsy more often than to their Cargoh shops.
Where do you sell your jewelry?
Cost of selling on Cargoh: You pay a percentage of your sale price when your item sells. If you sign up before January 31, 2011, that percentage is only 3.5%. There is no listing fee.
Cost of selling on Etsy: You pay 3.5% of your sale price when your item sells, plus $0.20 for each item listed.
Where do you sell your jewelry?
We receive many calls from customers asking how to clean silver pendants, charms, and earring findings without harming them. With silver becoming more and more precious with every day, taking good care of it is very important. All sterling silver will tarnish when exposed to air. The process is called oxidation and it will cause sterling silver to blacken over time. Leah wrote a great blog, Preventing Tarnish on Sterling Silver, that’s packed full of helpful tips & tricks to prevent tarnishing in the first place.
Be gentle when cleaning. You don't want to remove all the oxidation!
Now assuming it’s too late and your sterling silver has tarnished and needs to be cleaned, start here:
1. Before you start cleaning jewelry always do a quick visual check to see if there are any loose or damaged gemstones; cracked or broken metal; bent or warped prongs/tips; discolored or pitting metal. If this is the case, we recommend having it professionally cleaned and repaired. You wouldn’t want to cause any further damage.
2. Always remove jewelry before showering or cleaning. A film can form if the soap is not washed off completely. This film will become a magnet for dirt, dust and other contaminants.
3. Use a silver polishing cloth to remove oxidation from silver. Tissues and paper towels can cause scratches. We recommend using a Sunshine Cloth. Be sure to use fresh cloths since the dirt and grit left on the cloth from a previous use can leave scrapes and pits. Use light pressure and allow the cloth to do the work for you. If your arm starts to ache, you’re probably pressing too hard.
4. Commercial cleaners can be purchased at jewelry stores. Always remember to read the instructions on the commercial cleaners first before you attempt cleaning. Most commercial cleaners are very strong and will remove all oxidation! Many of our designs are purposely oxidized then polished, so that crevices are darkened to bring out the depth and beauty of a piece. Take care not to remove this design element. Do not go overboard!
(psst . . . click on the link below to read more cleaning tips).
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One of my first creations
I combined a delicate gold-plated silver chain with a few small gold plated charms and two chunky black quartz gemstones to create the perfect earring for this year’s New Year’s festivities. I love the simplicity of these earrings. I think I found a great balance between elegance and fun!
One of my favorite parts of getting dressed up is to finish the outfit with the perfect accessories. Before Nina Designs became a part of my life, I had to search near and far to find that perfect accessory. I didn’t have the slightest clue what a wire wrap was – let alone how to do it! In the past few months I’ve learned so much about the art of making jewelry. Now, rather than hunting the stores for the perfect accessory, I envision what I want and make it come to life! Nina Designs has given me the skills, tools and inspiration to dive right into jewelry making. Jewelry is all around me now. I think, breathe and dream jewelry! How could I not? I’m surrounded by an office full of totally creative women as well as a stock-pile of silver charms, chains, clasps, silk, gemstones and more!
It felt wonderful on New Year’s Eve when my girlfriends complemented me on my earrings. My response? “Thanks, I made them!” Thank you Nina Designs!
Silver Charms are more precious than ever! If you have been following the silver market, you know that prices have continued to rise. In response, we are raising our prices once again. I know how difficult these increases are, especially with the economy so fragile. I wish I could do something about it but for the moment, escalating metal prices are a fact of life.
On January 14th at 5 pm Pacific time, our prices will increase 22%. All orders placed before then will be processed at the lower prices. However, effective immediately, all back orders and special orders will be at the new prices. Existing backorders will remain at lower prices. We apologize in advance that many of our styles are sold out as the result of a busier than expected holiday season. We have ordered replacement inventory but it won’t arrive before the price increase.
Please note that orders will be processed and pulled as we normally do: orders with expedited shipping (UPS Overnight, 2-Day, and 3-Day) are pulled before UPS Ground and Priority Mail orders. UPS Ground and Priority Mail orders are processed in the order received. This is important to keep in mind because we may run out of stock on some items and backorders will be at the higher price.
15% DISCOUNT on all silver and gold at our Tucson 2011 tradeshow! Come visit us in Tucson at the Holiday Inn Holidome, #733 from February 3-11th. Limited tradeshow quantities available.
In this type of market, re-branding silver jewelry as heirloom material is essential. The rising price of precious metals has been in the news, so your customers may be more aware of its investment value. Any marketing materials that stress these qualities are a plus. Your jewelry is precious and unique. We are working hard on designs to keep you inspired!
We are re-posting this blog entry because shopping for silver beads and gemstones in Tucson is a lot more enjoyable when you’re prepared. It truly is an experience like no other. The entire city literally turns into one big giant bead show. There are thousands of vendors, some even on the road side. It can be a bit overwhelming. This will be my 8th trip to Tucson and after years of learning the hard way, I have compiled some tips to make your trip more productive and fun.
- I highly recommend you check out my earlier blog post titled Bead Show Survival Guide. Make sure you pay special attention to tips # 1, 3, and 5. Having your documents in order, your feet cozy and your energy levels stable will definitely make your shopping days more pleasant.
- Plan for all kinds of weather in Tucson. It is usually chilly, but there often are days with full sun and days that are blustery and rainy. Pack an umbrella, a waterproof tote, and a raincoat.
- You will need good shoes. I cannot emphasize this enough. I have ruined at least 3 pairs over the years walking through muddy gravel to get from the parking lots to the main entrance of the shows. If your weatherproof shoes aren’t very comfy, bring an extra pair to change into once you get inside.
We Love Dansko Shoes
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