Jewelers Supplies | Jewelry Designer Blog

August 18, 2010

NEW Themed Collections help you find just the silver charm you want

You can find many of these charms in the Globe Trotter Collection

Here at Nina Designs we create silver charms and pendants that we hope inspire you to create beautiful jewelry. But really that’s just half the story. We also work hard to make sure you can easily find and order those silver charms you are looking for. Because Nina Designs is filled with thousands of jewelry components, sometimes that can be tricky.

That’s why we created the NEW Themed Collections page. There you can find all kinds of silver charms, earrings, pendants, and clasps that cluster around particular themes. If you like to design jewelry that tells a story, you’ll this feature. Suppose you’re a hopeless romantic who loves exploring beaches. Then you’ll want to go straight to the Hearts, Love Letters, and Ocean Collections to find just the thing for that necklace you have in mind. Or suppose you want to tell a story of a young entomologist who wants to travel the world searching for cool insects. Then we’d suggest perusing the Globe Trotter and Insect Collections. Whatever story you’d like to tell, the Themed Collections will help you find the words.

To date, we have 20 Themed Collections planned, everything from Aviary to Yoga Spirit, and Ocean to Woodlands. We sincerely hope you enjoy shopping every one. And, if there is any additional themed category you’d like to see or any other type of shopping improvement you’d suggest, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment.

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August 16, 2010

Nothing Beats Shopping our Silver Jewelry Supplies at Trade Shows

Filed under: On The Road — Tags: jewelers supplies, tradeshows — juanita @ 8:26 am

Trade Shows are Fun!

I have spent the last couple of weeks getting all of our jewelry supplies packed and ready for our fall trade shows. If you haven’t ever seen us at a show, I really recommend you stop by. Trade shows are the perfect opportunity to see our silver and vermeil style gold plate beads, charms, and findings in person without having to pay for shipping or meet any minimum purchase requirements. Plus, nothing beats seeing our charms, pendants, and clasps in person.

This fall is going to be a busy one. We have added two new shows that we are really excited about: Bead Fest in Arlington Texas and The Whole Bead Show in Rhode Island. I can’t wait to meet some great new customers and show off our wonderful silver and gold designs.

Mark your calendars, come by the booth to see our Best Sellers and Latest Styles, or just stop by to grab a piece of candy and say hi.

FALL 2010 Trade Show Schedule
* Aug. 20-22. Bead Fest Philadelphia, PA Retail/Wholesale with credentials. Click here for a Free Admission Pass.
* Sept. 10-12. Intergem San Mateo, CA. Wholesale Only.
* Sept. 16-19. Intergem Denver, CO. Wholesale Only.
* Sept. 24-26. Intergem Santa Monica, CA. Wholesale Only
* Oct. 1-3. Bead Fest Arlington, TX. Retail/Wholesale with credentials. Visit Beadfest online for a Free Admission Pass.
* Oct. 8-10. Whole Bead Show Providence, RI. Retail/Wholesale with credentials
* Oct 15-17. Whole Bead Show New York, NY. Retail/Wholesale with credentials.
* Nov. 13-14. BABE! Oakland, CA. Retail/Wholesale with credentials. Click here for a coupon for discounted admission.
* Nov. 26-28. Intergem San Mateo, CA. Wholesale Only
* Dec. 3-5. Intergem Santa Monica, CA. Wholesale Only.

For more details see our Trade Show Schedule.

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August 2, 2010

Winner of Silver Bee Earrings with Colorful Gemstones

Filed under: FUN Contests and Giveaways — Tags: beading supplies, jewelers supplies — juanita @ 5:10 pm

JeanieD, these are yours! Congratulations.

Thanks to everyone for participating in our August GIVEAWAY and selecting your favorite Nina Designs jewelry findings. We were so pleased with all the thought and humor that went into your comments. They are a lot of fun to read, and we get a sense of who you are. Thanks so much for sharing. We are so fortunate to have such awesome customers.

We consulted our Random Number Generator Machine, and . . . (drum roll please) . . . the winner of the Summery Silver Bee Earrings is . . . JeanieD! She selected the 24K Gold Plated Sterling Silver Large Lotus Petal Earring Finding as her favorite. “These graceful, understated hoops are perfect alone or embellished. I find no limit to my imagination using these and the other gorgeous components”. Thanks, JeanieD!

More GIVEAWAYS are planned, so stay tuned!

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July 28, 2010

August Staff Picks: Favorite Jewelry Findings and PRIZE Giveaway

Filed under: FUN Contests and Giveaways — Tags: jewelers supplies — juanita @ 9:11 am

Once a month we’re launching a “Pick Your Favorite Nina Designs Jewelry Findings” Giveaway. Simply leave a comment telling us what your favorite Nina Designs style is & why, and you’ll be entered into a drawing. This month’s prize is great pair of summery earrings featuring little silver bees and colorful gemstones.

For a chance to win these adorable earrings, leave your comment before 5 p.m. PST on August 4th. We’ll announce the lucky winner on our blog on August 6th.

You get a bonus entry for this giveaway if you let us know in the comments that you have posted a link to this post on your blog, Twitter or FB page. Your comment should contain where you posted your link.

PRIZE EARRINGS

We thought we’d join in the fun too. Here are our Favorites for August. Enjoy!

Stephanie: These Bali Sterling Silver Earrings have 5 holes to make it easy to embellish. They have a beautiful shiny hammered finish and with some wire wrapped black garnets (or any stone/pearl of your choice) they’re ready to wear, dressed up or down! Love ‘em!

Clara:The design for this Sterling Silver Hook and Eye clasp is so simple. Combine some sensuous curving lines with the traditional Bali flattened granulation and you get this modern classic that is bold enough to use with your chunkiest beads. Wouldn’t it look great with coral nuggets?

(more…)

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July 26, 2010

Free Design Ideas feature many of our jewelry findings

Filed under: FUN Contests and Giveaways — Tags: jewelers supplies, jewelry design — juanita @ 5:01 pm

Vicki Gentry won this necklace!

We have hundreds of Free Design Ideas that feature many of our silver beads, clasps, charms, and jewelry findings. Last week we asked you to browse our Design Ideas and choose a favorite to be entered into a Prize Drawing. We randomly selected a winner this morning. Congratulations to Vicki Gentry! You are the winner.

Vicki, please email me at juanita(at)ninadesigns(dot)com with your address so I can send out your necklace.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our contest.

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June 18, 2010

Shopping for Jewelry Supplies is Now Easier than Ever

Filed under: Website Shopping Features — Tags: jewelers supplies, Website Improvements — leah @ 8:25 am

Over the past few weeks, we’ve added several new features that make shopping for jewelry supplies quicker and more efficient. Our new Express Order feature is for our repeat customers that know exactly what they want. Simply enter the style number and quantity, and the item is added directly to your cart-no more switching between pages! The Express Order feature can be accessed at the top right of every page on our website.

Repeat Customer? Try our Express Shopping Form.

Example of NEW Pop-Up Shopping Cart Window

We also simplified the process of adding items to your cart. Now, after an item is added to your cart, there is a brief pop-up window confirming that it’s been added. You remain on the same page, allowing you to continue shopping without having to go in and out of the shopping cart every time you add an item. This feature was something that many of you requested, and we can see why! It really improves the shopping experience. No more clicking back & forth.

Additional features are in the works – thanks for all your feedback. We value your opinion and work hard to give you what you want! What do you think of these changes? What other features would you like to see?

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June 16, 2010

International Shipping for Nina Designs Jewelry Supplies

Filed under: Business,Customer Service — Tags: jewelers supplies, jewelry business — Stephanie @ 1:31 pm

Here at Nina Designs, we believe in excellent service, including providing quality shipping options for our jewelry supplies. We have received questions from our International customers regarding International shipping rates and custom fees. Currently, US Postal Service International Express Mail is our only International Shipping method for $40.00.

Our $40 international shipping rate may be higher than some other on-line bead stores. Based on experience and customer feedback, we concluded that USPS Express Mail International is the safest and most efficient international shipping method for both our customers and our company. USPS Express Mail International has many great advantages. Packages are insured, delivery is guaranteed, the status of the package can be tracked with a tracking number, and the average number of days for delivery is 3-5 business days once it has left our facility. We have also learned from our customers that in many cases, customs fees are less expensive when shipping via USPS Express Mail International.

Some companies factor part of the shipping costs into the prices of their items. They can then offer lower shipping rates and still cover shipping costs because of the padding in their sales prices. Our items are priced as competitively as possible, without any additional padding for shipping costs.

While our past experiences using less expensive international shipping methods often resulted in seriously delayed packages, lost packages, a lengthy resolution process, and a lot of frustration, we are currently investigating other international shipping options. Our customers are important to us. We want to make sure we are providing top quality service all the way through from the initial design of an item to the receipt of your order.

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May 31, 2010

Improving our Silver Charms Website

Filed under: Customer Service,Website Shopping Features — Tags: jewelers supplies, jewelry business, Website Improvements — nina @ 8:30 am

Designing silver charms is one thing, making them easy to buy is another. We are constantly updating our website in search of the most user friendly experience possible. Some of the improvements are immediately obvious, as when we add videos or launch a blog, but many upgrades are made on the back end. For instance, this week we moved to a larger server, an enormous project that is invisible but will keep our site running smoothly with increasing content and visitors.

We listen closely to your comments and try to build solutions quickly. Recently, we have had requests for an Express Shopping template that would allow customers to quickly type in style numbers and quantities. We also heard that our silk cords and ribbons are tricky to order.

Snapshot of New Easy-to-Use Silk Order Form

We have already improved the silk ordering process by adding an easy to use template where you can order all your colors at once. The Express Shopping feature is almost complete.

Please let us know whenever you get frustrated or have a great idea. Our goal is to create a website that designers look forward to visiting! You can always reach us at nina@ninadesigns.com, or leave a comment on our Facebook page.

What is the most frustrating part of the Nina Designs website? What features would you like us to add?

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May 21, 2010

Large Hole Pearls are Great for Contemporary Jewelry Designs

Filed under: New Products — Tags: jewelers supplies — leah @ 8:30 am

The arrival of our new large hole pearls last week marked an exciting day at Nina Designs. These pearls are gorgeous: nice and chunky at between 9-10 mm, with a beautiful luster and organic potato shape. Best of all are their extra large holes! At 2.5 mm, these holes can accommodate our silk cord, our deer hide lace, and our thin chain by the foot.

We couldn’t wait to start playing: below is a bracelet made with knotted pink silk cord, white large hole pearls, and our new silver hammer finish button. We also strung the pearls on the deer hide lace for a fantastic contrast between tough leather and refined pearls – simply wrap around the wrist and tie for a very cool look. One large holed peacock pearl sliding on a delicate gold plated chain at the base of the neck is stunning. Can you tell how excited we are? What are some other ways large hole pearls might be used?

First a silver button is added to silk cord, then the silk cord is doubled. A piece of wire becomes a needle and the large hole pearls are threaded onto the silk and knotted.

Large hole pearls knotted onto a double strand of silk cord. Our new silver hammer finish button makes a great clasp!

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May 19, 2010

Reduce Waste by Recycling your Sterling Silver Jewelry Findings Scraps

Filed under: Greening — Tags: jewelers supplies, recycling — juanita @ 9:44 am

I’m very passionate about using sterling silver jewelry findings in my designs, but I don’t like the inevitable waste that comes from snipping off a jump ring or the end of a piece of wire after creating a wire wrapped loop. There are many simple things you can do to reduce waste and recycle materials for your jewelry business or hobby. One of the things I do is collect every sterling silver scrap I create. I’ve been saving it for years to be melted down in a moment of great need. I finally decided I was ready to cash in all my snipped open jump rings, headpin ends, scraps of chain and other unusable parts. The process is very simple and a great way to reclaim some of the money you spent on your sterling silver wire and findings.

You can find many sterling silver refiners on the web. I used Rio Grande because I order other supplies from them already, and the process was a piece of cake. I printed out a form, weighed out the scrap, and waited to find out how much it was all worth. My scraps ended up being worth over $180! Now I have money to buy new materials and the piece of mind that all those unusable parts would be brought to life again, instead of simply being wasted. What do you do to reduce waste and re-use or recycle your materials?