Commercial post/announcement: my custom jewelry business

[AO84]

Good morning,

My understanding is that this post is allowed under the forum rules, but if I am mistaken please accept my apologies in advance:

I'd like to share with the forum that I have a small fine/fully handmade (and partially handmade-- lost wax casting) jewelry small business, in which I make a variety of men's and ladies rings in gold and sterling (and platinum if someone was so inclined), with precious or semiprecious stones, or without. Everything is made by me alone, and custom orders e.g. different sizes, different shank widths, etc are all possible options that can be discussed.

The main purpose, or perhaps most pertinent part, of this post is the items that I can make that present a good canvas to hand engrave if they're looking for a large signet ring, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Other options in addition to those displayed below are possible -- just feel free to reach out to me by PM if you have questions.

In the interest of full transparency, I do not have a "high-volume" shop, but rather a small/boutique type "old school" setup, so the items i make wouldn't be the most-cheapest-least-expensive one might find (e.g. quality over quantity is the goal...). Nonetheless, I'm not unreasonable or looking to make a windfall off of any potential customers -- the pricing I can offer are largely a factor of spot metal price, plus operating costs, plus my time incurred per piece.

Anyways, if you're interested or have any questions, please PM me and I'd be happy to see if there's something I can make for you or your family/friends/colleagues, thanks for looking!:

www.etsy.com/shop/WestCoastFineJewelry

 

[monk]

Good morning,

My understanding is that this post is allowed under the forum rules, but if I am mistaken please accept my apologies in advance:

I'd like to share with the forum that I have a small fine/fully handmade (and partially handmade-- lost wax casting) jewelry small business, in which I make a variety of men's and ladies rings in gold and sterling (and platinum if someone was so inclined), with precious or semiprecious stones, or without. Everything is made by me alone, and custom orders e.g. different sizes, different shank widths, etc are all possible options that can be discussed.

The main purpose, or perhaps most pertinent part, of this post is the items that I can make that present a good canvas to hand engrave if they're looking for a large signet ring, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Other options in addition to those displayed below are possible -- just feel free to reach out to me by PM if you have questions.

In the interest of full transparency, I do not have a "high-volume" shop, but rather a small/boutique type "old school" setup, so the items i make wouldn't be the most-cheapest-least-expensive one might find (e.g. quality over quantity is the goal...). Nonetheless, I'm not unreasonable or looking to make a windfall off of any potential customers -- the pricing I can offer are largely a factor of spot metal price, plus operating costs, plus my time incurred per piece.

Anyways, if you're interested or have any questions, please PM me and I'd be happy to see if there's something I can make for you or your family/friends/colleagues, thanks for looking!:

www.etsy.com/shop/WestCoastFineJewelry

since you're promoting a business i'm not sure if i should delete this or not. perhaps sam could chime in on this. i do feel individual fotos of some of your projects would be acceptable.

 

[AO84]

since you're promoting a business i'm not sure if i should delete this or not. perhaps sam could chime in on this. i do feel individual fotos of some of your projects would be acceptable.

Ok, please let me know. My read of the rules perhaps was incorrect...if I overstepped please accept my apologies

 

[AO84]

Hi there. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I wanted to see if I could get some feedback on my small jewelry shop. I've have had a hard time selling anything on Etsy. If you have time to take a look and let me know what you think, I would very much appreciate that. For example, are the styles not ones you prefer? Are there other styles you would like to see? Is the pricing unreasonable? Etc. Etc.....

I'm hoping to learn more about what I need to change to make progress. Thanks Again. The link is below at the end of my initial post on this topic. Take care and thank you

 

[T.G.III]

Could be way off base here as people are a funny lot.

What you're selling is what I would refer to as luxury items for a market based on a disposable income, that said the middle class driven market is collapsing due to the economic turmoil created by the beer virus shutdown, I don't pay much attention to the typical main stream media outlets but there is a ton of alternate information out there about the failing job/housing market.

You're competing with mass produced product from name brand jewelry stores

The high end engravers have their market share sewed up and typically have a long waiting list, new guys are struggling to find their niche.

That's the best I can offer.

 

[allan621]

I spent a long time looking over your etsy store and have a few impressions. The first is that the photographs should have been taken on more neutral background so the focus is on the product, not shared by the carpet looking reflections. Second is the range of prices for a small store. You have to figure on a range to sell within. In the 18 items pictured you go from 90 dollars to 2300 dollars. That's too wide a spread. I really like the ladies wave ring and I think thats the best item you are trying to sell. It has a good finish, the diamonds show crisply and the ring has movement; all good things and the price is right.

But the real problems I see is in the finish of the pieces that would not give confidence to a buyer. The classic matt finish rings has visible porosity marks on the ring. The cigar band ring has a crack running down the back. The classic mens silver signet finish on the top has distortions that makes it hard to see what the surface is. And if you are going to photograph on top of boxes make sure the boxes are super clean.

Selling tough. Selling on etsy is tougher because dozens of competitors are just a page away. If I were you I would spend a great deal of time looking at other jewelry seller pages. See how they show their product and make good notes on the ones that really catch your eye. Take a look at the sales leaders and get an idea of the prices they charge and how unique their offerings are. And lastly, polish your gold and silver better so they make a better impression. A friend and I are going to open an etsy store in a month and it took us close to a year to get definite ideas on how to photograph and display our merchandise. It won't be jewelry however.

I wish you more success in the future.

Allan

 

[AO84]

I spent a long time looking over your etsy store and have a few impressions. The first is that the photographs should have been taken on more neutral background so the focus is on the product, not shared by the carpet looking reflections. Second is the range of prices for a small store. You have to figure on a range to sell within. In the 18 items pictured you go from 90 dollars to 2300 dollars. That's too wide a spread. I really like the ladies wave ring and I think thats the best item you are trying to sell. It has a good finish, the diamonds show crisply and the ring has movement; all good things and the price is right.

But the real problems I see is in the finish of the pieces that would not give confidence to a buyer. The classic matt finish rings has visible porosity marks on the ring. The cigar band ring has a crack running down the back. The classic mens silver signet finish on the top has distortions that makes it hard to see what the surface is. And if you are going to photograph on top of boxes make sure the boxes are super clean.

Selling tough. Selling on etsy is tougher because dozens of competitors are just a page away. If I were you I would spend a great deal of time looking at other jewelry seller pages. See how they show their product and make good notes on the ones that really catch your eye. Take a look at the sales leaders and get an idea of the prices they charge and how unique their offerings are. And lastly, polish your gold and silver better so they make a better impression. A friend and I are going to open an etsy store in a month and it took us close to a year to get definite ideas on how to photograph and display our merchandise. It won't be jewelry however.

I wish you more success in the future.

Allan

Thank you, Allan. I appreciate the detailed feedback and will think through your comments and incorporate those suggestions.

 

[bud2]

I find it hard to critique another's work. I keep thinking, "That's not how I'd do it". But that's not fair. So let's talk about the method of selling.

I first registered a jewellery making business in 1978. Work out of my shop in regional Victoria, Australia (still an American citizen though). It's a one man operation. I don't sell on line. Too competitive. Heck, on-line is too much of everything for me. I like interacting with customers. Face to face. I want to make what my customers want me to make. After all, it's their money and they are the ones wearing it.

I don't need to go chasing work. It comes to me. Good work means a good reputation and that means more work. If and that's a big IF, I wanted or needed to chase work or I was starting out, I'd be looking at the craft shows that travel around via different promoters. I've done that in the past traveling across the US. As I'm winding down somewhat (age), I'd even consider going back to that. It's fun!

Allan made some solid points but I don't agree with his view on variety. I've got rings from $50 to $10,000. I'm not going to limit myself to $500-600. But you've got to 'sell' the extra cost.

Bud

 

[Winstonklein]

It seems like you put a lot of love and effort into each piece, which I'm sure customers would appreciate.

I run a small clothing store and a significant portion of my customers discover my site via Instagram and Facebook. I've found that running ad campaigns on these platforms can be super effective. To optimize my approach, I've been using adspy to see what kind of ad campaigns my competitors are running, which gives me some inspiration for my own strategies. You might consider promoting your jewelry shop via social media channels, especially given the uniqueness and customizability of your items.