It’s been a little quiet around Wire-Sculpture lately. The gentle sound of the summer breeze, the whirl of coiling wire, and the light “thump” as packages of gems, wire, and tools are packed into boxes.

You’d never suspect that something was coming. Something so big that it will be the largest announcement we’ve made all year. Something so big, so fantastic, that we had to hire a Private Investigator to get to the bottom of it.

Today’s the first day of our three-part investigation. Click on this short video clip to start reviewing the case

So check out the case and stay tuned. You’ll receive the next installments on Thursday and Friday.

At the end of Friday’s video, you’ll hear our big announcement!

P.S. – You’re going to absolutely love this 3 part video series! If you have some friends or family that also love making jewelry, be sure to pass along the video. They won’t want to miss out on this exclusive video series!

Love this video? Leave a comment below!

Is now a good time to buy gold?

It’s a question that many jewelry makers need answered, but it’s a hard question to consider.

As you know, the prices of precious metals fluctuate; many newspapers print the current prices of gold and silver by the ounce, and this is a great statistic to watch as a jewelry artist, especially an artist specializing in precious metal wire sculpting!

Gold and Silver Wire

The economy is one of the biggest factors affecting metal prices right now. With the cautious US economic recovery and the European economy, particularly Greece, affecting the value of the dollar and the euro, metal prices have been fluctuating for months. And that can get hard to keep track of!

Now, if watching Wall Street programs doesn’t sound as interesting as say, finding new patterns or photographing your finished work, don’t worry–we’re watching the prices of gold and silver for you!

You may remember that we’ve updated our wire pricing to reflect current market prices–so our wire prices on Sterling Silver wire and Gold Filled wire are consistently up-to-date to match the lowest available price per ounce! You can trust that Wire-Sculpture has the fairest price on gold filled wire, and today we have gold filled wire available as low as $0.54/foot! As you may know, all our gold filled wire is 14kt quality gold filled wire, and will never rub off like cheap plated wire. You and your customers deserve only the best!

And of course, if you’re a member of our Gold Club, you’ll always receive 25% off all your purchases, even gold filled and sterling silver wire–click here for more information!

Last week, market gold prices took a small dive, and we updated our prices accordingly–our gold filled wire was much lower than usual! That means this is a great time to buy gold wire for your jewelry making! However, with the volatile US economy, gold prices look like they’re on the way back up. Wall Street economists are expecting gold prices to come back up this week, so this looks like a great time to invest in some gold filled wire!

So check your wire stash and make sure you have enough gold filled wire to meet the demands of summer fairs and competitions, in addition to your own custom work or online store. Stock up now and beat the market on gold filled wire and sterling silver wire!

Stay Twisted-
Rose Marion
Wire-Sculpture.com

Dale here again– I receive many emails and questions through our Tip of the Day program asking questions about pricing, so I decided to address them in this article.

Please keep in mind that the following methods are not “set in stone,” as many people have their own formulas that work well for them. Rather, this is how both my personal students and I price our work. Note: none of us sell wholesale, as we are artists, not manufacturers.

Pricing is always the most difficult part of any art form, and jewelry is the hardest to determine, as there are so many ways to price. When you are making and selling jewelry in today’s economy, you may not be able to receive the compensation you fully deserve, but you should be able to survive if you price correctly for your area.

Most hobbyists (those who make pieces as a way to relax and to obtain a little extra cash) will take the price of their materials and multiply by 3. Weekend craft show warriors (who participate in shows close to home, so there is no added expense of hotels) often multiply the cost of their materials by 5. Many of my personal students will multiply their materials cost by 3 and then add a realistic hourly rate for their time, beginning at $10/hr. Please note, this time does not include any learning curve; rather, when you can make a piece without hesitation and no mistakes, that amount of time is what we charge for.

As you become more proficient with your skills, and the piece is made more quickly, then you are increasing your rate of pay per hour. Example: when beginning, an about-perfect bangle takes you 3 hours to create at $10/hr. Later, with experience, the same quality piece takes just an hour, and you have increased your rate of pay to $30/hr.

Of course, special pieces deserve special prices, such as a one-of-a-kind pendant or ring with the only stone “cut just like that,” for which you can ask whatever you like. If your one-of-a-kind piece sits in your case for a year and is well-behaved, it doesn’t eat anything, so it doesn’t matter if it sells immediately or not. If you set a special stone in a serious metal such as 14k or 18k, same scenario; I would just as soon not sell it than give it away.

To be able to sell your pieces in today’s “I want it for nothing” world, you need to get them out there. Here is the link to an article I wrote to give you ideas for sales venues: Where to Sell Your Wire Jewelry.

When displaying your work, no matter where, be sure divide your jewelry inventory into percentages of items priced according to the potential market.

For example, try having:

• 20% of your items priced from $20 and under (for example, headpin earrings or little bead rings, made with crystals or unusual gemstone beads like agates and jaspers)
• 30% priced from $48 to $25 (wrapped crystals, more elaborate earrings, regular cab pendants, etc)
• 30% priced from $85 to $48, and
• 20% priced specialty items from $90 and up.

It’s also smart to have a few designer pieces (priced wherever you want) to show just what you are capable of. Not only will these will attract higher-end customers, but also may catch the eye of gallery owners, etc.

Often, my specialty and designer pieces attract more sales because folks would really love to have one but can’t afford it at the time, so they purchase a lower priced item just so they can take a piece of my work home. I always have several of these customers return the following year, looking for me, because they are now ready for a special purchase or a custom order.

Unfortunately, there is no one, single pricing formula that will work for everyone. My advice is to test the waters to see what your potential customers are willing to pay, and go from there.

One last thing–don’t just give your pieces away! For example, someone attempts to convince you that the bracelet you have invested $30 worth of materials and 2 hours of your time in is not worth more than $35, and that you need to sell it to them! Don’t listen to that. Personally, I have had to remove items and put them in my pocket to end an occasional situation such as this.

Remember, Inspiration comes from every Where and every Thing!

-Dale/Cgr

Hi folks, it’s Dale. Over the past several months I have received a lot of questions, asking where to sell wire jewelry. My general answer is Anywhere you can! Some suggestions are:

Off your body! Yes you read correctly, many people write to tell me that they sell their pieces while wearing them, anywhere; to the grocery store, doctor’s office, church, sporting event, mall shopping, etc. Some have even said that they wear a piece and have a price tag hanging off of it! Think about it for a moment, it may seem silly to have a price tag, but it would definitely draw some attention and inspire conversations, “Um, excuse me, do you know that you forgot to remove the tag from your necklace?” To which you reply, “Actually I make and sell unique jewelry pieces. Do you like this one?” And then automatically hand them a business card. I’m sure you can see the many conversation possibilities that could lead into:

Private Showings; “Yes, I even give my jewelry away for free.” If the person is interested, take their name, phone number and good times to call (in the tiny notebook you should always carry) and then follow-up with a ‘courtesy call’, explaining how nice it was to meet them and what your private show program is.

Your Open House, name it based on whatever the season is or choose a fun theme (more below on themes). “As a matter of fact I am having an open house to show my work on ___ at ___. Would you like to come and maybe bring a friend or two? It’s going to be a lot of fun and I have nice door prizes”. Again, take their information and be sure to follow up! From your own Open House, you can obtain many Private Showings!

Theme Ideas:

Pool Party; get a small wading pool and serve fruity drinks with paper parasols, a few dips and chips, and everyone is invited to sit around the pool with their feet in, while you do your presentation.

Balloon Party; blow up lots of balloons into which you have inserted small rolled up papers, some with discounts and some with free gifts written on them. When a guest arrives, they get to pick and pop a balloon. If they decide to purchase more than one item, they get a balloon pop for each purchase (discounts cannot be combined).

Hat Party; ask everyone to wear their most unusual or unique hat, let everyone vote and give a prize for the best. Have a hat with discount coupons folded up inside, when a guest makes a purchase they get to reach in and pull out their discount.

Old Jewelry Party; each guest brings an old piece of jewelry, tells it’s story, all vote, a prize is given and you take your presentation in the direction of creating tomorrow’s heirlooms today.

I am sure these suggestions have you thinking now, your home showing or open house can be an event where folks get together for a break from their regular world, complete with fun as well as information, and you have the opportunity to sell your work, as well as to see what the folks in your area like.

You don’t even have to invite strangers to your home, rather you could check with a local church or school and offer them a small fee or the proceeds from a silent auction or raffle, for the use of their facilities for 4 hours.

Now let’s talk about Private Showings. Again, there are many opportunities such as: asking the receptionist (who likes the earrings you are wearing to an appointment) if she would like to earn a Free pair (in her favorite color) by hosting a Private Showing in the office conference room after work or during lunch time. You could ask your hairdresser or nail person to do the same, inviting their clientele to a Special Private Showing. What about the local dress or bridal boutique? Often they may agree to host an afternoon Trunk Show, (usually done for a percentage of the proceeds) or even invite you to participate in their next fashion, prom or bridal show (what a great opportunity!) How about asking a local teacher if they would like to host a Private Sale or Show, either in the teacher’s conference room or the classroom after hours?

What about a Fund Raiser? Instead of paying a promoter for a booth (where you hit rewind and play every 5 minutes, hoping for a sale) why not sell to people who want to buy what you have to support a cause, and gain a lot of new customers. School bands, clubs and sports groups are always looking for a way to make money for supplies, and rather than attending a pancake breakfast, a lot of people would rather purchase a moderately priced piece of jewelry, where a percentage of every purchase goes to the organization.

By exploring options besides craft shows, you can connect with brand new customers. No matter which way you choose to sell your work, be sure to collect everyone’s name and address, for a door prize drawing (for future post card invitations to your own Holiday Open House as it’s time to begin this year’s event now). Believe it or not, there are LOTS of people out there who have never seen or heard of wire jewelry!

And hey–stay tuned for an upcoming article on how to price jewelry!

Stay Twisted!

Dale/Cgr