Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
November 25, 2009

Question:

I love doing custom/commission work. I usually talk with the customer to get an idea as to what they want, have them pick a piece of jewelry from my work that is “kind of” what they want. That has always worked, until recently. “Mr. Joe” wanted a “tree” made in silver on a rock (round, smooth, black basalt). I created it. He didn’t like it and described what he wanted changed. When all was said and done I had created 6 different necklaces before he had one he liked.  I charged him my original quote plus shipping, as had been agreed to. THEN, the necklace didn’t show up at his house for four weeks and he was mad and requested that I send him a replacement. Unfortunately I did send it (I hadn’t gotten a tracking number on the first one.) The day after the replacement was in the mail, he called to say he received the first one and said he liked the the replacement better. I said to wait until he got the second and then he could return the one he didn’t want, or he could keep both if he paid for the second one as well.  He hasn’t returned either pieces, nor has he paid for the second piece. I’ve contacted him a couple of times and he says, “Ohhhh, I’m sooooo sorry, I forgot. I’ll put it in the mail right away.”  3 months later and it is still unresolved. What is your procedure for doing custom designs?  How about dealing with merchandise that doesn’t arrive at the customer’s house in a timely fashion?  How should I handle the payment for the second necklace?  I’m out $70. Fortunately, I’ve sold the other pieces I made for him.

Answer:

I agree that this is a difficult situation, however if you are ‘up-front’ and firm about your ‘custom order’ policies, your client should appreciate your honesty. One sure way to state your custom order policy is to either print it on the reverse of a few business cards that you hold back just for this type of order, or on a separate card with your contact info that you can give to a client. My personal policy is to take full payment at the time of the order, which guarantees my customer that I will pay for any necessary shipping and insurance, and that I cannot refund their money if they don’t like what they have agreed to, until I actually sell the piece they had me create ‘just for them’.

The best way I can respond to your question is based upon my experience. This is how I personally take a custom order (which is also what I teach my personal students). Use a triplicate order pad. Have the customer fill in their personal info, including shipping/mailing address, phone numbers and if available their email. I then write out exactly what the customer would like (based on our conversation) including what metal(s), their stone or mine, their preferred style (if possible, the name of a piece I may already have that they like, which I also take a picture of with my cell phone in case it sells) what embellishments they prefer if any, and a quick sketch. I then go over their order in detail again, jot the approximate delivery date on the form, and when they are satisfied I have them sign the order slip. I add my contact info to the bottom and give them the top/original order slip as well as my card. When their order is finished, I include the second slip with their order when I either deliver it by hand or ship it to them. (If shipping the item, I also call or email this customer to let them know their order is on the way, with the tracking numbers.)

And before you ask, yes I have had a customer who was not happy with her order and I did send her a refund check when I sold the item about seven months later, along with a thank-you for her interest in my work. She has since become a regularly returning client.

You have learned a very valuable lesson in an unfortunate way, and in the future if you follow the procedure I have outlined above this should not happen again. (I learned this same lesson many years ago with a $750 ring!)

Now, in your current situation with ‘Mr. Joe’, my only advice here would be to actually travel to his home (which may not be worth the cost or your time depending on the distance) and again request either payment or return of your piece (as it has not been paid for, it is still YOUR piece). If a personal visit is not worth the trouble, write this off as a very valuable lesson learned and be glad the cost was not a lot more!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

Have a question? Submit your question here!

When using the Internet as your vehicle to advertise custom wire jewelry that you design and create, you need to find a way to reach customers.  How exactly do you do that?  Well, you first start your outreach utilizing free tools.  After you have exhausted those you then start looking for low cost ways to get more customers.  This article will guide you through the freebies and then lay out some very low cost ways to get found too.

First, you need an attractive, easy-to-use website to refer prospects to, so don’t overlook this valuable asset.  Be sure to “optimize” your website so that the words on the page match with the keywords that define your business.  Name your photos by what they are, not, “pic1, pic2, or pic3″ since the search engines read them too.  After you’ve got a website that will engage and manage sales, you will want to start some advertising campaigns.  As mentioned, you will start with “free” advertising.  Search the web for FREE “jewelry-related” websites where you can list your website, creating a profile about your business and upload pictures.  Sometimes, these websites offer an upgrade for a premium listing.  Before you start paying for them, be sure to research and find the best ones that will help you achieve your goal.

Then after you’ve exhausted your search for places to list your website, set up your Facebook, Twitter and Blog (using WordPress) and apply badges to your website so that people can quickly follow you / become a fan, etc.  Write articles frequently (weekly) and post to your Facebook page daily if possible – Tweet daily as well.

Also, list yourself in Google local maps by going to Google and clicking on the “maps” link.  You will find a link to list your business, following the instructions.  You can also add yourself, under the proper category, into the DMOZ database.  Ask your webmaster to help you add a site map and track your website views by adding Google Analytics to each webpage.  If you don’t know what this means, ask for help from your webmaster.

If you have a budget you can also leverage the power of Google’s AdWords – read more by visiting the advertising link on Google.com.  Facebook ads are as effective, maybe even more.  Go to Facebook and read about their advertising program.  Beyond these then there are the “yellow page” online directories where you might consider a listing.  Each website offers one free listing to each business, so it behooves you to get included. What you are creating when you add your website to other websites across the web are “link-backs” which increase your popularity in search engines, yielding better results when people are looking for wire jewelry you create.

When you advertise, be careful to always use keywords that are directly related to your product.  The keyword “jewelry” is very broad and if you want to attract people broadly and pay for it, then that’s great.  But, if you want to attract people looking for exactly what you sell, narrow your keywords.  For example, if you design and create gemstone rings made with silver wire, then use these keywords in your campaigns.  Your conversion from viewers to buyers will be higher.

Finally, getting “hits” to your website is an effort that is ongoing and requires a commitment on your part.  If you do, you will be rewarded with business selling the wire jewelry pieces you design and create.

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
November 23, 2009

Question:

My husband is interested in drilling holes in gemstone beads or slabs that don’t have one yet. What’s the best way to go about it? What tools will we need?

Answer:

Each lapidary has their favorite tools and procedures for drilling holes in rock material; the following is how we drill holes in slabs in my studio.

We took a round cake pan and cut a piece of wood the same size. We put the wood in the bottom of the pan and filled it about 1/3 of the way with water. (It is imperative that rock be drilled in water to flush out the rock ‘mud’ as it grinds away and to keep both the material and drill bit cool.) This pan is then placed under a hand-operated drill press fitted with a diamond bit. (Choose a sintered bit that has diamond impregnated throughout the bit whereas a plated bit just has diamond around the outside edges and will wear out very quickly.) Using a constant up and down motion, the drill is continuously and evenly pressed against and into the rock, until a hole goes through it. Depending on both the hardness of the material being drilled and the desired depth of the hole, be prepared to go through several diamond bits before the hole is finished. (We have our dentist save his ‘used’ diamond drill bits for us as they usually have lots of use left when he is ready to discard them.)

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

Have a question? Submit your question here!

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For some, writing is a challenge.  It’s not that you can’t, but you find it tedious, overwhelming, or just too hard to do.  This article is being written to show you just how easy writing can be so that you can use it as a tool for marketing your wire jewelry business.

First of all, let’s understand the value of an article.  Articles on the Internet position you as an expert.  People always seek information and knowledge from “experts” so it is imperative that you work toward being an expert in your field if indeed you want a following.  And again, the best way is being an authority who publishes – an article being the simplest way to do that.

The most difficult part of writing actually is deciding “what” to write about.  For the Internet, using articles as a means of establishing yourself as an expert, writing about unique information that you hold, is especially valuable.  So, think about what you know that is unique and special that a reader who is interested in wire jewelry might want to know.

Also, consider your audience.  Are you writing to those you want to buy your wire jewelry?  If so, write to them.   If you are a designer wishing to start classes, then write to potential students.  The audience you write to will shape the way you write.

Now, let’s consider the parts of an article.  First you need a title.  The title is the most important part of an article because it is what the search engines pay the most attention to when delivering search results.  So, use keywords that relate to your article but also keywords that people would search for.

For example, you may want to write about a “dragonfly wire jewelry necklace with turquoise and fresh water pearls” that you made, with the goal of attracting a buyer who will pay $225.00 for it.   You could title it, “Dragonfly Necklace – $225,” or better, you could title it, “Jewelry Necklaces Handcrafted from Wire and Gemstones,” because MORE people search for Jewelry and Necklaces than “dragonfly.”

After you have your subject matter established and your title written, then you are ready to dive into the opening statement and first paragraph.  This paragraph is designed to tell the reader quickly what the article is going to be about.  Then the next 3-6 paragraphs, you tell them what you said you’d tell them in your first paragraph.  Finally, your closing paragraph will wrap up what you did tell them in your article.  It is really as easy as that.

So, in closing anyone can write an article by following easy steps of picking the subject matter, titling it properly, opening with a descriptive paragraph, body and closing statement.  Now, it’s your turn to start writing articles and using them to promote your wire jewelry business!