How to Take Care of Your Copper Jewelry and deal with Tarnishing? from Mei

Mei asked and Szarka handed it to me - Sherry/dancingfeather. Thanks darlin' -
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Hi Szarka,
I hope you don't mind me asking you this question...
How to Take Care of Your Copper Jewelry from Tarnishing?
Mei
http://wireblissmei.blogspot.com/
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Thanks for asking and giving us the opportunity to share.
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Here's my little bits of input on the ages old issue of tarnishing copper and green skin, since they really do seem to go together for most of the population....
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*I like the theory about the metal being a living thing, the ever changing colors showing it's character. Let it live!
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*Lemon juice with a dash of salt will clean copper in very short order. Rinse well or you will get lovely green in the cracks and crevices. The metal will start tarnishing again immediately. Try a little wax.
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*On the use of lacquer/shellac/other clear coatings - EVERYTHING wears off eventually and dealing with the worn mess of lacquer is a royal pain.
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*Waxes - The bracelets that I cleaned in lemon/salt and then used Turtle Wax car wax, 6 months or so ago, that have been sitting on my table awaiting sale, are still fairly decent looking. They spend Sat/Sun on display, then go into a plastic bag until next weekend. The Turtle Wax wears off quickly when I wear the jewelry, so it's only a display fix, not a wear-it fix. Apply according to directions on the can - wipe on, wait to dry, wipe off. Pay attention to cracks and crevices. Toothbrush helped.
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Major pain.
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*I love the look resulting from Perma Blue Liquid Gun Blue, [active ingredient - selenium dioxide, poison if you drink it, keep away from children. Otherwise, not harmful to use. Not much odor. Will NOT blue stainless steel, aluminum or non-ferrous metals] ((More complete directions below))
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*I tried Future Floor Finish on some bracelets. The jewelry got sticky/tacky during wear. Totally unacceptable to me. Lots of drips after dipping, royal pain! Same with any liquid, lacquer or otherwise. Watch out for drips and thick spots. Ugly.
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*The lacquer used on brass band instruments is also used in the jewelry industry, if you must go the lacquer route. Caution, it also wears off, albeit slower, then there are spots darkening and possible peeling. Watch out for ugly drips as it dries. Ewww yuk nasty to undo... I haven't tried lacquer...
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****suggestions from various forums around the net -
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*spray lacquer like Krystal Klear or Rustoleum.
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*Bullseye Clear shellac - spray can
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*Renaissance Wax or other micro-crystaline wax
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*Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax. 1 lb. cans for about $ 10. used on bronze work, especially sculpture.
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*Johnson paste wax - several coats.
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*An elder jeweler shared an old method - Heat the copper to cherry red and quench in oil. She said it brings out all sorts of lovely colors and it's permanent. Forgot to ask what kind of oil....
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*For verdigris colors - According to a copper verdigris artist, ammonia works OK, but you get the best colors from the cat box, or put the piece in a jar with sawdust wet down with ammonia for a week or two.
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Back to my thoughts -
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I turn green when sweaty. It wipes off. I don't turn green in air conditioning or in the winter. I know people who never turn green, ever. Personal body chemistry, think of it as a warning signal - fix your PH balance, you'll stop turning green.
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From all my note collecting, tarnish and green skin is inevitable unless you are really faithful with your health and diet, and/or maintaining and reapplying some sort of lacquer finish, doesn't really seem to matter much which kind, they all wear off eventually.
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So, have YOU any tarnish answers? Share! Leave a comment.

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Details on using Perma Blue written April 02, 2008 and added to this blog entry on Feb 26, 2009

I love the effects of gun blue on copper! I use Perma Blue, found in the US where ever gun supplies are sold, so check Walmart and all the sports stores. The chemical name - Selenium Dioxide

I dump it in a jar, use it as is, put the lid on and keep it in the cupboard until next use, alongside my jar of lemon juice/salt for cleaning copper. Not too strong a smell, no need for ventilation or gloves, poison if you drink it but otherwise safe for normal grown-ups. Read the label and don't be stupid. yada blah blah disclaimer *grin*

Step by step -
**First drop the jewelry into lemon juice with a dash of salt to clean off skin oils etc. About a minute, keep watch, I never time anything. No specific amount of salt, maybe 1/2 tsp to one plastic lemon (found in the produce area next to real lemons, easy to use, not costly, use any real lemon juice you prefer). Salt is not mandatory, but it seems to work faster. The cleaning step can also be done with ketchup, vinegar, salsa anything acidic, I like the smell of lemons.

**Rinse Well, and pat dry so you don't dilute the gun blue.

**Drop the piece in the gun blue and keep watch. In under 5 minutes the piece will be black. You can pull it out at any point in between for less darkening. You can re-dip if it's not dark enough. You can paint it on spots if you feel you can't dunk it or want spots, but painting works Very Slow, with repeated paintings.

**Rinse Well!!! and rub with a soft cloth, an old t-shirt is perfect. Very Messy if you go to black, beware for nice clothes. Rub until all the mess is gone and you get the highlights you want.

The process of wiping is usually enough to get the highlights showing. The rest I let happen naturally. The dark in the crevices lasts forever.

I tried tumbling a big batch one time, first with dry rice, thinking I'd get some friction, then with stainless shot and Dawn, neither was particularly successful, the rice not at all. But the soft cloth made pretty quick work of it after all.

**Finish up with a Sunshine cloth for beautiful shine. Not required, but oh so pretty!

Forever after, the jewelry just needs a quick rub with a soft cloth to be ready to wear.

Never ever never walk away from either jar in progress. If the phone rings, pull them out and drop them in the water until you can come back and finish. I left one piece 4 or 5 minutes and it got Very powdery black and took much longer to clean. I haven't experimented with longer, but it would be messy at least, don't know if the metal would be damaged.

If you use containers with lids, you can just put the lids on and store in the cabinet. No need to refrigerate the lemon, well. Both last for years, even if they look disgusting, (the plastic lemon type will last years, it has preservatives, don't know about fresh lemon juice).

I found the middle size canning jar (wide mouth, pint size?) at Walmart in the kitchen section, not grocery section, works really well, deep enough to cover a bracelet, wide mouth for inserting pieces. The jars hold two bottles of Perma Blue or two plastic lemons very nicely, so the liquid is deep enough to cover the project while it sits.

To date, I've done all kinds of quartz family stones, turquoise, malachite chips and glass. The malachite chips got a little powdery looking and maybe a bit dark, but they were small chips so it was hard to tell. A toothbrush and sunshine cloth restored most of their shine, so use discretion. One cab I would have sworn was white quartz lost all shine and absorbed a whole lot of the blue color. Totally trashed. I have no clue what the rock really is. I tried a couple of small fresh water pearls, and they came out fine. When in doubt, try a sample bead before dunking the whole project. You can also paint the blue in certain areas to spare the delicate rock, but it's a PITB and Very Slow to turn dark.
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Toodles!
~S~
http://sherrysjewels.blogspot.com/

http://www.magpiegemstones.com/

Mexican Fire Opal by Robyn Hawk

Photographed by Chip Clark, copyright http://www.nmnh.si.edu/

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Born in fire...of fire in ancient volcanoes...Fire Opal forms when water and steam fills seams and openings in silica-rich lava....Under heat and pressure, the silica forms a solid gel, trapping the remaining water within its structure.

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Small pebbles of fire opal are found embedded in lava flows. Fire opal that displays play of color but is rare because volcanic opal forms so quickly that the spheres of silica rarely have time to settle into the diffraction grids that create play of color.

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Fire Opal is a softer stone, with a hardness of between 6 and 6.5 on the Mohs scale, and requires a protective setting.

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Not all fire opals are created equal; there are common fire opals, which, depending on quality, are either faceted or cut into cabochons, and the fire opals that feature the chaotic display of color, in addition to their strong bright gold to cherry red.

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The Mayas and Aztecs loved this gemstone and liked to use it in mosaics and for ritualistic purposes. They called it quetzalitzlipyollitli, the 'stone of the bird of paradise'. Yet one day, the gemstone knowledge of Mexico's natives, which had been handed down from generation to generation, somehow sank into oblivion for a long time ...until, in or around the year 1835, the fiery treasures hidden in the Mexican highlands were remembered, and work was gradually begun on the systematic mining of the places where they had been found. Today, the fire opal is regarded as the national gemstone of that country.

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It is in Mexico that the most significant fire opal deposits in the world lie. Rock strata containing opals run through the Mexican highlands, with their many extinct volcanoes. With Brazil it is a different matter. Several years ago, in an agate mine near Campos Borges in the South Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul, fire opals colored yellow to orange were discovered. Some of them are as big as a man's fist, which opens up completely new possibilities in the way they can be worked.

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Today, these Brazilian fire opals are setting new trends in the fascinating world of gemstones.

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Even those who prefer not to subscribe to the energies in gemstones and the forces which emanate from them will undoubtedly get a feeling of warmth and well-being when they look at a fire opal. Ancients felt that fire opals would bestow courage, stamina, will-power and energy on the wearer. Thanks to their force they disperse old, long outdated ways of thinking and make room for new ones. The warm, fiery orange-red has a positive effect on the psyche and conveys a profound sensation of warmth, peace and harmony. The fire opal is the lucky stone of those born under the sign Aries.

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Give your Fire Opal the same treatment you would afford your Pearls...keep it away from extreme heat and acids, alkaline solutions and sharp objects. Extreme conditions wicks the moisture from the opal, which can make it cloudy and cracked. However, it loves to be worn a lot, since this enables it to maintain its water balance, using the moisture of the wearer's skin and that of the air.

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That said, it should be protected against contact with cosmetics...as with pearls – the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off!
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About the Author - An avid Blogger, Robyn Hawk has a background in the Artisan Jewelry Industry and is currently a student at the Gemological Institute of America where she is working on her Graduate Gemologist Certification.

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Tucson Gem Show - Live http://tucsongemshow.blogspot.com/

Now You've Done It...You're On My List http://youareonmylist.vox.com/

Jewelry & Gem Artists http://jewelrygemartisans.blogspot.com/

Fly On The Wall-Views/Reviews http://aflyonthewall.multiply.com/

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Reference Sources:

http://www.addmorecolortoyourlife.com/gemstones/fire-opal.asp

http://www.mindat.org/min-9797.html

http://www.earlham.edu/~griffel/web/Mexican20Fire20Opals.jpghttp://www.jewelrytelevision.com/library.html
Robyn Hawk

Robyn Hawk Tucson Gem Show 2008

Tucson Gem Show 2008
Robyn Hawk
26 Feb 2008
Tucson Gem Show 2008 by Robyn Hawk (AKA "A Fly On The Wall")
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Well – the 2008 Tucson Gem Show is history – this one was a spectacular feast for the eyes and the wallet!
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A description of the TGS is rough, a vendor at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show (the original show of the TGS) summed it up perfectly...
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"The description of the show by any individual person is like a group of blind men talking about their encounter with an elephant. To the blind man who feels the leg of the elephant says that the beast is like the trunk of a tree. To another feeling its trunk thinks it resembles a great snake and to the man who feels the ear the elephant is like a giant leaf.
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Each person who describes the show, depending on their interests and the small part of it they were able to see is going to describe it differently, sometimes completely differently." Quote from Rock Currier
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For me the TGS is about learning, new finds and communing with my peers. This means that I tend to concentrate on 4 shows because of their learning opportunities:
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AGTA Show - http://agta.org/tradeshows/gft-seminars.html
Tucson Electric Park - http://www.electricparklearningcenter.com/
Rio Grande’s "Catalog In Motion" - http://cataloginmotion.com/classrooms.asp
Tucson Gem & Mineral Show - http://www.tgms.org/2007show.htm
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The photo above shows you the Tucson Electric Park venue – the photo below is the AGTA show. As you can see they are two different worlds!

The floor of the AGTA show (notice the business attire?) Just one of the magnificent cases of jewels at AGTA

Have you always wanted to do this but don’t know what to expect? Let me dispel some of the usual misconceptions about the Tucson Gem Show...

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1. The Tucson Gem Show is this giant show with tons of booths

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...not quite...the Tucson Gem Show is actually 47+ separate shows and each individual show can house 50 to 500 vendors. Really try to get out and see a variety – if nothing else – get on a Gem Shuttle and stay on for the entire circuit. They run to all the shows and it is a great way to get a feel for some shows you want to hit!

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2. You Need a Car -

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After reading the Show Guide and seeing where the shows were located, I figured I would need a car...don't do it...I probably spent a total of $150 on taxis (you would eliminate this cost totally if you stayed at a hotel near one of the venues).

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Tucson is undergoing a 5 year freeway renovation project and the traffic is a pain, aside from the fact that finding parking near most of the venues is very tough. The city of Tucson provided (FREE) a system of shuttles that went to the various shows, so if your hotel was near one of the shows - you had free transportation from 8am to 7pm every day.

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3. You have to have a business license and re-sale number -

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(one show actually required letters of reference from companies you've purchased from in the past) to get into (and buy) at most of the shows...as a student this was a huge fear for me as I no longer have a business. Most of the shows will admit Students without question, some want a student ID. The majority of the venues offered "Visitor" passes and you can buy from most of the vendors. The vendors that are "Wholesale Only" or required a "Minimum Purchase", display that info prominently.

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4. You can get amazing prices that will beat the LBS and your Bulk Buying Groups...

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True and False! If you are going to Tucson as a designer of one-of-a-kind pieces, while prices will definitely beat your LBS, you aren't likely to get any great deals.

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If you have a beading supply business and can afford to purchase multiples, most vendors will offer deals by the gram, kilogram, or pound.

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You need to do your homework - most of the vendors deal in millimeters, centimeters, grams or kilograms, know your weights and measures, nothing says amateur like messing up a weight.

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One way to get your bearings is say an item is priced per carat...get the vendor to weigh out and price a medium size of the stone you are looking at so you will have an idea what you can find in your price range. At the bead vendors watch them weigh out a kilogram of beads for someone (most will let you mix and match and one vendor gave $100 in free beads to anyone with business ID)...it will give you an idea of whether this is a deal or not.

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5. Looks Matter -

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you know, the more I dressed down the easier it was to talk to some of the vendors...there are shows that I feel that "business attire" is necessary(the AGTA, GJX & GLDA Shows in particular). But the bottom line on the dress code is "business casual" - if you are like me, you are going to do alot more walking than you have done in a while (and it is continuous day after day), so the most important piece of wardrobe is your shoes!!!

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6. This is going to break me! It doesn’t have to if you so a couple things – make a list and have a reason for going. It is just like grocery shopping – if you know why you are there and have a list you spend less. Unfortunately this only works after your first TGS...the first time you go, you see so many things that you didn’t know existed – so they weren’t on your list. But, those items go on your "next year" list!

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So the number one thing is enjoy yourself you will meet peers from across the US and Internationally!

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For more info on the TGS and her personal experiences at the 2008 show go to Robyn’s blog at: http://tucsongemshow.blogspot.com

Etsy versus eBay and Sherry's Toodles Tut

Hi Sz,

I have been thinking of branching out to Ebay and/or Etsy. Is one better than the other? Do you think that would be a good next step for me? What advise do you have for me? Should it increase sales?

Oh, and your wire wrap tutorial on your site, is that one you wrote?

Thanks, Sally
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I have not done any tuts yet. I struggle with the whole "it's been done before so you shouldn't make money off of it" versus the time it would take for me to set up a tut showing how I do what "I" do.

I think I will get some simple tuts out of me this summer to get on the blog for free.

The tut on www.magpiegemstones.com is Sherry Dancing Feather's Toodles Tut. That woman is an amazing wrapper and an awesome teacher. I have seen her keep control of a frustrated mob of Texas ladies until they "got " it and then they were all as happy as lambs in milk. She is a very special human. I would have run screaming into the night in fear long before that.

EBay versus Etsy. The forever dilemma I think I see this question pop up on the online forums once a week.

Personally I think the more venue streams and income streams the better but the two places are very different. I would sell components on eBay. The focal without the cord, or kits, but that is me. There are people who do really well on eBay with their jewelry and they have a good following but it took them a long time to get there. If you don't mind seeing 70% of your items not be bid on or up and it won't break your heart.

Look a the numbers carefully when setting up a store or auctions and be sure you are not loosing money. It is really easy do to do on that venue. A store is inexpensive and jewelry does better in the store format than auctions. You have to run auctions for exposure though and maybe only break even, but look at is as advertising costs to get people to see your jewelry. Be sure you have a blog or web site (try www.citymax.com) that you can refer people to on your about me page to sell them even more jewelry and give you credibility. I would auction earrings and have the matching bracelets and necklaces in an eBay store.

Etsy is pretty good for jewelry. I have sold a few pieces on there and I only HAVE a few pieces on there. There is a "way to do Etsy" and I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I see it would be beneficial to add one piece a day. That way you are always at the front of the pages in new items and searches. Also you have to start out selling fairly inexpensive. People sell for less there than other venues and you have to have some sales under your belt before you really start getting noticed or have people trust you. Etsy is a place where buyers go to look for artisan work so it is the place for that.

Once you are established you can raise your prices to the value of the pieces.

Ruby Lane is another venue you might want to look at. I have not set up shop there but many people I know have. I don't know how they are doing with it but it may be worth looking into.

I love Designs To Love and now you can add shopping cart buttons to your pages. I don't know how well it would be as a venue but I have gotten a lot of exposure there which has turned into online sales.

My experience is mostly selling in person and a bit on the net. Sales have always been consistent for me on the web if light, but I really don't advertise or push that venue very hard.

Please chime in with any comments or advice you may have on this subject.

http://www.magpiegemstones.com/

Want to be a google adwords spy?

http://www.keywordspy.com/member/home.aspx

I received this link through an online webinar I was taking on SEO.

This place is amazing. It shows you what Google ad words companies are using to advertise and how much they spend per click.

The Internet makes everything transparent which I am strongly for in business. Truth, transparency, and sustainable business model is something I believe in strongly.

Harvard and Boston finally got on board and are changing the way business looks. The Internet is causing everyone to adapt to this way of thinking, anyway, which I strongly support.

Basically it is the bizarre belief that if you are honest, genuine, live within your means and don't take advantage of people you will succeed. LOL ....... and business has to be taught these "ethics". They finally got jiggy that consumers are not sheep and have brains. :)

I was shocked how much some bead vendors pay in advertising. How they can afford it blows my mind. Well I guess they have to pay for it by jacking up the cost of their beads.

Anyway, I digress, it's a great tool to check out known jewelry businesses to see how they are advertising and their key words and you can bet they use those words in their SEO headings. It also shows what key words people actually search for and which ones are most effective.

Check out the organic search words, now those are the words you really want to be using I would think, not only if you were going to be using adwords but also as meta tags.

Personally I will just keep cutting expenses so I can sell my clients at the best price possible and leave the adwords to the other guys.

I got a kick out of typing in one store and they buy clicks based on their competitors business names and branding.

Invaluable.

http://www.magpiegemstones.com/

Pricing Jewelry

You stated your retail price is 400 % of your absolute base wholesale price. Would you mind shedding some light on how you determine absolute base wholesale price ? Many of us (From reading posts on the WWJ) are ready to give our creations away to make a sale and get our names and jewelry out there. I think we could all benefit from some advice on pricing and not under pricing. One final thing I loved the idea about creating a piece at the coffee shop.

Thank you,

Herman Falcon

http://hfalcon.com/
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Pricing is such a conundrum for so many artists and there are as many different formulas and ways to go about it as there are people.The most important thing I can say is stop giving away your creations! Value yourself, value your work, and value the people you are selling to. If you give away your work to them they will be undervalued as well. They deserve a hand made piece of art that they paid a fair price for!

How I price my work ? Ok here we go on the ride of the mind of moi. It's scary in here so hang on.

We all have an absolute minimum we will take. What would you sell a piece if you had to put gas in your car in a desperate moment? Ok got a price on that necklace for such a situation? You should never sell below that price, ever! Well okay if you are stranded without gas or food, but for no other reason.

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If you look at that number and you are selling within $10 of it you are doing yourself a diservice. The simplest formula in the world is sell for at least double that price!

You say, "well I am just doing this for fun". Would you sell your couch for less than you can replace it for fun? No. So don't sell your jewelry for less than that either. Ok I am done with the lecture.

I look at the cost of my supplies and I come up with a x's by that works for me. Let's say it is 2x or 5x. It doesn't matter. If you deal in a $600 strand of sapphires you may just 2x the price of your supplies. If you deal with copper it may be 5x. Look at what will work for you.

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Remember you have to make enough money to buy more supplies to replace what you just used and you will not sell every piece you make you so you must factor that in as well. You want to keep making jewelry and you would like to improve on the quality of supplies you use over time.

Three or four times the cost of beads is a common factor that many use. That way you have paid for these beads, you can buy more beads (maybe even twice as many) and you have a bit of income left at the end. Have the beads pay for themselves, and generate more inventory and make the money off of the hourly wage you charge.

Then add on what you are worth an hour. Remember that you have to pay not only for the time to make the jewelry but also for time selling, marketing, shipping, and setting up displays, paying for booths etc. What you are worth an hour will be determined by how much experience you have. Can you whip out a cab with a gorgeous wrap in 10 minutes? Then your time is worth more than $10 an hour, more like $50 to $100 an hour.

So, for example I whip out 20 pairs of simple earrings for my earring display. They cost me .45 cents each to make and I can make 20 pairs in an hour. The price I come up with is 2.30. That is the minimum I can sell them for and still get 4x and 10 an hour. They were simple to make and not much skill required. If I pay myself $20 and hour they will still only cost 2.80. Now you would never sell your earrings for 2.80 (unless we are back at the I need gas scenario).

I take the $2.30 and times by 4 and they are at 9.20 or bump it to 9.99. That is my full retail price. At this point take a good look at them, will they sell for 14.99 in my area in a gallery, maybe 24.99? Then bump the full retail to that. Remember they are simple earrings and this is what a gallery can sell them for. I get 50% commission. But I can also offer to sell them at any price between 2.30 and $10.00.

I tell them if they buy $1000 worth they can have those earrings at 2.59 a pair. This gives them the incentive to buy out right, I get my pieces into a gallery and if they move quickly and I get discovered I can bump up my prices until I can keep up with demand. I can also send out a rep to sell them for whatever they want but I need something over my minimum. Make sense?

But what about a necklace that takes some time and skill? It works the same. A necklace cost me 15 to make times 4 is 60. I add my hourly wage, lets say 20 an hour. I times all this by 4 and get my high retail. 320 would be the retail price. But wait, I look at the piece and I know it will not sell for that. I go back to the drawing table and crunch my numbers again. I look at what I think it will sell for and I decide 199. Well 1/4 of that is 50 so I can double my price on the beads and make my hourly wage. Am I willing to do that? Then I decide. If that is all it will sell for then that is what I will have to take for it and reconsider replicating similer pieces in the future.

Now this is your base, lowest price. 50 is what I can sell it for and probably still get ahead. I want to sell it for at least 100 in most situations or I will be running myself out of business. At 50 I am barely covering my expenses. That is not a way to grow a business. I know at that price at least I am not loosing money, I can still pay the electric bill, and I can put gas in the car if I am selling a lot of jewelry.

It works the other way as well. Lets say a bracelet only costs me 1.00 but the time and skill to make it is worth far more than the value of the components. Then I raise the retail price to the cost I know the piece can sell for. There has to be a way to make money off of the art of jewelry making. That is the whole point of this endeavor. My years of skill come together to make a knockout piece then I will not give it away by any formula.

I decide this piece will easily sell for lets say 69. My absolute bottom price is 17.50. If it took me half an hour I make 27 an hour. Remember this is my lowest price. Hopefully I will sell it myself at a festival and make the profit from it.

The idea is to get into high end art shows and sell some of your product at full retail (you do not want to undercut the galleries that sell at your full retail price unless you want to loose that relationship in a hurry).

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You want to sell some of your product at at least 50% of your full retail through consignments and "sales" you may run. Some of your product at the almost lowest price to shops etc to get exposure and some money running through your fingers to buy more supplies and do it all over again..... and you will have some that will not sell. Those can be reworked or sent out as a donation, given to events as advertising, gifts etc.....

Ok just one more lecture to those that are just doing it for fun or who do not want to make money off of their work.

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Think not of yourself but of those folks that are not as fortunate as you and have to make a living from what they are doing. You are shooting them in the foot by undervaluing your work and theirs. You are worth it, and so are they. We are a community and lets work together to make it a vibrant one. Take a stroll through Neiman Marcus, a local gallery, or look at Jewelry in Barney's online. That should get you over your fear of charging for your time and supplies, and remember your pieces are unique.

There are so many more things I can say.

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-I can talk about advertising and getting your work out there at a reduced amount to create excitement but not shooting yourself in the foot in the meantime.

-About donations done right can get lots of exposure.

-About mass produced articles that go by a different formula for shows to pay booth fee's.

-About having different lines that you can sell at gallery costs and not undercut a gallery and strain your relationship.

........ but these are articles for another day.

I am selling beads now so I have run into interesting obstacles. I will not approach a gallery where I see one of my clients selling. I will not compete with my clients. I will not do shows anymore for the same reason. I would not want to set up next to a client and compete with them. I am here to support them and help them get ahead. I do not believe in competition. I believe in everyone working together to create a vibrant, ethical community where everyone is successful in many different ways including our souls being happy.

Szarka
Visit My wholesale Gem Bead Store!

Where do I learn about Turquoise? ~Answer by Kyote~

Sleeping Beauty Cabs By Bill Murdoch

On the topic of turquoise you seem to be quite knowledgeable on this subject. Therefore I was wondering where I can gain some of that knowledge and what sites you might recommend for me to educate myself on knowing the difference between the various types of turquoise.

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I will start with North American Turquoise.

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It is the most expensive turquoise available and usually sells by the carat if it is medium to high grade material.

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If I see a strand of beads being sold as North American turquoise and the price is under a couple hundred dollars, I become very suspect of the true origin of the turquoise.

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There is turquoise mined in China that is similar in color to some of the North American mines that some vendors attempt to pass off as turquoise from the US.

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When a stone is made into a bead, there is a lot of loss shaping the bead, so normally, the better quality material is not made into beads.

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The medium to low grade turquoise is stabilized and usually color shot too. This is the turquoise they threw away back in the 1960's and early 70's.

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Only about 5% of all turquoise mined is considered gem grade material, that is is both hard enough to work into cabochons and the color is good too. The rest is medium to low grade material.

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In the Magpie store, there is some natural Fox mine chips and some Sleeping Beauty chips also. These are medium grade, yet natural as they are only chips.

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The way turquoise is graded in the states is like this:

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Natural turquoise: untreated, high grade gem quality used mainly in cabochons, and very upscale jewelry design.

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Stabilized turquoise: medium grade turquoise that has resin added, usually under pressure, to make the material hard enough to work into beads.

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Stabilized and color shot: medium to low grade turquoise that is both stabilized and color shot to enhance the color.

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Reconstituted: the powder is swept up, mixed with resin and formed into beads.

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Block: material that has been stabilized, color shot and pressed into blocks to make into beads.

That is the basics of turquoise in a very general way.

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For the past few years, there is all kinds of dyed blue, white, pink, orange, red, etc., stone coming out of China that is labelled as stabilized turquoise. Some of it has copper or black colored lines (fake matrix) on the surface of it. Most of this product is dyed magnesite or something of that sort. Not turquoise at all.

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There was a big problem in Tucson at the gem and mineral show around this stuff 2 years ago as many Chinese vendors were passing that stuff off as turquoise. It was tested and this year many vendors were required to fully disclose the product.

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Another thing they are doing from China is calling turquoise that has been clear stabilized as natural turquoise. According to the standards in this country, it is not natural turquoise, but clear stabilized.

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It is nice turquoise and affordable, yet it is not natural. The Ma'anshan AB nuggets in the stores are from China. Szarka has been dealing with this vendor for the past 10 years. This is low grade mine run that is color shot and stabilized. It is very affordable and she's sold literally a ton of it.

The larger oval nuggets are mainly Hubei from China, most being clear stabilized. Nice for the price.

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Magpie does sell some faux turquoise in white, or sometimes in blue too, and it is identified as dyed magnesite , or wannabe turquoise.

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If you google turquoise mines, American turquoise, turquoise treatments, etc., you will come up with more info than you can imagine. The information is out there. I hope this helps a bit.

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Visit My wholesale Gem Bead Store!

Copying your work Szarka

I bought a number of strands of beads last month to make a bracelet I saw on your blog. I feel kind of funny asking but, can't quite figure out how you did it. Would you mind sharing the technique with me?
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I guess I have never really made that clear to the jewelry artists that buy my beads. Much of the jewelry I place on this blog is done so to inspire people with ideas on how they may want to use the gems I sell, or at least to jump start the creative juices.

You are free to copy, sell, and make replica's of anything I post on this blog. You do not need to ask for my permission. You do not have to give me credit.

You see, the way I see it is that my clients are not my customers, they are doing the job of selling my product with their skills and their artistic vision. Anything I can do to help them I will.

(I emailed the person privately telling them how I made the bracelet.)

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Marketing Cabs ~ Answer by Robyn Hawk

I received a question I did not have any knowledge about so I referred the question over to someone who has a great deal of marketing, gem, and lapidary expertise. Robyn Hawk.
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Ok, here is one for you, Cutting cabs is a hobby of mine and they are of rarer or rare material. They are from calibrated to designer. I can sell these as a finished piece but would still rather cut them and they are of the quality of the higher end cabs that others command a good price. What would be the quickest way to get them "out there" other than to offer them to a forum board. Pricing is a challenge, too. Any ideas?
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Answer:

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Hand-cut Designer pieces in rare stones are going to be a harder (but NOT impossible sell) in today's world of imported gems. I think that there are several auction type sites available - in fact one that is geared primarily to stones is at http://www.gemrockauctions.com/ . But I really think that to sell special items you need to gear your approach to artists - they are the ones that will plan a special setting for a special stone.

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I know you asked for something besides forums but that is the best place to appeal to Artisans...apart from the forums your best bet may be to try opening an Etsy shop or Ruby Lane shop they both provide a large enough space for you to give the "story" of the stone and this is what will sell these rare goodies!

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Then it is about patience and marketing your site so people can find you.

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Don't forget to include the lore of the stone, the metaphysical properties and the effort you take in choosing the stone...the right place in that stone and the many steps it takes to get to a finished piece.

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As far as pricing goes that is a personal matter - there is NO WAY you should even try to compete with stones coming from the Orient, Africa and India!

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You try doing a Google Images search to give you a starting point but that will only start you - you have to decide what your time is worth and if you have a market that can afford the final price!

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BTW - you may want to check out the work of Africa John (http://www.africajohns.com/beads.htm) and see his pricing structure on handmade genstone beads.

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(Szarka here ..... I agree check out John, he is a dear friend of mine and his work is amazing.)
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Robyn Hawk
Tucson - http://tucsongemshow.blogspot.com/
Interviews - http://jewelrygemartisans.blogspot.com/
Reviews - http://aflyonthewall.multiply.com/
Resources - http://youareonmylist.vox.com/

Visit the wholesale Gem Bead Store!

Gallery Percentages

Another question....the primary gallery I'm in opened 3 yrs ago and she did a 35/65 split with the artists. She's gone up to 40/60 and now says since she's moving the store location, her expenses are higher and she will probably have to go to a 50/50 split. This seems high to me (and would probably mean an adj in prices which I don't want to do) but I thought I'd check with others. The Gallery is located in a small tourist town of maybe 10,000 in the Texas Hill Country, not in a large city.

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Hi Dottie,

Well I am going to probably have a very unpopular opinion on this one so take it with a grain of salt and laugh at me later.

All the places that have sold my pieces at 50% sold more and for a much better price (my take home) than the places that sold for a lower percentage.

I have no idea why, I have some thoughts though. If they can get 50% there is more incentive for them to sell the work of artists and not their retail stock. Running a retail business it is hard to pay the bills if you only get 35% of the profits of a sale.

I had earrings that I sold for about $10 in my booth (10 years ago), and when I got them into an art gallery she could get $40 for them so I doubled what I was getting for the pieces.

The art gallery I presently deal with told me they usually charge 50% but for me they were going to do 60/40. I told them to take the 50% and if they wanted to lower the price to make a sale they could take it out of their percentage.

I always give the consignment shops the minimum price I will take so they have some room to play with making the sale. I give them my absolute lowest price if they buy outright then they have even more room to make a profit and there is incentive to buy from me. I tell them they can always trade for other pieces when they want. With cash in hand I am able to turn that back into the business instead of a necklace sitting and waiting to sell.

How do you locate a gallery to sell in?

Other than a website, which is a subject in itself, and people that I come in contact with, which is very few with my needing to stay at home, how does one locate a gallery to have ones jewelry at on consignment? What options are there to selling this way?

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There are so many more options than people realize. Yes there are the traditional gift shops and galleries. The way I have always gotten into those is to walk in cold, tell them I have jewelry I would love for them to sell and show it to them before they can say anything.

(Be warned that is not the way most shops like to be approached, they prefer for you to set an appointment and maybe even send them a link to your website before they will agree to meet you. I am just talking about myself and how I go about it which isn't necessarily right, it is just what works for me. Be sure to go about it in a way that fits with your personality. I happen to be a bull in a china shop without fear so ........)

While I pull out my pieces I tell them price for each piece and I give my bottom wholesale price on the first interaction to set the deal and allow them to see my work sells. I have succeeded in getting into venues about 50% of the time.

There are alternative ways as well though. I always try to think out of the box. I have some pieces in a coffee shop here. I trade sales for snacks, coffee or cash. They are small and it helps them out with generating cash and I get free food and exposure. They even put a picture of me up on the wall they printed off the Internet. (Thanks Bubble Tea House).

Just get your stuff out there. The coffee shop carries stones on a cord and simple strung bracelets. The fine art gallery mostly my copper wire gemstone pendants. A resort only strung high end gemstones. You get the drift.

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When things are tight and you feel like nothing is moving wrap crystals and take them to the new age book store. Make up 20 simple strung necklaces with overstock beads you may not really like to work with anymore and sell them wholesale to a few shops. Tie your card to each piece for advertising. Make up some interesting necklace components and see if the bead store will buy them or trade for beads, maybe they will even ask you to teach a Saturday class on how to make them.

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Find a great deal on something you can then turn over wholesale for a great price. I have close out turquoise strands right now that would be great for that. Not a plug just an example. Approach a store and ask them if they would like any of these close out necklaces. Offer them a deal if they buy 5 or 10. Give them a great deal and they will remember you when you come back in to sell them more (higher priced) jewelry and greet you with a smile as opposed to seeing "just another seller". See it as an investment in a relationship with them.

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Remember this is for when you are in a slump. This is to get yourself established. When you get busy and your supply is dwindling, raise your prices and your price points. The point is to make money and not sell yourself short.

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A word of advice. Once you have your pieces in a place go visit every week or two. See what is going on. Check what else they are selling. See if you can make something to match their new dresses they got in etc. So many beleive that once in a gallery it's ok to sit back and let the checks roll in but it is work. You need to stay fresh in the owners mind, and change out your pieces or make pieces that cater to the location better.

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There is always ways to sell jewelry. Go to a busy coffee shop and wrap stones and lay a few out on the table. I can sell $50 worth in a few hours on a good day. On a bad day I drank great coffee and have some new wrapped crystals to peddle. Kind of like fishing. I have never had a restaurant complain. When they come out to see my work I give them the nicest one for free. There will always be someone who has a rock from a friend, river, camping trip they want wrapped and you start a series of custom orders because they will tell a friend etc...

Counter tops at hair salons, garages, book stores, cafes, furniture stores, pottery studio's, the list goes on. Inexpensive items in a small display on the counter where someone can pick something up as they wait for their bill to be totalled.

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Ask a friend to take your pieces to work and offer her a percentage off for free jewelry for your time. Teachers and office workers in the lunch room, what have you. When I worked as a family therapist my secretary had a display of my work on the counter and she made a percentage for every piece she sold.

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I also have a rep who gets my jewelry at 45% and can sell it at any mark up she chooses to. She will take 5 or ten pieces at a time. She loves to go shopping and she loves to sell my jewelry so that works. She also ends up buying a lot of it herself or sells it to her friends at her cost.

Since my retail (what the galleries sell my pieces for) is usually 4 times my absolute base wholesale cost it is still a great deal and I still make a good profit.

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I also do that with folk who are going to a show and may want more inventory. They get a percentage of all the things of mine they sell and I tell them the absolute minimum I can take. Of course they will want to sell them for more than that because they are getting a percentage.

A note of caution. If you have places selling your work do not undercut them to the general public. Word will get back to them and your relationship with them may end or at least be strained. When the nice lady next door buys a necklace from you for $40 and brags around town about the price and says "You know I saw the same piece at the gallery by her for $100!" it will get back to them.

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Now if you have a completely different style you sell just to the gallery then that can not come back to haunt you.

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Szarka

What kind of agreement do you make with galleries about maintaining your jewelry?

Hi Szarka,

Whilst we’re on the subject of galleries & consignment, I have some more questions: Do you supply your own display cabinet to the galleries that you consign to?

Also, if the galleries are out of town do you have some kind of agreement about how they will maintain (ie: polish etc) your jewellery so that it always looks its best?

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Hi,

I have not supplied the galleries I work with the displays for my jewelry. Well not cabinetry anyway, sometimes I have let them use busts but that is it.

All the places I have dealt with have their own way to display so I can't help you there.

I have never worried about places taking care of my pieces either. I have mostly dealt with places that are established and have good business practices. I would assume they take care of the product they want to sell.

If you doubt that a place will take care of your pieces that matter I would not risk it.

You have to have an open partnership with a gallery before you approach them. If you go in with a list of expectations you have of them it may put a damper on your relationship.That said I have put pieces into places that I wondered if they would follow through or if I would ever see my pieces again. Not because I got a bad feeling but because I just didn't know them very well.

In those instances I would give them lesser valued pieces and not too many. I got my head around the fact that if I lost them I would write it off as an advertising cost.

It is important to treat the gallery owners with a great deal of respect. The power lies in their hands in the relationship until they start selling a lot of your work and then the relationship balances out a bit. I am not saying let yourself be walked on but going in with a list of expectations or desires really turns off gallery owners.

Think if it was your shop how you would feel with an artist telling you how to run your business? That is how they see it. Now asking them how they take care of the product they have on consignment and what their policy is with shop lifting or breakage is fine. I am careful how I present myself when I ask. I ask in a curious way as opposed to looking for "a problem".

If their policy doesn't work for you then decline to put your work in their business.

Szarka

How do you know when to pull out of a gallery?

Hi Szarka,

I have my work on consignment in two small galleries. While my work is selling, it’s moving very very slowing. I have an inventory of around 50 pieces in each venue which includes earrings, necklaces, pendants. But I’m beginning to think the maintenance of the jewellery & the displays is not worth it. In one venue the owner doesn’t seem to be actively promoting it either unless I’m there. The only 2 sales have been when I just happened to be there dusting & rearranging things!
So I was wondering if you had an opinion on how long you think should artists should wait before pulling work out of a gallery or shop & if there is a better way to negotiate exhibiting & selling your work via galleries & shops other than consignment?

Dear Slow Gallery,

I think there is a solution in the middle somewhere. Once I am in a gallery I don't pull out. I may pull some of my stock though.

Pay attention to what sold and see if you can give them something comparable to that at a lower price point. Add just a couple of things at a higher price point as well. A few knock out pieces gives you credibility and makes me people look, and a number of lower end in the style that sells there in what people will fish out of their wallet.

Then I would try to get more venues. The places that don't sell much I look at as advertising. Someone sees my name and my card their and that will double the effect if they see it else where too.

Can you just lower your inventory there? Don't pull out any inventory until you have another gallery. Then go into the old one and tell them that you have been watching what was selling and you came up with a new line "just for them". Get them excited abut your product and maybe they will push it more. Talk about how you advertise them. Find ways for them to see how having you is a big benefit to them. You scratch their back and maybe they will scratch yours. I am not saying you haven't already done all this. Just some ideas that are good to remember in a slow gallery.

I have had places that sell a few items a year to those that sell a few a week. Just keep your eye out. The best place I ever sold was a slash coffeshop/healthfood store. You just never know.

Szarka

Ask Szarka?

I am starting a new feature on my blog answering questions people send me that are jewelry related. Well no one really asks me my opinion on anything else so I guess it is kind of pointless to point out the fact that the questions are jewelry related.

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Why anyone would ask me is beyond me. I am definitely not the ultimate authority by any means. I do not have a business degree, nor have I been trained in an art school. I have never even taken a jewelry making class. Basically it appears I know very little. The good thing is I appear to be very opinionated for no known reason so I do have lots to write about.

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So if you want one little humans take on the questions that other jewelry artists ask stop on in from time to time. Send questions you would like me to answer to ssszarka@gmail.com I will change your wording and your name to keep every one's privacy. If I don't have the answer I bet I know someone who thinks they do. I will ask them what they think and post the answers here. I won't hide their identities though .

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My jewelry will still intersperse itself among the posts so keep coming back and taking a peek and scroll along to find what you are looking for. Also add your comments and suggestions, mine may be all wrong or I may have not paid close enugh attention to a piece of the puzzle. Jump on in and give your two cents worth.

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Szarka