Shopping, Fashion and Jewelry

How To Price Your Bead Jewelry

Making bead jewelry can be a fun way of exploring your creative talent. You can work on it as a hobby, but you can also start a business out of it. To realize profit from your jewelry making business, one important thing is you should know how to price every piece of jewelry correctly. Prices should include the costs of your supplies, your time, overhead, and experience. Let us take for example, you are to create a necklace made of alloy beads. So you head on to your favorite bead shop and craft store to buy supplies such as beads, nymo thread, findings, etc. You also need to buy supplies like gift boxes, ribbons, tags, presentation cards, and bags.

After working on your necklace, you then calculate all the costs of materials that you used in making that piece of jewelry. The cost of the finished necklace will be different from the cost of your supplies. It is because you did not use up all the supplies that you bought in making the beaded necklace. So you calculate the cost of each alloy bead and how many were used; you do the same with all the other supplies (findings, clasps, nymo threads, etc) that were incorporated on the necklace.

After doing the above steps, you can start analyzing the bead strand costs. Maybe they are not easily marketable because of their high prices, or maybe some findings are worth doing them yourself so as not to make your piece of jewelry very costly. You try using anything that will make your project low-cost, for easy marketability. When you set up the price of your necklace, you add other criteria such as cost of shipping and delivery.

The ideal thing is to use up all the supplies that you bought to make the necklace. There are alloy beads and thread that are left over. This should be moved quickly. If this does not move, your money will be tied up not being used. Some of the supplies may get out of fashion or become obsolete. To have a healthy business, you should always try to reduce your inventory and maximize your product availability. Do not make it a practice to stock a box full of beads, using only one here and a couple there. Just think of the money that you spent buying all those beads.

You can consider making ethnic style bracelets and necklaces just to use all those supplies. It may take you long to sell them all, but at least, it is there ready to sell. Or you can consider making a set, instead of just one piece. For the necklace that you just made, you can create a matching bracelet and earrings. Your inventory will move quickly and if you sell quickly, your business will be on its right path. You can use up all the supplies that you bought and you can profit more effectively. Having a jewelry making business is both fun and financially satisfying.

Selling Your Bead Jewelry by Consignment

Selling your bead jewelry by consignment is a common practice done by both the beginners and professionals in the industry. Consigning your creations takes more than just going to a shop or gallery and showing them your work. You must remember that consigning is a two-fold deal: the shop or gallery gets the merchandise to sell, and you get your creations displayed and, hopefully, get them sold. It is like 2 faces of a coin – one is the shop that needs to display innovative, unique, and good quality items. The other side is you and your designer bead jewelry. You would want to sell your craft at the best price possible, and be seen by people who would want to buy it so you can make yourself a living.

When you consign your bead jewelry to a shop, you will wait for them to be sold before you can make any money. If you are a beginner, you cannot expect to be paid before selling your jewelry. There are a few instances where galleries buy bead jewelry from the very famous jewelers and pay them outright. Depending on the deal with the shop owner, the price paid by the buyer will be split between you and the shop, and the percentage may vary from the usual 60% for the artist and 40$ for the shop to 50/50 or 80/20.

With this percentage, you put the effort, the craftsmanship and your expertise; the shop puts the recognition, location and their sales power. Shops and galleries are always looking for exciting and new jewelry to sell, with innovative design from an honest and reliable jeweler. Your consignment deals should first meet your own needs and wants and should also boost the sales of your bead jewelry creations. Consigning is a good way to build a reputation; it markets yourself as a jewelry artist.

Following are some guidelines in selling your beads jewelry through consignment.

1. Before approaching a shop or gallery, you must first set up a meeting with the owner or whoever is in charge. Bring with you some samples of your jewelry, including the stationery and all the tools that you will need for the deal.

2. Talk directly to the manager or shop owner. It is always best to talk to someone who has the power to decide, rather than try selling your stuff to the sales clerk of the shop.

3. Do not start the conversation by saying that you want a consignment deal. Simply offer your work and wait what they will say. You never know what they might offer to you.

4. Listen emphatically and carefully to the owner’s wants and needs. Do not brag about your being a great jeweler, nor insist upon your selling requirement and policies. But you can inform them objectively about your experience, education and honors that you may have received. If the owner is open to discussion you can negotiate other types of arrangements, other than consignment. Honestly talk about the prices of your bead jewelry.

5. Have a positive attitude when they reject your work. Leave your contact information and walk away with a smile.