The Dilemma of a Price Increase: Let's Talk About Plating

Let's talk a little bit about the finishes we use at B'sue Boutiques.

I really do use the best plater in the US costume jewelry business.  Finding him was a process of years.   For a long time I offered lower-end finishes as our mainstay at B'sue's....mostly because I didn't know there was better out there to be had.

Once I found the better finishes....I never looked back.  In fact, in the last year, I discontinued FOUR in favor of concentrating on the superior finishes.   Those I discontinued are: pewter ox, copper ox, silver ox, and gunmetal.

Instead of those discontinued finishes, I expanded our RAW BRASS line and introduced GILDER'S PASTE:

http://www.bsueboutiques.com/gilders_paste.shtml    We can hardly keep the stuff on the shelves, because nowadays, designers are into TWO THINGS:

1.   a DIY finish they can produce themselves, developing their own 'recipe' and making it their own (which TOTALLY ROCKS!!)

2.  HIGH-END FINISHES that look like vintage precious metal,  stand the test of time and also, stand out from the crowd.

You can make your own gunmetal finish....very easily.  Here's a video to help:

How to Make Your Own Gunmetal Finish

Take the principles from this video and you can also make your own copper, copper ox, antique silver, pewter-look and antique gold look finishes using GILDER'S PASTE.   A little Gilder's goes a long way....you can colorize a boatload of stampings with one can.

That having been said, let's talk about the high cost of silver and gold these days....and the volatile cost of brass.

Brass went up 75% in the last two years.  That's your base, or raw brass.   At the beginning of the year I had to raise the base price because of brass increases I no longer could absorb, but it was only by 10-30 cents for the most part---if at all.  

From 2001-2011,  there was a 500% increase in gold....a 900% !! increase in silver.   There has also been a 250% increase in copper and a 400% increase in nickel.

There is nickel in pewter ox and gunmetal finishes; we still carry two  pewter ox cuffs.   I don't have cuffs done in silverware except by special order as the price would be around 15.00 each.  The pewter ox will blend, so we go with that.   My plater uses half of the US allowable nickel, but!  with the surcharge on nickel, the cuff had to go up.

My wonderful plater just informed me that on top of the 55-60% surcharges I am already paying, he is raising the cost of silver and gold plating 20% on the base, and insisting on payment within ten days.

OH WOW.

I've gone through my website the last couple of days doing a strong cost analysis on the things we carry in the Russian Goldplate and the Silverware Silverplated finish.   Over the last few years, customers have told me again and again NOT to quit plating those expensive finishes, that they would RATHER have them then the cheesy greeny-gold with the junky black antique that others sell as antique gold, or the bright white silver-color that is not even silver, with the ugly blackening that is sold as antique silver.  They want quality.

I'm with them.  I do, too!

  Russian Goldplate is unique to us and the closest thing you will ever find to the old Haskell finish.  It's our specialty.  It is 18K in the plating bath....real gold....and gold is expensive.

The silverware finish is the *most expensive we carry*, but it has the look of wonderful old sterling.  Our silverware is 99 percent silver---PURE SILVER---in the plating bath.  It is SO much silver over the brass that if you dunk silverware silverplated pieces into Liver of Sulfur, they will turn just like sterling does.   Our heavy silverware pieces like the Victorian sash brooches, pretzel snakes, Ooky the Octopus, Luggage Tag Pendants etc,  are showy because they DO look like vintage sterling.   They have a nice heft to them.  They also cost me over 1.60 each to plate--MY COST!!  I realize I have been losing my shirt on them.  So I'm a bit grateful for the wake up call I just got from the plater!

If you go to Michael's or any of the crafts stores and look at the imported focals that have a poor finish on them over mystery cast metal....they all cost 3.95 to 5.95.   And they have neither the character OR the quality that my brass stampings do, or the rich design history.  All of our stampings are made from historical dies, some of which have been in operation since the early 20th century.

Many of these pieces cost twice or more my price on other sites without the high quality finishes.

So!  that's the difference at B'sue Boutiques.  Sure, you can find some of these stampings elsewhere for less....BUT.... those folks are offering the finishes I left behind, as not being good enough for you.

Just so you know... I began to raise my silver and gold finishes this evening.   Some I left alone as we will be discontinuing them later, others aren't heavy and really didn't need raising.  Plating goes by weight, so you will see the most dramatic increases in the LARGE, HEAVY pieces.

If anyone has any questions, let me know!   And by the way....brass ox, raw brass, and Old Rose Ox aren't going up by much, most NOT AT ALL.   Even  though Old Rose Ox has copper in it, I can still afford to sell it at a lower price at this time.

 

Comments

[Mad House Mind Works]

I love the silverplate! So glad your not going to stop it and its worth the extra cost! When I explain to customers why a piece is so expensive when useing a stamping of that finish,they are very suprised and please to learn about the amount of silver in it!I use it as a selling point!

[Brenda Sue Lansdowne]

GOOD FOR YOU, Lauren!

That's why I share all this information with everyone....I am truly hoping everyone will realize the QUALITY they are getting for the price. In the long run, it's a real bargain. I did have to raise your Ooky and Pretzel snakes a good bit, but it's still within reason. I'm not going to discontinue them.

I am really hoping that in this case quality will win out! IT *IS* a selling point! Those pieces in sterling would be off the charts. You get the look without the price.

[Kate]

I for one want you to stay in business, and am always appreciative of the fact that you offer top of the line! I want the best for my customers, so I am willing to pay what needs to be paid to provide them with the highest quality! Thank you, B'Sue for offering the BEST!

[Karen Holtz Generous Spirit Jewelry Designs]

Quality is the name of the game. I put MY name on the finished piece! When you purchase the best supplies you pass along that confidence to your
customer. Thanks B'Sue.

[Pam Chesbro]

I am sorry you must raise your prices but would be even sorrier if you couldn't stay in business. We do what we must! Your site offers a value-add with all of your wonderful inspiration, motivation and emphasis on quality.

[Brenda Sue Lansdowne]

Karen got it right: you pass quality on to your customers when you buy quality product. I was just out on errands and happened to stop by a crafts store. What they are offering for only a tad less than some of my heavier silverware focals is really low quality. I wouldn't use it if it was given to me. True, the fact that the materials cost more means you have to sell for more...but it's how you sell the piece. If you explain to people what you've got there, they will appreciate it. The focals in silverware that now cost 4.95-7.95 are akin to a heavy STERLING centerpiece, which would cost 15-20 times more, if you could even get it. These pieces have the heft, the look, the feel of sterling and the plating is so rich in pure silver that it responds like sterling does. All the look of, let's say, Hill Tribes Sterling.....at a fraction of the price, with a softer look and a true vintage feel. I keep looking at them, and I have to tell you....they are still a stone-cold, drop-dead bargain.