What to do! So many jewelry makers and artists want to go with their heart and make those over the top one of a kinds! They are so showy, get so much attention, and when they sell, they bring in a chunk of change.
"When they sell" being the operative phrase.....
Is there any merit to adding on pieces that have elements of the big work, but are smaller, could possibly be reproduced in limited editions, and cost less....say 15-50.00?
If you are a one of a kind artist, you may feel quite satisfied with your work. Your work may get a great deal of notice, as well--perhaps published or pinned umpteen times at Pinterest! But speaking of notice.....have you noticed those flashy attention-getting pieces take longer to sell? Have you heard customers oooh and aaah and then say, I could never wear that...or I could never afford that? Too many such pieces will leave your business bottom line wanting....without enough money flowing back into it. Despite the sale of a few of those big fancy pieces, here and there!
A good sales plan for fashion designers of any sort is the proverbial pyramid. And oh by the way, YES, you artisan jewelry makers are part of the fashion world and should be taking note of it.
The pyramid works like this:
The peak of the pyramid are your beloved OOAKS, custom high-end bridal, runway, couture and commissioned pieces.
The center, or middle part of the pyramid are your better pieces but not off the charts in style or price. They would be practically labelled as signature or statement, pieces. They would cost perhaps 50-125.00 area. These will sell well but to more affluent buyers and collectors of your work. You will want to make these pieces in 'collections' that go together, in theme, look, and design. This way your developing clientele will come back for more pieces to go with those they've already purchased.
The bottom tier of the pyramid are impulse-priced items that cost 15-50.00. These would be small accessories like purse pulls, hair ornaments, sweet brooches, costume rings, simple pendants, most earrings, etc. These are items that people will buy without thinking too hard about cost; they will also make good gifts. These pieces should have a cohesive nature, look like they are made by ONE designer with a 'certain style'. You will discover new clientele this way who may make their way up the ladder to collecting your work, perhaps even become a custom bridal or commissioned piece customer, one day.
Also, those who purchase from the bottom tier will pay your bills. These are your bread and butter sales. Without a cohesive bottom tier of things to offer, your sales will be wanting and you will likely not achieve the income you would like as a jewelry maker or designer.
I did a video about this yesterday, as well as how to take a larger piece and step it out for smaller pieces. I did this to benefit those who are struggling with the idea of designs that can be repeated and what this will mean to their sales.
For some time now I have been toying with producing a limited edition line in the pyramid program....with repeatable pieces. I have a feel and an idea for what I'd like to do though it's not completely worked out. But yesterday when I stepped out smaller pieces for you from the larger piece in the video, I had a pretty decent foundation for a line in our SIlverware Silver Plated Finish
Some were pieces I'd worked with in other videos a bit, others were some I pulled out...and quickly finished them in just a few hours.
Here are some closer photos. This is a tea themed necklace I started a few weeks ago.....it goes together with all the pieces because of style, metal color and chain style.
This is the statement piece I used to start:
We worked on this in a video a few weeks ago and I finished it. I love the bit of gold colored metal with the silver, it gives it a decidely vintage glow.
Here are necklaces stepped out from the inspiration of this large one:
The tea necklace again and a reprise of a spoon necklace I had done before, and another with the cat motif as shown in the necklace.
Then the smaller pieces:
While Javi was editing and processing the video, I even started on another statement piece:
Anyway, would suggest you think this way if you are struggling. Grab some of your fave over the top and one of a kinds and examine them for common components and think what you could do to build your design pyramid.
Not only will your sales increase, but the satisfaction of having many admiring and happy customers will make your creative experiences even more joyful.
Great video Brenda. Impressive how fast you put those pieces together.
From what you said in the video it looks like I'm on the right track. Woohoo! :-)
Loved reading the summary of what you said in the video here. Things are crystal clear now. Will be sharing the video on my social media channels. I believe that every designer should see it. It's that helpful!
Thank you for all that you do.
Marica xx
Posted by: Marica Zammit | February 07, 2015 at 02:34 PM
Your new blog is fantastic, Brenda!!
Posted by: Marcia Tuzzolino | February 07, 2015 at 02:42 PM
I watched your video last night, Brenda. Wow! You made some lovely necklaces. Our taste is so similar. This is a great blog post!
Posted by: Vonda Stephenson | February 07, 2015 at 04:01 PM
Thank you so much, Brenda. Great information and beautiful jewelry!
Posted by: Melissa Latimer | February 07, 2015 at 06:12 PM
thanks so much, great blog and video~
Posted by: Nike Bottalico | February 08, 2015 at 12:55 AM
Loved this post! This is an area I have been working on myself and I was grateful to find your post and see that I am on the right track. I agree, sometimes we just have to create one of those over the top pieces. I like working with chainmaille and by the time all is said and done that very special necklace can take up a whole lot of time. But it is great to get something like that out of your system every once in a while to challenge your creativity and help you get unstuck. Now I will take your advice and see what less labor and time intensive "spin-offs" I can come up with!
Posted by: [email protected] | February 11, 2015 at 12:39 PM
The tea themed necklace is so cool! I love the chain on it. Thanks for sharing these.
Posted by: Drew | May 28, 2015 at 10:15 AM
Wow ! great collection of designed jewellery, i love all pieces of your collection, it has different price according to its design, metal color and chain style. http://www.getpersonalizedjewelry.com
Posted by: GetPersonalizedJewelry | October 03, 2016 at 06:07 PM