Just listed on Etsy...

Lapis lazuli and brass necklace, with an oriental inspiration


A gemmy amber colored keyring.


A bracelet made of lapis lazuli drops and chrysocolla beads on a vintage brass chain.

At last, an Etsy sale!

After over a month without an Etsy sale, I opened up my Yahoo this morning, and surprise! A sale!
And one of my most expensive sets, sterling silver and chrysoprase!
It sure makes my day!

Another Etsy treasury

Thanks vsilcoxdesigns for having me in.

I'm on an Etsy treasury for the third time now!

Thanks Eclectibles!

A new jewelry and art boutique

A few days ago, I registered to a new venue called Zibbet. They are still at their beta stage. They promote art and crafts, and most importantly, handmade over all. Their categories are: painting, photography, drawings, mixed media art, digital, prints, jewelry, ceramics and pottery, glass art, sculptures and other handmade items. One of the most interesting aspects of this site is that it's free until you make a sale, at which point, a decent 7.5% fee is demanded.

I have started to list some jewelry, and I'm planning to also list paintings and drawings, and see what happens.

I have been a seller at Etsy for over a year now, and with only 20 sales, I am somewhat desillusioned with it. I suppose that for the first 1000 or so sellers on Etsy, it has been and probably remains a great venue, but - and this is probably true mostly in jewelry - for newcomers, to be noticed in zillions of shops, with almost no chance of ever being on the first page unless you spend your life in forums, trying to figure out how to ever make it there if you're not an Etsy star...
I am now picking up nice Etsy bills every month, religiously relisting my jewelry with little effect, much to the glee of Etsy owners, laughing all the way to the bank!
Actually, that's what I'd like to be today, an Etsy partner!

Two photo shoots in so many days

Last night and this morning, I was somewhat behind in my photos, (as you may know, 2 hours to make a necklace will need two hours to put it for sale!).
So, in those two sessions, I took well over 450 shots that will permit me to put some twenty pieces of jewelry online...Hoping some will sell.
Last night I had to use artificial lighting and my light tent, today , the sun was presest, so I took advantage of it.
Now, to photoshop and getting the pics ready for the web!

Setting up shop

I am now setting up shop on Artfire.
Since I'm already on Etsy, it's quite easy to list stuff on Artfire, I use all the same elements, photos, descriptions etc.
It's really neat, I registered yesterday night, and sold my first necklace this morning!
This is it:

On making and selling jewelry

When I started making beaded jewelry, a few years ago, I didn't realize what I was getting into!
Making bracelets, earrings, necklaces was so much fun! The results were so pleasing! My sisters and friends were so happy when I would give them a piece!
Well, It is still very much a pleasure buying the beads and creating the jewelry, but now I have to sell it!
That means pricing the pieces ( how much did it cost me, how long did it take to make it), keeping an inventory, taking pictures (not just any pictures, nice ones!), buying or making displays, setting up an online shop (on Etsy for instance) with all it implies...(creating a banner, writing a description of each piece etc. etc.).
Not that these things are disagreeable as such (for a genuine salesperson, which I am not), but the amount of time put in the selling often outweights the time put in creating!
That, I must say is not a joyful surprise!

How to begin?

I have always been attracted by jewels; had I been a woman, I surely would have spent a whole lot of money on rings, bracelets, necklaces or brooches...
Since I'm not, I haven't bought much jewelry for myself, not being much of a jewel wearer (apart from the occasional brooch). The only jewels I have ever bought were for my mother and some of my girlfriends.
A few years ago, I got stung by beadolia and began making beaded jewelry. I know this is not original, so many people do that these days!
Well, I'm still learning, but I try not to do what others do the way others do...
Do I succeed? You be the judge of that...