Make jewelery at home

A fast growing trend is jewelry designing and making. Whether for yourself, family and friends, or customers, homemade jewelry that is properly made and stylish makes a simple, inexpensive, and unique fashion statement. While the materials and styles for jewelry can be endless, a beautiful material to use is gemstones. Gemstones can be used in all jewelry-bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings-and in all varieties. A simple gemstone on its own with a flawless cut and sparkle of color is elegant and timeless. A rougher and more natural looking gemstone can evoke an organic and whimsical style. Your creative possibilities for jewelry with gemstones are endless; as long as you can design it, you can create it.  Just as the jewelry designs are varied and plentiful, so too are your options for gemstones. While rare gemstones have been used in jewelry since ancient times, such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, other less expensive stones still make beautiful jewelry while being affordable. The value, and consequently the price, of a gemstone are determined by the four C's: cut, color, clarity, and carat.  The importance of each classification will depend on the stone itself. For example, the cut in a diamond is paramount, followed by clarity and color. Diamonds are known for their sparkle and brilliance, which are only achieved after are they cut. In colored gemstones however, including colored diamonds, the purity of the color is the most important value determinant. When making your own jewelry, first decide the purpose of your jewelry and then secondly determine your price range. From there you can determine which gemstones you will fashion into your sure to be striking work of art. 

Handmade jewelry businesses have become a very popular cottage industry in recent years. Artisan-crafted accessory pieces can be made from a myriad of different materials and fashioned in styles to appeal to a wide range of buyers. Once you have amassed an inventory of fabulous jewelry art, you may be interested in selling some of your creations to jewelry enthusiasts in local, regional and international markets.

Instructions

1. • Wear your creations. There is no better way to market your jewelry pieces than to actually show them off yourself. When in public, pair your earring, necklace, ring and bracelet sets with colorful outfits. You are likely to receive compliments, and when asked where you bought such lovely handmade jewelry, you can proudly hand out your business card.
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     Create a blog. Because handmade jewelry is as unique as the person who makes it, why not provide your customers with an inside look into your creative life and the inspirations behind your art with the creation of a blog? Sites such as Blogger, Word press, and Type pad make setting up a blog a breeze, and the exposure you will receive can be tremendous.
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     Sell locally. Participate in local craft fairs, consignment shops or craft co-ops to sell jewelry as well as meet jewelry-buying customers. The importance of face-to-face buyer/seller communication cannot be overestimated, as it provides valuable information on market trends and buyer preferences.
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     Utilize social marketing tools. Do you tweet? If not, Twitter, a social marketing venue, could be a great way to market your jewelry to thousands of customers. Sites such as Facebook and My Space are also useful jewelry-marketing avenues to inform jewelry enthusiasts about upcoming sales, special promotions or giveaways.
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     Sell jewelry online. Take your jewelry marketing to the next level with online sales. Websites such as Etsy, eBay, Art Fire, Lollishops and Fuzz B are great ways to sell handmade jewelry and reach thousands of customers.
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     Promote your jewelry in print. Local papers are always on the lookout for local-interest stories and may be interested in your story. There is no better way to gain exposure and let customers know about your jewelry business than to have a feature newspaper article written about you and your business.
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     Create a website. With the many Day website programs on the market, consider creating your own internet site. This venue provides an "online store" presence and will go a long way toward selling your handmade jewelry creations to an international market.