I found RV Dreams about two weeks ago and finally finished reading all the journal entries yesterday. (Whew!) I'm not an RVer, although I did live full-time on a houseboat for about 5 years. I've been looking at Class B RVs to possibly do some extensive traveling throughout the US. Please thank Howard for all the work he has put into this site. It is very entertaining and informative.
Anyway...I just wanted to tell you that I am a fellow beader. I use a loom and delica beads. I've been making jewelry for over 10 years but only recently started with the loom. It's very addictive, but I find it's much more difficult to come up with items to sell that give me as good of a return on my time and material investments as the other jewelry I make. I've only been doing bead looming since January, but mostly just for fun. I love the different patterns available and also coming up with my own patterns. I recently did a bookmark covered with pansies and a candle holder with a design of roses and hearts. You should try a loom, if you haven't already. You can get some small, cheap ones that wouldn't take up a lot of room. I have three that are different sizes but I actually like this little cheap plastic one I bought the best.
I started making jewelry as a de-stressor when I was working as a Family Therapist at a mental health clinic. When I moved onto the boat, I supported myself making jewelry, and selling it to stores, for several years. The only reason I'm telling you all this is to encourage you that it can be done. The main problem for me was that the more store accounts I got, the less fun it became. I started to feel like a sweatshop worker sometimes-lol. Right now, I'm back to doing it mostly for fun but it's still a great way to earn extra income and get some tax deductions.
If I can give you any advice with the jewelry business, just let me know. You sound like you've got it pretty well covered but I might be able to give you some tips on places to get supplies, ways to sell your jewelry, tax deductions, etc.
Sorry this was so long. Good luck with your jewelry and travels.
Linda said
09:56 AM Aug 21, 2006
Hi Pam,
Glad to hear from you.
I have seen the looms before and contemplated about getting one. I have passed them by several times always fighting the urge to buy one. I may have to just give it a try now that you speak so highly of it. (Don't tell Howard)
Currently, my business could be a little stronger but like you, I don't want it to run me into the ground. Thus we haven't started any stores on ebay and the like.
If you have any tips on how to photograph the beading we sure could us some help with that.
Thanks
Pam said
09:41 PM Aug 22, 2006
I'm sorry it took me so long to respond. I went on a mini-roadtrip today.
I'm afraid I can't be of much help in the photograph department. It's the one area that has stopped me from doing much online myself. Most of the people I know that have websites get a professional to do the photography. That's okay if you have standard designs that don't change a lot but doesn't work well if your inventory changes frequently.
My only suggestion in that area might be that you consider going to someone that specializes in photgraphing jewelry and have them take pictures of some of your most popular pieces and then use those photos as part of your web page graphics. Then you could use your own photos in the ordering section to show the different designs you have available. If you decide to go the professional route ask the photographer when you contact them if they would be willing to give you some pointers for photographing the jewelry yourself. It shouldn't be hard to find a photographer willing to do that as long as you are paying for at least one session.
Your photos are actually pretty good, by the way. You should see my pathetic attempts at photographing my jewelry.
I hope I didn't discourage you with my comments about feeling like a sweatshop worker after the business kind of took off. It's very, very possible to make money making and selling jewelry and still have fun with it. It's like RVing-you can make it be what you want it to be.
If you decide to buy a loom, don't spend a lot of money on one until you have tried looming to see if you like it. You can spend anywhere from 3 to 300 dollars on a beading loom but the quality of your finished product isn't going to be affected a great deal by the quality of your loom. I have three and the most expensive one is the one that I like the least. Now that I know what I want in a loom I'll probably get someone to make one for me. You won't know what you really want in a loom until you've been working with one for a while.
Where are you getting your Delica Beads? I buy all my beads and findings through a couple of wholesale companies that I've been dealing with for years but I'm still paying retail for my delicas. That's the other thing that's hard about breaking into the jewelry business-it's hard to find good wholesale prices online and next to impossible to find good prices in stores. I've been breaking my number 1 rule ("never pay retail for supplies") with the delicas. I'm still looking, so if I find a good source I'll share it with you. When I was first trying to break into the business, people were really tight-lipped about their wholesale sources. Crazy.
Have you ever thought about making hummingbird earrings? I used to get some beautiful hummingbird beads in pewter and brass from a company called Rio Grande. They are based out of New Mexico and you can only purchase through their catalog or their site in NM. I did a search the other night for "hummingbird beads" on google and found some that seemed similar. I just thought that might be a nice tie-in with your feeders.
Wow, once again, I've written way more than I meant to. It's just fun to talk about beading with you because I don't know too many fellow beaders or jewelry designers anymore. I was living on the boat when I was most heavily into jewelry making so I can definitely understand the space constraints you're dealing with. Supplies and inventory can take up a lot of room.
Okay, I'm going to shut up now...
Linda said
02:40 PM Aug 23, 2006
Hi Pam,
The place I get all my delicas is Fire Mountain Gems. www.firemountaingems.com They have excellent pricing when you buy in large quantities. I always buy 24 tubes or more and get the best discount. They have extremely fast delivery also. Wonderful company for service. Can you tell I like them?
I wish they had an affiliate program because I have referred a lot of people their way.
I get my Fireline and earring supplies from Jewelry Supply. www.jewelrysupply.com I used to get my box clasps from them but found the quality to be lacking. The only place that I have found my box clasps are from Michael's. They are way more expensive, but they don't fail like the cheap ones from Jewelry Supply.
You haven't discouraged my from the loom. I plan to try it some time.
Happy Beading!
Pam said
06:41 PM Aug 23, 2006
I've been getting my delicas from Fire Mountain, too. So far, they have the best prices I've been able to find but I'm still looking. For my sterling silver beads and findings and semi-precious stone beads and seed pearls I usually use Abeada Corp-they have great combinable discounts. I get Swarovski crystals and some other silver components from Rio Grande. They're a little more expensive than Abeada but they carry components I haven't been able to find anywhere else.
Ornament Magazine is another good source for finding supplies. A lot of wholesalers advertise with them.
Well, good luck and have fun with it. Maybe we'll meet up at the Tucson shows one year. I've yet to make it there during the big February shows but everyone says that is the best place for finding supplies and making contacts.
Judy the Other said
08:03 AM Aug 26, 2006
Pam wrote: Maybe we'll meet up at the Tucson shows one year. I've yet to make it there during the big February shows but everyone says that is the best place for finding supplies and making contacts.
Hi, new to the forum but have been following your journey, Linda, since the planning stages.
As Pam says, the Tucson show(s) are amazing! I don't bead but my SIL makes jewelry and we always find more than she could ever use. And even tho I don't make jewelry, I always find something. There are places here during the show that are dedicated to beading (however, Howard should probably have a rx for Valium before goiing. ). Prices are great during the show, especially the last couple of days. Rio Grande always has a huge presence. The show has everything, from dinosaur droppings, to rare gems, to one of a kind jewlery. The most interesting part for me is talking to the vendors (and Buyers) from all over the world. It's amazing how many people make their living with rocks!
Also, I sell quite a bit on eBay and wanted to share Camera Jim's link for photography, his lighting instructions have helped me a lot!
Judy
Ed. to add: You can only get the wholesale prices if you have a business tax ID.
Hi Linda, (hi Howard)
I found RV Dreams about two weeks ago and finally finished reading all the journal entries yesterday. (Whew!) I'm not an RVer, although I did live full-time on a houseboat for about 5 years. I've been looking at Class B RVs to possibly do some extensive traveling throughout the US. Please thank Howard for all the work he has put into this site. It is very entertaining and informative.
Anyway...I just wanted to tell you that I am a fellow beader. I use a loom and delica beads. I've been making jewelry for over 10 years but only recently started with the loom. It's very addictive, but I find it's much more difficult to come up with items to sell that give me as good of a return on my time and material investments as the other jewelry I make. I've only been doing bead looming since January, but mostly just for fun. I love the different patterns available and also coming up with my own patterns. I recently did a bookmark covered with pansies and a candle holder with a design of roses and hearts. You should try a loom, if you haven't already. You can get some small, cheap ones that wouldn't take up a lot of room. I have three that are different sizes but I actually like this little cheap plastic one I bought the best.
I started making jewelry as a de-stressor when I was working as a Family Therapist at a mental health clinic. When I moved onto the boat, I supported myself making jewelry, and selling it to stores, for several years. The only reason I'm telling you all this is to encourage you that it can be done. The main problem for me was that the more store accounts I got, the less fun it became. I started to feel like a sweatshop worker sometimes-lol. Right now, I'm back to doing it mostly for fun but it's still a great way to earn extra income and get some tax deductions.
If I can give you any advice with the jewelry business, just let me know. You sound like you've got it pretty well covered but I might be able to give you some tips on places to get supplies, ways to sell your jewelry, tax deductions, etc.
Sorry this was so long. Good luck with your jewelry and travels.
Hi Pam,
Glad to hear from you.
I have seen the looms before and contemplated about getting one. I have passed them by several times always fighting the urge to buy one. I may have to just give it a try now that you speak so highly of it. (Don't tell Howard)
Currently, my business could be a little stronger but like you, I don't want it to run me into the ground. Thus we haven't started any stores on ebay and the like.
If you have any tips on how to photograph the beading we sure could us some help with that.
Thanks
I'm sorry it took me so long to respond. I went on a mini-roadtrip today.
I'm afraid I can't be of much help in the photograph department. It's the one area that has stopped me from doing much online myself. Most of the people I know that have websites get a professional to do the photography. That's okay if you have standard designs that don't change a lot but doesn't work well if your inventory changes frequently.
My only suggestion in that area might be that you consider going to someone that specializes in photgraphing jewelry and have them take pictures of some of your most popular pieces and then use those photos as part of your web page graphics. Then you could use your own photos in the ordering section to show the different designs you have available. If you decide to go the professional route ask the photographer when you contact them if they would be willing to give you some pointers for photographing the jewelry yourself. It shouldn't be hard to find a photographer willing to do that as long as you are paying for at least one session.
Your photos are actually pretty good, by the way. You should see my pathetic attempts at photographing my jewelry.
I hope I didn't discourage you with my comments about feeling like a sweatshop worker after the business kind of took off. It's very, very possible to make money making and selling jewelry and still have fun with it. It's like RVing-you can make it be what you want it to be.
If you decide to buy a loom, don't spend a lot of money on one until you have tried looming to see if you like it. You can spend anywhere from 3 to 300 dollars on a beading loom but the quality of your finished product isn't going to be affected a great deal by the quality of your loom. I have three and the most expensive one is the one that I like the least. Now that I know what I want in a loom I'll probably get someone to make one for me. You won't know what you really want in a loom until you've been working with one for a while.
Where are you getting your Delica Beads? I buy all my beads and findings through a couple of wholesale companies that I've been dealing with for years but I'm still paying retail for my delicas. That's the other thing that's hard about breaking into the jewelry business-it's hard to find good wholesale prices online and next to impossible to find good prices in stores. I've been breaking my number 1 rule ("never pay retail for supplies") with the delicas. I'm still looking, so if I find a good source I'll share it with you. When I was first trying to break into the business, people were really tight-lipped about their wholesale sources. Crazy.
Have you ever thought about making hummingbird earrings? I used to get some beautiful hummingbird beads in pewter and brass from a company called Rio Grande. They are based out of New Mexico and you can only purchase through their catalog or their site in NM. I did a search the other night for "hummingbird beads" on google and found some that seemed similar. I just thought that might be a nice tie-in with your feeders.
Wow, once again, I've written way more than I meant to. It's just fun to talk about beading with you because I don't know too many fellow beaders or jewelry designers anymore. I was living on the boat when I was most heavily into jewelry making so I can definitely understand the space constraints you're dealing with. Supplies and inventory can take up a lot of room.
Okay, I'm going to shut up now...
Hi Pam,
The place I get all my delicas is Fire Mountain Gems. www.firemountaingems.com They have excellent pricing when you buy in large quantities. I always buy 24 tubes or more and get the best discount. They have extremely fast delivery also. Wonderful company for service. Can you tell I like them?
I wish they had an affiliate program because I have referred a lot of people their way.
I get my Fireline and earring supplies from Jewelry Supply. www.jewelrysupply.com I used to get my box clasps from them but found the quality to be lacking. The only place that I have found my box clasps are from Michael's. They are way more expensive, but they don't fail like the cheap ones from Jewelry Supply.
You haven't discouraged my from the loom. I plan to try it some time.
Happy Beading!
Hi, new to the forum but have been following your journey, Linda, since the planning stages.
As Pam says, the Tucson show(s) are amazing! I don't bead but my SIL makes jewelry and we always find more than she could ever use. And even tho I don't make jewelry, I always find something. There are places here during the show that are dedicated to beading (however, Howard should probably have a rx for Valium before goiing.
). Prices are great during the show, especially the last couple of days. Rio Grande always has a huge presence. The show has everything, from dinosaur droppings, to rare gems, to one of a kind jewlery. The most interesting part for me is talking to the vendors (and Buyers) from all over the world. It's amazing how many people make their living with rocks!
Also, I sell quite a bit on eBay and wanted to share Camera Jim's link for photography, his lighting instructions have helped me a lot!
Judy
Ed. to add: You can only get the wholesale prices if you have a business tax ID.
-- Edited by Judy the Other at 21:15, 2006-08-26