If you know how to work with wire, you can produce this 75 carat diamond necklace

To help stay current with industry news and trends I set up google alerts that dump information into a g-mail account. I find this is a fabulous way to see the latest news and keep up with sites I’m especially interested in without having to go searching for them.

In my last post I discussed my belief that working with wire is a tremendous asset in expanding the manufacturing capabilities of a pearl and bead stringer.

This morning while browsing through my g-mail account, I came across this feature in JCK magazine – “75 Carat Briolette Diamond Necklace Sells for Record $11 Million.” The diamond necklace was part of one of Christie’s “Magnificent Jewels” sales in Hong Kong and, apparently, the sale price set a world record.

But that’s not what interested me.

The necklace is put together with wire. Look at it below.

Wire Jewelry

Look closely at the image. I can’t really tell whether the middle jump ring is soldered or not – it probably is – but certainly the briolette and the smaller diamonds are attached with wire. So, too, is the ruby accent.

Although JCK doesn’t say, I suspect the wire used is white gold. It’s far easier to work in this kind of design than platinum.

While I don’t believe I’ll ever work on a 75 carat briolette, I do have the skills to produce this necklace.

Posted in Jewelry Design, Manufacturing Tips | Tagged , , ,

Using Wire In Making Jewelry

Working with Wire to Make JewelryA few weeks ago, I released a new DVD demonstrating how to work with wire to make jewelry.

I want to emphasize that I am in no way changing my focus. Knowing how to work with wire is, I believe, an essential component of the repertoire of skills that a pearl and bead stringer should have. (And, frankly, learning how to work with wire is far easier than learning how to string beads. Stringing pearls and beads requires a somewhat steep learning curve AND significant practice before  proficiency can be achieved.)

But why is understanding wire important? Knowing how to work with wire enables you to manufacture earrings that can complement your designs. Clients often demand the complementary jewelry. It also enables you to expand your DESIGN capabilities by knowing how to incorporate wire and chain into earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

This morning I came across some images from JCK of new earring designs that will be featured in an upcoming jewelry show. (Although the editor called the designs “new,” they are not. The materials used in the earrings are unusual enough to give the pieces a “new” look.)

These pieces are manufactured by using soldering techniques, among others. However, I wanted to point how how you can manufacture similar pieces by using wire.

In the first set of earrings, pictured opposite, chandelier earrings are used. These have been popular for some time now and chandelier findings are readily available from almost any jewelry supply company. So, without soldering skills, you’d begin with the prefabricated chandelier findings.

One of the first things you will learn how to manufacture if you decide to learn about wire, is earring findings. So, if you wanted to make a pair of earrings similar to the one pictured, you could make your own or buy prefabricated ear wires.

The manufacturer used baguette gemstones with what appears to be diamond and white gold findings in this design. And, he or she attached the baguettes and the findings to the chandeliers with a very thin wire. Learning how to make loops to attach baguettes to jump rings is a specific technique and is taught in the DVD.

Finally, the designer used a finishing element in the center of the chandelier. You may or may not want to keep it. If you do want to keep it, just use wire to attach the baguette. And, although in #4 on the graphic I wrote to clip and file, only do this if for some reason you don’t want to keep the soldered jump ring in the center of the chandelier. Otherwise, just leave it alone.

This did not start out to be an advertisement for the Working with Wire DVD, but rather a demonstration of how wire techniques can be used effectively to manufacture a variety of jewelry. But, I found it hard to explain specific wire technique without reference to the DVD and I apologize if it’s annoying. Just take away from this what you will.

In the next post I’ll go over another pair of earrings and demonstrate how wire can be used to recreate a similar earring without the need for soldering. Finally, I want to again emphasize that the design of these earrings ARE NOT unique. We are not taking intellectual property. These designs have been around for hundreds, even thousands of years.

 

 

 

Posted in Manufacturing Tips, Wire Jewelry | Tagged , , , , ,

Gemology Giant on Pearl Stringers

Author: The Book of PearlsAs many of you know, G. Frederick Kunz was one of the most influential gemologists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Among his many achievements, he and his friend Charles Hugh Stevenson wrote “The Book of the Pearl, the History, Art, Science and Industry of the Queen of the Gems” which appeared in 1908.

I thought you might be interested to read what Kunz says about pearl and bead stringing and the skills of pearl and bead stringers I’ve tried to break the text into shorter paragraphs, so the breaks are mine and are there for readability. The text is entirely Kunz.

This book is an indispensable component of any gemologist library and fortunately for us, it appears to have gone off copyright and is therefore freely available. Here a direct link to “The Book of the Pearl” on ebooksread.com where it’s available in several formats.

Here is Kunz on pearl stringing.

Earliest Strung Pearl Necklace

Book of the PearlWe have no record as to when the first pearl necklace was strung or have we a definite record of the first use of silk for stringing a necklace. The earliest illustration that we have been able to obtain of the use of pearls in the form of a necklace is the one from Susa, in which the pearls were secured with gold. A Syrian necklace dating about one or two centuries before Christ, was strung by means of a bronze wire. We will endeavor to give a few instructions for stringing pearls.

Pearl Stringing is an Art – Selecting and Grading Pearls

Pearl stringing is an art, easy as the instructions for stringing pearls may seem, and it is interesting to note the precision, care, and delicacy with which the pearl stringer performs his task. The first step of instructions for stringing pearls is to grade the pearls according to their size and color, so that they may produce the best possible effect. The largest and finest pearl is placed in the center; alongside of this, on each side, are laid the two pearls next in size which are the most nearly alike in form and hue; and so on to the end of the necklace. This grouping required both experience and judgment, and is of great importance in the instructions for stringing pearls, since the value of the pearls is often considerably enhanced by a proper arrangement. A skillful stringer is able to grade them so cleverly that only a trifling difference will be found in the weight of the two halves of a necklace.

Pearl Stringing is an Art – Knotting Between Pearls

Another aspect of instructions for stringing pearls consists in securing the end pearl by a knot to the diamond, pearl, or other clasp which may be used. When a necklace is being strung, the thread is passed through the metal eye, or pearl, or other object that serves as a clasp.

It is then tied with one knot, passed through the next pearl, and knotted between the second and the third, thus making the joint doubly secure. The other pearls are then strung in their order, a knot being placed after each fifth, fourth, third, or second pearl, or, should there not be enough to give a proper length to the necklace, between each single pearl. The deftness with which the knot is tied so as not to hold the pearl too tightly, and risk the breaking of the thread, and the precision with which forty, fifty, and even sometimes several hundred knots are made on a single string, is a pleasing operation to witness when learning instructions for stringing pearls, and requires the greatest care and nicety of touch. If knots are made frequently between the pearls, there is less danger of losing them should the thread break, as only one or two can fall off; sometimes, indeed, when the drill holes are very small, the silk thread, waxed or unwaxed, fits so closely that the pearl does not become detached even when the thread breaks.

*     *     *

Notice that Kunz describes the selection of pearls for a graduated pearl necklace, a type of necklace that is somewhat old fashioned to our eyes today. Nevertheless, he is correct in essentials, that is the selection of pearls is one of the major tasks associated with putting together a pearl necklace and is in fact one of the quality factors by which we judge a pearl necklace.

I’d also point out that while knotting materials have changed, the basic components for stringing between pearls have not. The competent pearl and bead stringer must know how to attach or in Kunz’s word “secure” a necklace to a clasp and whether we knot between 20 or 100 beads knotting still requires what Kunz called “deftness…and nicety of touch.

It’s pleasing to recall the respect this giant of gemology had for pearl and bead stringers and I thought I’d point it out to you.

Posted in Jewelry History, Manufacturing Tips, Pearls | Tagged , , ,

Small Gestures That Can Have Meaning

Diana in "Rising Sun" DressOne of the more charming ways people pay homage to others is in the clothes and accessories they wear.

This can be a helpful thought to bear in mind for a couple of reasons. When I ran the gallery I was sometimes asked by clients what accessories (jewelry) they should wear to important occasions. (These were usually very young women and somewhat insecure. Nevertheless the question was real and important to them.) Second, as a jewelry maker you probably own more jewelry than most people, so you can apply this advice to yourself, if you wish.

Princess Diana was famous for wearing clothes to please her hosts, particularly when she was overseas. As an example, she introduced herself to the Japanese by wearing a white dress with large red dots during her 1986 tour of Japan. The large dots echoed the symbol of Japan, the Rising Sun. According to news reports, the courtesy was not lost on her hosts.

There are a number of other stories about Diana’s subtle and thoughtful gesture in combing her undoubted sense of style to provide a diplomatic compliment.

Thatchers in PearlsRecently, I noticed another such story, also from the United Kingdom.

Last week, Amanda Thatcher gave an apparently well received funeral tribute to her grandmother Margaret Thatcher at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

While Mrs. Thatcher wasn’t the style icon that Diana was, she was well known for her love of pearls which began when her husband Denis presented her with a single strand after the birth of their twins in the middle 1950s.
In fact, when early in her career she was advised by image consultants to ditch her pearls, it was the one piece of advice she refused to take.

Her granddaughter, Amanda wore a single strand of pearls at the funeral, an unmistakable tribute to the “Iron Lady.” (I saw some speculation on-line that these pearls were the very ones that Mrs. Thatcher so loved. But that’s not as important, really, as the gesture.)

Yes, it’s a small thing, particularly for people who do have a lot of jewelry, but it’s not to the party receiving the compliment. It will be noticed and appreciated and it’s very good advice to keep in mind if you’re asked “what to wear” by clients.

Posted in Fashion, Jewelry History, Pearls | Tagged , , , ,

Fast Facts About Pearls

Everything you need to know about pearlsThe most common questions I got when I owned the gallery were about pearls.

  • What are the classes of pearls and how are they different?
  • What classes of pearls are more expensive? Least expensive?
  • What affects the price of pearls?
  • What to look for when evaluating pearls?
  • What is a cultured pearl? Is it a real pearl?
  • What are the various grading systems for pearls? Should I trust them?

People would bring pearls into the gallery for an evaluation. (Although I am certified to do appraisals, I don’t do them for reasons I won’t get into here.) But I could usually tell them a bit more about their pearls than they knew. Especially delightful were times when people brought in pearls they’d inherited from their grandmothers. These often turned out to be Mikimoto pearls bought by a serviceman stationed in Japan after WWII. Although cultured pearls were introduced worldwide in the 1920s and 1930s, it wasn’t until the end of WWII that Americans became thoroughly familiar with them. And, you might be interested to know that this development echoed one which occurred in Europe during the Crusades when knights brought pearls home for their wives and daughters.

In any event, I still get questions about pearls from people who are anxious to know enough about them to buy confidently, but don’t want to spend the time to research them.

So I took the plunge and developed a little pamphlet about the subject I’m calling “Fast Facts About Pearls.” The book presents everything you need to know about this marvelous gemstone to buy confidently or to evaluate the pearls you already own. Information is presented in pyramid form, that is, the most important information first followed by information that is nice to know.

I hope people will find that it’s a useful reference that they can refer to when buying and/or caring for a strand of pearls. For professional pearl and bead stringers, I believe it might serve as a useful reference for discussing the subject with clients and for buying your own inventory.

The book is priced at $.99 and I uploaded it to Kindle last week. If you’re at all interested, click this link to go to Kindle and take a look at it. And, if you do spend the dollar, please consider a review.

BTW, the image on the cover was extracted from a painting my husband and I bought just after our honeymoon. We were dead broke, but somehow cobbled together the funds to buy it. I’ve loved it for more than 30 years. It’s called “The Buyer” and I did have fun using it in this context.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Pearls, Reference | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Internet Sales Tax Consequences to Jewelry Makers

I very rarely, if ever, approach the topic of politics. However, when a bill is introduced and passed by one chamber of Congress and the law would have an egregious impact upon the jewelry making community, we should know about it, discuss it and decide whether it’s in our best interest.

The bill is the Marketplace Fairness Act, passed as the Enzi amendment to the Senate’s first budget resolution in four years. The bill would allow the states to form a cartel and compel on-line retailers to collect sales taxes for 10,000 distinct tax jurisdictions.

The amendment passed 75-24 with 26 Republicans supporting it.

Here are arguments for and against the legislation.

Proponents

Proponents of the bill say it’s a matter of fairness. Brick and mortar enterprises have to collect taxes for their states. If consumers can get it on the internet without paying state tax, then that constitutes an unfair advantage.

More practically, states need revenue and this would be a new revenue stream.

Opponents

Opponents say that collecting taxes for 10,000 distinct tax jurisdictions would place an undue burden on small businesses operating on-line. (The 10,000 number comes from the fact that many of the 50 states have several state taxing entities, including city and county. In Texas, for example, state sales taxes are collected by the state, and by the counties and cities in which the company does business.) Brick and mortar businesses have to collect sales taxes only for their state.

Opponents also say that small brick and mortar stores can also compete on-line without major capital investments. (I think this is true. It’s hard to think of a retailer these days who doesn’t have a website.)

An internet sales tax would be very hard to collect. Governments would have to monitor the millions of sites on-line that sell products and services. This would have the effect of growing government at all levels.

Questions and Consequences

Here are some of my questions:

The major on-line retailers such as Amazon have the resources to collect sales taxes in all these taxing jurisdictions, however, there is no doubt it would be an expensive proposition. Would those costs be pushed on to consumers in the form of increased prices for Amazon products and/or decreased commissions for Amazon consignment vendors?

Would jewelry makers who sell their work on websites such as Etsy have to collect sales taxes for all 10,000 taxing entities? Similarly, Ebay sellers?

Although it appears that brick and mortar stores would be exempted from the requirements, would the proposed law have the effect of shutting down the ability of consumers to buy from their websites?

What impact would this have on such jewelry supply companies as Fire Mountain Gems and others which may have a major web presence, but which are in actuality small companies? Would they have the resources, manpower and software, to comply with these requirements?

Conclusion

The major argument in favor of the measure is that the internet has provided vendors an unfair advantage over brick and mortar stores because they don’t collect sales tax. What this argument ignores is the fact that any brick and mortar store can create a website for very little money.  Conversely, on-line vendors don’t have the capital to build/rent/or buy buildings, stock inventory and hire salespeople. So, while the legislation is presented as “fair” in reality, it is anything but.

A second argument in favor of the measure is that brick and mortar stores have to collect sales tax while on-line vendors do not. However, under the measure, on-line vendors would have to collect the tax for 10,000 taxing jurisdictions. Brick and mortar operators only have to collect for their states. So, again, the impact on on-line vendors would be anything but “fair.”

I suspect that if the legislation is enacted, there will be exemptions for retailers under certain income brackets, say, $10,000 or less. However, I also suspect that any on-line vendor will have to comply with new reporting obligations.

For your information, the legislation is supported by Walmart and state governors.

Here is a link to the bill. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s336

 

 

 

 

Posted in Business, Internet Sales Tax, Sales | Tagged , , , ,

Protect Your Reputation…and Yourself

Making Jewelry by Pearl & Bead StringingIn our little company we work very hard to be responsive to client concerns and issues. If DVDs are unreasonably late which has happened a couple of times in overseas shipments, we ship replacements without questioning the client’s word. If a client has an issue with Amazon, as one did recently, we fulfill the order and ship with the bonus which is not available on Amazon. We cheerfully take the loss in order to ensure first rate and responsive service.

This is one of the reasons we chose to establish a free shipping policy. Many on-line retailers charge for shipping, usually a flat fee, and that becomes a small profit center for them. We rejected the idea. Yes, it decreases our margin, but we hope that it enhances our reputation.

I learned long ago that reputation for integrity is everything, When I first expanded the gallery I was able to attract national and internationally known artists to show with me because I had the reputation of paying my artists promptly and in full. (Many galleries delay payment for 90 days and more while using artists’ funds as operating capital.)

When I established that policy, I was new to the gallery world and didn’t realize that this practice existed. (I was also considerably poorer and sometimes could have used those funds as operating capital.) But it didn’t make sense to me. Artists work hard to produce their work. Most are not affluent and need the income. So, while I didn’t understand then that this policy would be beneficial in the future, it just seemed logical.

Having said all this, I want to point to the opposite side of this coin.

Ninety-nine percent of people who patronize galleries and love studio jewelry are honest. We very, very rarely had any trouble even when we had opening where a couple of hundred people would turn up.

But we sometimes did. Fraudulent on-line orders. Occasional shop-lifting. This usually occurred when one person was running the gallery and someone would come in with a child who provided a distraction. We quickly learned to exercise extra vigilance when this happened. In the early days, I’d occasionally let a piece go with a partial payment and promises to pay later that never materialized. And, a favorite trick was to buy a necklace or other piece of jewelry, wear it to a party, and return it the next day.

But, on the whole, people who patronize galleries and love studio jewelry are lovely and honest and my (always) presumption with new clients or browsers was that this was true.

The same is true with people who make jewelry and who are interested in learning to make jewelry. Frankly, they’re too busy to dream up the sort of bottom fishing tactics employed by thieves.

The point of this is that our community of creative, dedicated people is a wonderful community. The community of people who are interested in our work is also wonderful and nearly always honest.

But not always.

Establish policies upfront about customer service-free or discounted restringing, free shipping, etc. Then follow them.

Just as important, protect yourself. Don’t let jewelry go on consignment to individual clients without payment and a contract. If you’re showing, be vigilant and better yet, show with another artist so you can have two eyes on your work.

Protect your reputation, but just as important, protect yourself. And, be careful.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Business, Sales | Tagged , , , ,

New Wire Jewelry DVD Released

Wire JewelryYesterday, we released a new DVD on fabricating wire jewelry and findings. I decided to make the DVD in response to a number of queries from people who have bought the pearl and bead stringing course and who wanted to make wire jewelry to complement these skills.

The principle reason  professional pearl and bead stringers must know how to fabricate wire jewelry is that clients often want earrings as companions to necklaces and bracelets.

But the skills you need to make earrings obviously have applications far beyond creating companion earrings. They enable you to make wire jewelry, chain jewelry, fabricate findings and more.

And, the good news is that they are very easy to learn. (Learning pearl and bead stringing is far more difficult and requires far more skill.)

For a complete description of what’s in the DVD, see the product page.

Here, I wanted to emphasize that the skills you learn in the DVD are a natural extension of pearl and bead stringing skills.

There is another point important to mention. Once you have these foundational skills in pearl and bead stringing and making jewelry with wire, you have the knowledge and familiarity with jewelry to take your work in any direction you care to. You could develop an expertise in wire wrapping. Or take your familiarity with thread to develop skills in specialized niches such as kumihimo or beading. Or you could learn how to manipulate metal at the bench using a torch. The choice is yours.

I hope you will enjoy this DVD and see it as I do, as a natural extension of developing complete professional pearl and bead stringing skills.

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Pricing Your Jewelry

Pricing InformationOne of the most frequent questions I get is how jewelry is priced.

This isn’t an easy question. Jewelry pricing is often a mystery even to those of us who have been in the trade for years. It’s easy to see why. While some components of pricing, e.g., the materials used in the jewelry, are usually a straightforward mark-up, some components aren’t quite as straightforward.

As a good example, many jewelry designers tack on a “design” fee. What that fee is and how they arrive at it is anybody’s guess.

In another example, sometimes popular gemstones, for example, turquoise, are marked up to an educated guess on what the market will bear.

The best advice is to develop your own formula and then stick to it. Here are some guidelines that will help you begin to think through pricing.

Basic Pricing Information

  • Raw materials – Raw materials, that is, unfinished jewelry components such as beads and pearls are usually marked up between 3 and 5 times, sometimes more, the price the manufacturer paid for them.
  • Finished elements – Necklace clasps and other findings are finished components used to manufacture jewelry. These are marked up between two and three times.
  • Labor – A labor fee – the time it takes to complete the piece by a professional — is added to the final price.
  • Overhead – A fee for overhead is often included in the final price.

When I ran the gallery, only two or three clients ever complained about my prices. Most considered the prices fair and even on the low side.

This was not deliberate although I admit to being horrified at some of the prices charged by high end department stores for mediocre gemstones and jewelry. (But perhaps I’m a little naive.)

When I started making jewelry for sale, I developed my own pricing formula and then I stuck to it. I ignored popularity spurts, as for example, when amber became briefly very popular and again when the turquoise craze came along. In other words, I didn’t use current interest in one material or another to raise prices.

Perhaps I left a little money on the table, but the approach worked for me. You’ll need to develop your own approach.

 

 

Posted in Business, Sales | Tagged , ,

Beautiful Minimal Jewelry Design

Pat Tseng AdWe’ve all been places with people who will exclaim, “I like that” or conversely “I don’t like that.”

But going a little further and asking why some things appeal while others don’t is so helpful in learning about design and thinking through our own designs.

Also–and this may be my own prejudice–much of jewelry criticism and/or reviews describe jewelry in rather grandiose terms such as “serene” or “ethereal.” Tseng’s jewelry may be both, but the descriptions don’t help me understand how she got there.

That’s why I often discuss design in these pages. Not to criticize, but to think through why something appeals and why other things don’t as well as to think through exactly those components that form a pleasing or not-so-pleasing design.

Recently I opened the new edition of Ornament magazine and saw this ad for jewelry by Pat Tseng. (The scanned image does not reproduce the color effectively. In the original, the black is very black, almost vibrant, and the beads which seem orange here are red.)

I think it’s stunning, although the ad (pictured above) doesn’t even show the entire piece. In fact, if I hadn’t known that Pat Tseng makes jewelry I might not have leaped to the conclusion that it is a wearable ornament.

But look at it closely. What’s so appealing about it?

I always start with color. She uses color in a minimal way. The reds are highlighted against the black and the white is the focal point. Any more color would disrupt the color scheme. Any less would diminish the piece. But what is strikingly clear is that although Tseng uses color in a minimal way, she is a brilliant colorist.

Pat Tseng - Image TwoThe second step is to look at manufacture. Tseng uses silk wrapped cords to manufacture her jewelry which can be more clearly seen in the other pictures I’ve posted. The color of the silk echoes and enhances the usually very subtle color of the ornament. But, again, the silk cord is minimal in the sense that it directs the eye to the focal point of the piece. It doesn’t conflict with it.

In this second piece, Tseng adds metal. She does this to attach the jade to the silk cord. The jade is bezel set with two bands that slip over the cord. However, in her hands this necessary manufacturing component becomes a decorative element echoing and integrating with the other bands of colored silk in the cord.

Here is a third image of Tseng’s work. Notice the Chinese button knots she uses to separate the elements. The Chinese knots are also used in the first image. They are so beautifully constructed Pat Tseng - Third Imagethat they become ornaments in and of themselves. Also, notice in the first picture how the round button knots and the round red beads add diversity to an otherwise purely vertical piece.

In looking at these images, there is nothing anyone would add or subtract from any of the pieces.

They are perfect.

 

 

Posted in Jewelry Design | Tagged , , , ,