Filigree Jewellery

Filigree inspired jewellery has been around for a very long time. It was commonly worn back in the Middle Ages with a gemstone set in the centre by nobleman and royalty alike.

Filigree Gold Swarovski Earrings 

 

 

 

 

Now in modern times, it is given a modern twist, just look at many Celtic inspired or vintage jewellery to know how popular this style of jewellery is in our fashion craze world.
Everyone from celebrities to ordinary people are wearing filigree jewellery, you can even buy it in gold, silver, bronze and copper.
Filigree is one of my favourite style of jewellery to make. It's fun and fashionable and you can wear it any way you want to.
Many of the ancient Celts created stunning unique pieces of silver jewellery with a filigree style.

Alicewell Gold Butterfly Filigree Ring 

I tend to use swarovski crystals with mine since it gives a elegant appeal.
My friend uses resin flowers, pearls and ribbons to create some stunning bespoke designs.
Some beautiful filigree rings, 9ct gold filigree necklaces and filigree gold bangles on the site.
Metal work is one of my strongest areas in jewellery making and features prominently on the site. 
Most people think of filigree in terms of vintage and many vintage jewellery do use this ancient style, however by adding different materials, you can turn a classic design into something modern and sweet.

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you all have a happy and successful new year.

Marketing Your Jewellery Company

Have you got a passion to market your jewellery to the public, but not sure how to go about it?
Today I will be giving you some great ideas on how to sell your unique work to the public and turn your dreams into reality.
It's not that hard once you know how, but I should warn you that the competition is quite fierce in the jewellery market.
Your not just competing against established jewellery traders, but also thousands of other handmade jewellers who are all battling to win the public attention and money.
So is it still profitable to set up your own jewellery company in these tough times?
I believe it is, you see jewellery will never go out of fashion. People love to buy and wear jewellery even in a recession. Despite the odds there's always room for new talented jewellers.
The best thing for any new jeweller to do is establish a web presence by opening up their own online store.
It doesn't even have to cost the earth you can set up a free simple website or pay a small monthly fee for a more professional looking site.
To get you started, I have listed some good free and paid website creators. Some offer free trial while others don't.

Free Website Creators

• oscommerce
• Vstore
• Free Webstore
• Prestashop
• Google Sites
• Shopfitter(Charge £1 per order.)

Some great free trial ones.

Free Trial Website Creators

• Create (Offers 30 day free trial. Packages start from £2.99 a month.)
• Tiger Commerce. (14 days free trial.)
• Shopcreator (Offers free trial. £5.99 a month.)

Some e commerce suppliers offer carts included with the website building package, others charge a small fee to use the shopping cart.
Now you've got your website done, you need a payment system to accept online transactions.
Popular ones includes;

• Paypal
• Google Checkout
• Sagepay
• Eway
• Worldpay
• Sky Pay
• Paypoint
• Secure Trading
• Roman Cart
• Credit Call 

Now you are ready to accept payments.
The good thing about owning a website is that you are in control. You can decide how much to price your goods, offer discounts and stock as many products in your shop as you like without paying listing fees or any other charges.
It's always good to get your name out there by selling on other sites. Each site has their own seller rules and fees, so it's a good idea to check before signing up.
Some great online market places to start selling your handmade jewellery to the public.

• Ebay 
• Poppytalkhandmade 
• Inspired By Creativity Jewels 
• Amazon 
• Etsy 
• Folksy 
• Misi 
• Not On The High Street 
• Dreamaid 
• My Own Creation 

 Selling on third party sites is a good way to promote your products and brand.
You could also try;

• Hosting jewellery parties. Invite some of your friends a long and get them to spread the word about your new line of handmade products. Who knows they might end up being some of your most loyal customers.
• Get involve with craft fairs and car boot sales. There are many potential customers looking for exactly what you are offering.
• Attending jewellery exhibitions. This is not just for established jewellers, it is a great way to inform the fashion world and the public about your brand. Many people from the fashion world attend including top fashion journalists, jewellers etc. A great way to get spotted.
• Submit your work to jewellery mazagines and fashion mazagines. Editors are always on the look out for new brands. It's good exposure for your work.
• Print business cards, flyers and posters with a design software from Serif, like Pageplus 5 or Web plus 5.
• Sign up with Youtube and create a simple video promoting your work.
• Buy a small ad in a local newspaper.
• Sell your jewellery on Argos. They do take a lot of commission.
• Rent store space in John Lewis and market your jewellery to their customer base.
• Write a online press release and distribute it online through Pr Log and Pr Web.
• Sign up to Facebook, Twitter, Google 1 + and create a buzz around your brand and build up some powerful backlinks to your site.
• Send out a newsletter or promotional email to everyone you know.
• Write a blog. It's a good way to get people talking about your work.
• Write articles for article cube, ehow, hubpages.
• Print a full coloured brochure of your jewellery.
• Sell through Littlewoods Direct.

There are many ways to market your jewellery, but to be successful it needs to be a combination of online and offline marketing.

How To Care For Silver And Sterling Silver Jewellery

The good thing about silver jewellery is the quality. Most silver jewellery including silver plated can last long over time with a little bit of tender loving care.
However silver is susceptible to corrosion over time.

Silver Chain

Regular exposure to air, oils, chemicals and dust can damage even the best silver jewellery over time.
So what can you do to protect your sterling silver or silver plated jewellery from corruption?

Don't;

• Store all your silver jewellery together. This will cause friction and lead to scratches and marks on your lovely jewellery items.
• Don't use abrasive cleaning solutions including, harsh jewellery cleaners or cloths. This takes away the surface of your silver leaving it all tarnish and discoloured looking.
• Keep away from grease, glue and other harsh chemicals which can seriously damage the enamel of the silver and also leave your jewellery looking dirty and feeling oily.
• Don't spray on perfume, deodorants, hair spray while wearing your silver item.
• Don't scrub any of your silver jewellery, either with a tooth brush, cloth or other item during cleaning as it will damage the top of the silver making it unwearable.
• The quickest way for silver to tarnish is repeated contact with air.
• Try not to drop your jewellery. It can cause marks, dents or scratches especially on a hard surface like flooring. 

Do;

• Store all your jewellery separately in seal able air tight bags.
• You can also store them in anti-tarnish jewellery boxes available from any good craft or beading supplier.
• Polish your silver by using professional jewellery polishing cloth. Don't cut corners with do it yourself methods as this can cause more harm then good.
• Wear your silver as often as possible. Wearing helps the silver to retain it's shape and keep it in good condition.
• If your silver jewellery does get tarnished, use a good silver anti-tarnishing cloth or cleaner to remove the tarnish. Always read the manufacturer's instructions first before attempting to use any professional cleaner.
• Silver can be cleaned with soapy water, however it' better to use a jewellery cleaner especially made for silver. Try Argos or Amazon for some inexpensive cleaning cloths which are ideal if your on holiday or need to quickly clean your jewellery.
• Dips can be good as a one-off, but can cause long lasting damage if used incorrectly. Only use if your silver is extremely tarnish, don't use on silver plated metal, as it takes out the colour and causes erosion of your metal.

Finally if your silver jewellery is extremely tarnish, only a jeweller maybe able to save it.
For mild tarnish you could use baking soda however this should be a last resort.

Polymer Jewellery

Recently I've discovered the joys of fimo, that's polymer clay to most people and I love it.
The great thing about polymer is, you can use it to make anything from animal beads to pottery.
Although it's now the latest craze hitting the jewellery industry, it's been around for years.
I've made many food inspired jewellery from it including, custard cream rings and my personal favourite fimo clay teddy bear earrings.
Here's my ring inspired food jewellery made from polymer clay.

Custard Cream

Looks realistic doesn't it?
Can you imagine all the beautiful things you can make with this stuff?
The list is endless....
We have a whole section dedicate to yummy food jewellery including, necklaces, rings, cufflinks and earrings.

Gingerbread Men

Why not check out our unusual and quirky can rings? The season's latest fashion accessory.
We have a lot more on the Site.
So if you looking for something fun and cute don't forget to check out these adorable teddy bear earrings.

Christmas Is Coming Yipeee!

Don't you just love Christmas?
It's that ultimate time of the year when you get to splash out on presents, nestle in the snow and generally have a lot of fun.
It's one of my favourite times of the year, because it's the only real time I get to spend with my extended family and finally get a break from all the hustle and bustle of what life has to throw at you.
Not that I'm complaining, I'm living the dream at the moment, so life is good.
It's also exciting for me because, this is the first time I'm running my own business from home.
Like most single mothers I wanted to return to work after raising my daughter, but struggled with finding decent and affordable childcare.
The idea came to me to go into business when I saw a program on women in business.
This gave me the incentive to start my own jewellery business and I loved it so much I started a watch and another jewellery business five months later.
 When I look back at my life now, I feel immensely grateful for all that I have achieved in the last few months of dedicated hard work.
Back to Christmas, it's that time of the year when you want to give your very best gift to your family and friends, so much so on average people spend more on Christmas gifts than any other time of the year.
Choosing a present can be tricky at the best of times, but the best thing you can give someone you deeply care about is love.
Telling love ones how special they are is the best gift of all.