Archive for the ‘Jewelry Making’ Category

A New Collection

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Don’t get too excited, so far this new collection exists mostly in my mind.

I made my daughter a small dragonfly charm, which she put on a necklace chain.  She liked it so much that she asked if I could make her another small charm, add a delicate chain and make a bracelet.  Sure, no problem, mom can do!

I set to work on this task.  Maybe it’s the dragonfly that put it in my mind, but I went out and plucked a few tiny leaves from a bush.  I imprinted the leaves into silver clay.  I had put my daughter’s initials on the back of her dragonfly charm, so I thought it might be fun to add a word to the back of these leaf charms.

The first word that came to my mind was “bloom.”  Maybe because the leaves came from a bush that was in beautiful bloom.  Maybe because I remembered a picture book I used to read to my children many years ago, Leo the Late Bloomer – a wonderful story about a little tiger cub who has a difficult time growing up, but who eventually blossoms as a young tiger.  No, my daughter was not a late “bloomer”!  But she is a teacher and I thought of all the young children blossoming in her classroom.

The second word that came to mind was “calm.”  Because said daughter is always calm, despite any mischief her classroom of 5th graders may provide!

So thank you dear daughter for the idea that is evolving into a collection called “Words to Ponder.”

Top bracelet has a bright finish, lower one has an antique finish.

Top bracelet has a bright finish, lower one has an antique finish.

Reverse of leaf at bottom has the word "calm" imprinted.

Reverse of leaf at bottom has the word "calm" imprinted.

A Special Piece of Jewelry – Part IV

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

We are down to our last component – the chain!

Ball chain with lapis lazuli beads

Ball chain with lapis lazuli beads

I have to admit, I decided this part a long time ago.  What better to continue the military theme than ball chain?  This 2.5 mm ball chain is just a tad larger than the chain used by our Armed Forces for dog tags.  However, the military uses a stronger stainless steel chain, whereas my chain is sterling silver – so I needed the bump up in size for added strength.  Although breakage may sometimes happen due to an unseen chain defect, I’d rather my customers not have that experience!  I always design for durability.

The necklace will be 24″, an easy length to slip over the head without having to open the clasp.  Again, a little shorter than the 29″ necklace the military uses, but a lovely length for most women.

Perky and I visited our local Army recruiting center last week.  We met our friend, SSgt. Bush – remember SSgt Bush who helped with our star component for this necklace?  We also met Sgts. Crawford and Rogers.  Perky was a big hit with everyone!

I was told by Sgt. Crawford that each soldier has two personal ID tags – one on the the 29″ military chain, which has exactly 365 ball beads on it; the other on a smaller chain, with 52 ball beads on it.  If the unthinkable happens and one of our soldiers is captured, they have – in their chains – a way of marking the passage of time.  I didn’t know that – did you?  A sobering thought for us civilians.

SSgt. Bush & Perky

SSgt. Bush & Perky

Sgt. Crawford and Perky

Sgt. Crawford and Perky

Sgt. Rogers & Perky

Sgt. Rogers & Perky

A Special Piece of Jewelry – Part III

Monday, June 8th, 2009

For the next component of this design, which I started here and here, I needed something to represent our U.S. Armed Services.

I combed through the web sites of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy, looking for common elements.  Nothing.  Their logos were all different too.  I was at a loss.

Then I had the idea to call my local recruiting center to see if the soldiers there might have any ideas.  I spoke to Sgt. Bush, who was extremely helpful.  We ruled out lots of symbols that had been previously suggested to me – he concurred with me that a purple heart should be an honor reserved for the soldier to wear, not for jewelry; ditto a yellow ribbon, because it indicates support of the troops, but does not represent the troops themselves.

Then Sgt. Bush said “How about a five pointed star?  Each point representing one of the Armed Services.”  I liked this idea!  It made sense to me.  He then mentioned that stars figure prominently in the ranking system of all the services.  A star is also part of the logo for the charity that will be benefiting from this jewelry.  It all fell into place.

A five pointed star is perfect.
Thank you Sgt. Bush for helping me out with a great idea!

So, can you piece it together yet?  Do you know which charity will benefit from this very special piece of jewelry?
Leave a comment with your guess!

star

A New Medium!

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Ok, I admit it – I have kindergartner tendencies.  You know how kindergartners are always so thrilled to learn something new, they just have to share with everyone.  Well, this past week, I took a class in silver clay.  Let’s just pretend this blog is a big refrigerator so I can hang up my new artwork.

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The detail achievable with silver clay is incredible.  I’m going to love playing and creating with it.

A Special Piece of Jewelry – Part II

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

I started the design of this special piece here.  Today I finished another step in the design as you can see:

Perky's Paw

Perky's Paw

Or I should say Perky finished another step!  Yep, this is my dear sweet Perky’s paw.  Not to worry, no puppies were harmed in the making of this print!  I had originally used a scanner to scan her paw, but with her black toes and black hair I couldn’t get a clear print.  Not her fault – after all, she is a Black Lab!  So I bought a non-toxic, water-based, easily washable ink pad and took her print the old fashioned way.  She was very patient and humored me, both with the scanner and the “fingerprinting.”

The largest print is her full-size print; I made reductions of this for the other sizes.  I will have to look at the proportions of all the components before I decide which size print I will be using.

Doesn’t Perky have the cutest little paw?  I’m glad I’ll have this print to remember her by, after she goes in for her Guide Dog training.  I may do this for all the pups I raise, from now on.

I don’t think you’ll be able to guess what charity this special piece is for.  There will be another clue in the next design post.

(All content copyright by Maria Paray and not to be used without written permission.)

A Special Piece of Jewelry

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Yesterday I met with a representative of a non-profit organization that is dear to my heart.  She gave me her approval and blessing to embark on a fundraiser for the group.  Since receiving permission, design ideas have been flying through my head.  I have been researching stones and their traditional meanings.  The piece must be beautiful but also evocative of what the organization stands for.

The necklace will have a central pendant; I will write about that as soon as I create a prototype I like.  The next element that came to my mind was something blue – as in “true blue friend.”  My first thought was to use a Swarovski® crystal drop – they have a perfect, deep blue, sapphire color.

I happened to mention my project to a non-jewelry making friend and she asked if I could use lapis lazuli.  From my decorative painting career, I already knew that finely ground lapis lazuli has been used for thousands of years in paintings, retaining its brilliant color to this day.  I also knew that lapis was one of the first gems ever used in jewelry.  However, my friend also mentioned that lapis was thought to have healing properties. I had originally ruled out lapis as too expensive for this piece, but I was intrigued and did a little more research on the stone.

The Brilliant Blue of Lapis Lazuli

The Brilliant Blue of Lapis Lazuli

I discovered that lapis lazuli is considered to be the stone of friendship.  It is said to encourage harmony in relationships.  Now I’m not sure if this is true or not – but it exactly fits what I want this element to represent, especially with the added  connotation of healing.  So I am on the lookout for a company that carries good quality lapis lazuli beads.

If you know of a consistent lapis source for this very special project, feel free to send me an email with details.  Thank you for your help!

The Business Plan – Operations

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

The Operations section is a description of how the product will be manufactured and sold. This should include a discussion of the company facilities, suppliers and product sales.

  • I currently own a studio large enough to accommodate my new business.
  • I currently have the equipment to make beaded and wire-wrapped jewelry, as well as some pieces requiring metalsmithing. Everything will be designed and  handmade by me, with great attention to detail.  A piece doesn’t leave my shop unless I say it does.
  • I have most of the major pieces of equipment necessary to work, including a kiln and flex-shaft. A wider range of hand tools is needed and will be purchased with profit that is put back into the business. Large equipment, such as a rolling mill is slated for purchase next year.
  • All equipment and raw materials are available online with an estimated lead-time of less than two weeks. If one supplier is out of stock, I can always go to another. My supplies are not company specific, so there are no repercussions if a supplier goes out of business. This is an especially important factor, given the current economy.
  • Manufacturing of jewelry would comprise about 70% of the work week; paperwork, web updates, photography, customer service and marketing would take up the remaining time.
  • My cost of goods would include material costs, overhead plus a reasonable labor rate.
  • My sales will be through several venues: my e-commerce web site, an Etsy site, private showings and retail through a high end art gallery. Each of these venues will draw on a different audience to view my jewelry, increasing the odds of purchase.
  • I may have to revisit the shipping question after rates go up on May 11th, but so far, the best shipping value is insured USPS Priority mail. The USPS supplies the Priority shipping cartons for free. Delivery confirmation and a small discount are applied if I print the labels in my studio. Next day pick up service may be requested, at no extra charge, saving on trips to the PO. Although I must say, Perky and I do go to our local PO frequently – it’s good practice for her – plus they love her there!

Well, here we are in the home stretch of our Business Plan with just two sections left!

Next:  Financial Analysis and Projections

Another Bead Break!

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Just had to share these new beauties!

Marmalade by Kim Neely

Marmalade by Kim Neely

These art glass beads were made by the very talented artisan, Kim Neely.  They are hollow, but substantial, with a beautiful apricot/caramel color.  The sparkle is beyond belief!  Just wait until you see what I conjure up with these.  If you appreciate these little gems, and would like to be awed by more examples of Kim’s fine work, check out her gallery.

The MJSA Expo vs. The Business Plan

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Just back from an exhausting but invigorating three days at the Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America trade show in NYC.  My favorite seminar was  on current/future jewelry trends and how runway styles translate into everyday fashion – exciting information which I will be sharing in an upcoming post.

My new kiln!

My new kiln!

In my Business Plan, I budgeted for the purchase of a kiln in 2010.  However, at the show one vendor made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and I am now the proud owner of a kiln.  Although I was not supposed to make this purchase until Phase 2 of my Business Plan, there was a show discount being offered, as well as a pending price increase – so I made an executive decision, bit the bullet and bought the kiln.  Having a kiln in my own studio will greatly increase the breadth and quality of product lines I may offer.

Did you notice?  I made a decision to change my Business Plan, right then and there.  My Small Business Advisor told me in no uncertain terms that a Business Plan is a living, breathing document.  Life happens.  In this case, buying the kiln now saved me at least 13.5%, over next year’s pricing.  I will need to revisit my entire plan and recalculate my budget  to accommodate the kiln purchase.  I will also need to revise my income projections upward, as the use of a kiln will increase the quantity and quality of jewelry I can produce.

I was able to purchase other tools, at a a reduced price.  These tools were included in my current year budget, so I will also be revising my Business Plan to reflect those savings.

Of course, there is no way I escaped the show without buying at least a few pretty things!  I will be posting my gorgeous new gems in a future design column.

A Business Plan Break – Why Buy Handmade?

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

I admit, I am NOT a business person.  I do whatever I need to do to make sure my business will run smoothly, but my business posts are a bit dry, if you know what I mean.  So forgive me for interspersing non-business posts along with the business ones – if I didn’t do so, my head would explode.

Browsing my friend Dee’s blog the other day I noticed a series of articles she had written on buying handmade along with her pledge to buy handmade.

I always prefer to buy handmade items, but never really thought about the why.  To me, handmade articles are always more beautiful than pieces churned out by factories.  Whether one is working with gemstones, pottery glazes, paints or paper, no two handmade pieces are ever the same.  Handmade takes thought, passion and yes, I think love.  I know I sometimes spend hours pondering a design question, trying different options until I find the one that is exactly right.  I’m sure most artisans are the same way.

Dee's Kaleidoscope of Life

Dee's Kaleidoscope of Life

I’m a big fan of color and love this bracelet, handmade by Dee, owner of Runako Designs.  The colored beads are handmade of recycled paper by women in Uganda, through Beads For Life.  The silver in the bracelet is handmade by artisans in Thailand and is also Fair Trade Certified.  Everything is handmade.  Other bracelets may look similar, but this is the only one that will ever look exactly like this.

Dee and I share a common belief in giving back – one way Dee is doing this is by donating half the profit of each Kaleidoscope of Life bracelet back to Beads For Life.  Click on the photo to find out more about this special fundraiser.  While you are at it, explore Dee’s site a bit – she finds inspiration in nature and ethnic beauty.  Even though our jewelry making styles are very different, I truly enjoy her work and love the beautiful Kazuri beads she uses.

Handmade is custom, handmade is unique, handmade helps the local economy – all the things you won’t find in a big box store.