Once again the International Gem and Jewelry show is coming to Seattle! I don't know about you but I look forward to this one every year. This year there are over 85 Exhibitors attending and there will be free beading workshops (with purchase of a materials kit) all weekend too. August 24-26,2012 at the Seattle … Continue reading The International Gem and Jewelry Show is back in Seattle!
When I first started soldering, I knew that it would be a breeze. After all you are just sticking two pieces of metal together right? Well guess what! Just heating up the metal with a torch does not necessarily work and I burnt every one of my fingers in the process too! Both my project … Continue reading Revisiting Failure
Better Living Through Your Flex Shaft! My Flexshaft changed my life! Well okay, maybe not my “life”, but definitely my bench life! I reach for it more than any other item on my bench. For those of you not familiar with a Flexshaft, it is a system that consists of a motor ( most often … Continue reading Better Living Through Your Flex Shaft!
I love books, and every now and then a book comes along that steals your heart. Creative Stonesetting is such a book. The author, John Cogswell is currently a teacher at SUNY NY. He has also taught at many other metals programs and has served as a technical consultant and contributing author for several contemporary … Continue reading Creative Stonesetting is a Gem!
Now your jewelry is done, and it looks great! So you take a quick picture, post it and your jewelry will sell itself…..right? Well maybe. People often find that taking pictures of their art is far more difficult then they first imagined. To really impact your sales you will need to post good, clear pictures … Continue reading Put the WOW in your Jewelry Photos
Social Media is now part of almost everyone’s life. It now plays a big role in how people interact with each other. Community is everything and people enjoy being part of a business that brands themselves proactively. If you’re reading this and you don’t have a Facebook page and a Twitter account, stop right now … Continue reading Everybody’s Doing It
The Care and Feeding of Customers Customers are the most important part of your jewelry business, care for them and watch your business grow! • Whenever your customer buys from you, make sure you tell them THANK YOU. This seemingly little thing is huge and so often overlooked. • Return customers need to be recognized … Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Customers
I have posted before about what inspires me to be creative when it comes to designing jewelry; nature, books and time alone. But one very important thing was not covered in that post, one thing that is incredibly inspiring to me. That “thing”? People, creative people! Our world is filled with people. Many times we … Continue reading 10 Ways to “Act” Like a Creative Person
We all have to start somewhere so why not at the beginning? I made a pair of these earrings for my very first metal project. They are easy, elegant and most importantly FUN to make! Let's go through step-by-step directions for this project together. First of all, you will need to gather together all of … Continue reading The Three E’s ~ Easy, Elegant, Texturized Earrings
You have only one body so don’t let something that you love doing cause it harm. Protect and cherish it! Most studio safety issues really aren't from an accident with a tool, rather they are little things that accumulate over time that involve your eyes, ears, skin, breathing and muscles. As an artist your eyes … Continue reading Playing Safe in The Studio
Seattle Findings Blog 