Jewelry as a hobby versus sale

I currently make jewelry just as a hobby for myself and as a gift. I tried to sell my works and discovered some tips along the way.

My first attempt to sell the jewelry I had made was at a farmers and crafts market where the booth fee was $75.00 per day. It was a loss for me as I didn’t sell enough to make a profit. When people are out and about, they only want items for pocket change or small bills in their wallet, including food.

Like previous attempts to sell cosmetics, family and friends will spend their money in stores, but if they know you, they want it for free. I also do not accept applications from demanding people who want unreasonable tasks.

It seems that jewelry repair could be a niche. With the right tools, you can collect a small fee that includes replacement of the watch battery. That’s kind of hit in stores. If you can find a supplier, you could replace the pearls.

My first frustration was tarnishing the silver. There are products to clean silver, but I can’t spend my time polishing hundreds of tiny silver beads. I have stopped using silver or gold beads.

I was going to try to throw a house party and I made about 100 silver bead necklaces that were really pretty. I packed them in gift boxes and stored them. I had a family emergency and couldn’t try the party at home. When I took out the jewels, I was disheartened to find that they had all turned black. You wouldn’t be able to sell the items looking like that.

When I look at jewelry in stores, I take pleasure in the confidence that the items I make for myself are of better quality than what I see. It usually costs me about $30.00 per set to make necklaces from real pearls and stones. Usually I don’t make much jewelry except glass beads for lamps.

I have accumulated quite a wardrobe of jewelry for myself. I always get compliments. I buy some work from others to see if I can duplicate a technique I want to try. It helps me to see it in front of me to see how it was made. Usually I can figure it out.

I only work with beads big enough to see and grab. Good luck with your jewelry making. The possibilities are endless.