Thursday, March 19, 2015

Build a Line Challenge from B'Sue Boutiques, Elizabeth Hildreth of MadScientistsDesigns, Part Three


Welcome the the 3rd and final Blog Hop of the B'sue Boutiques Build A Line Challenge (BALC). In this leg of the hop you get to see the whole line revealed.

Master Class

 For the past three months a diverse group of 55 jewelry artists have participated in a jewelry design master class led by Brenda Sue Lansdowne. We learned about designing a cohesive line within a specific price range. This class has been invaluable for all of us.

Lessons I've Learned

This class has helped me focus on planning and completing a cohesive line of jewelry. (No small feat!) My line includes necklaces, earrings, and a hand bracelet. I tend to make things as inspiration strikes, so having to focus on a single line was surprisingly a bit of a struggle. Ha! 

I learned about the different categories of jewelry makers: hobbyist (that's me!), jewelry maker, or jewelry designer (what I am going to be). Read more about my discovery here.

Take aways

  • Focus - keep your eyes on the prize, cohesive lines sell best
  • Impulse Pricing - know what impulse price points are and how to use them effectively
  • Know the Pricing Pyramid - the lowest pricing tier will be your bread and butter customers whose purchases allow you to make more elaborate statement pieces, plan a tier for buyers at every level of income
  • Fashion savvy - keep an eye on what is going to trend and incorporate aspects that remain true to your style
  • Read Vogue - they seem to be ahead of the curve with up and coming trends such as styles and colors that will trickle down through all aspects of fashion
  • The Devil Wears Prada - yes, yes she does

My Line

I call my line Going To The Bazaar. Classic Moroccan, Spanish, Indian, and Middle Eastern jewelry inspired me and I added a Bohemian flair. I love the lush look of the jewelry from this region, but in silver and gold with gemstones it would be prohibitively expensive. I decided to make an affordable line with the same rich, luxurious feel. I'm pretty proud of it and I hope you like it too! :-)

The Reveal: Going To The Bazaar


Hand Bracelet in Ruby Red from the side $35.00

Hand Bracelet In Ruby Red

Hand Bracelet In Ruby Red from the front

Hand Bracelet in Ruby Red from the back
Hand Bracelet in Ruby Red from the side
Necklace in Ruby Red with Crystals $25.00
Necklace in Ruby Red with Crystals front close-up
Necklace in Ruby Red with Crystals rear view
Earrings in Ruby Red with Thin Side Down front view $27.00
Earrings in Ruby Red with Thin Side Down front/rear view
Necklace in Ruby Red Long Length $20.00
Necklace in Ruby Red Long Length front close-up
Necklace in Ruby Red Long Length rear close-up
Earrings in Ruby Red with Thin Side Up front view $27.00
Earrings in Ruby Red with Thin Side Up front/rear view
Necklace in Sapphire Blue with Crystal Chain $40.00
Necklace in Sapphire Blue with Crystal Chain
Necklace in Sapphire Blue with Crystal Chain close-up
The Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue pieces shown feature Swarovski crystals. All of these pieces will be available for purchase in my Etsy shop, MadScientistsDesigns, by April 1st. All will be custom orders and made especially for you.

All of the jewelry features handmade clasps and ear wires, B'sue Boutiques filigrees with hand-painted details and hand wire-wrapped bead dangles. Prices range from $20 - #40 for the pieces featured.

Custom color and customization is available on any of the pieces. Currently available colors are Swarovski crystals in ruby red and sapphire blue, crystals in topaz, and glass beads in amethyst purple.

Time to Hop

Hop on over to the next stop. I hope you enjoyed the reveal. Tell me what you think! ~Elizabeth

Brenda Sue Lansdowne, B'sue Boutiques Jewelry Making Outside the Box
Cynthia Wainscott  Exotic Peru
Carole Carlson  Beadsophisticate
Lynn Stinten  Dragonzwench
Marica Zammit  Bead Lovelies
Catherine Shattuck  VRBrose
Michaele Collie  The Vintage Gem
Mary Craig  Jewelry Alchemy
Lee Koopman  Strega Jewelry
Erin Whitacre  Shattered Time Jewelry
Monica Casady  MJCasady Copper Works
Leila West  Leila Nicole Designs
Cindy Peterson  Howling Dog Jewelry
Leila Belcher  Leila Bee Designs
Gloria Allen  Wings and Beads
Pamela Anger  Novegatti Designs
Tammy Adams  Paisley Lizard
Lynda O'Mara  LOmara Creative
Elizabeth Hildreth  ---- YOU ARE HERE ----  MadScientistsDesigns
Dana Hickey  Wind Dancer Studios
Janet Calardo  Jan Lea Designs
Maria Clark  Sweet Willow Designs
Lori Beekman  B. Accessorized
Jennifer Kroeger  Relic Charm
Amy Jorgensen  Hoarder's Corner
Ingrid Anderson  Lilis Gems
Louise O'Shields  Desire Divine Jewels
Susan Killam  Killam Creative
Nike Bottalico  Nike Bottalico
Susan Bowerman  Woodside Wireworks
Jan Peters  Stylized Vintage
Gina Hockett  Freestyle Elements
Linda Anderson  From the Bead Board
Teresa Shurter  TreeZ's Treasurs
Melissa Latimer  Smithed Up
Nadine Edris  Moondance Jewelry
Lori Meyer  Parisienne Girl
Jennifer Merrill Williams  Artists of All Stripes
Denise Lussier Poirier  Jewelry by Denise
Renee Allen  Small Stuff Design
Autumn Adams  Autumn Dawns
Elizabeth Owens  1996 Shabby Lane
Sandra Ballard  Mama San's Mojo
Coral Law  ab:coraldesign

Friday, February 20, 2015

Build a Line Challenge from B'Sue Boutiques, Elizabeth Hildreth of MadScientistsDesigns, Part Two

morocan style  tribal jewelry middle eastern
Going To The Bazaar in ruby red


Welcome to Part Two of the Build A Line Challenge blog hop sponsored by B'sue Boutiques. Over at the class we've been discussing so many parts of building a line. Here are my thoughts on a few of them:

Pyramid Pricing

Pyramid Brand and business model in the luxury industry from e-university

We've been discussing how having multiple price points increases sales and allows people to "start small" when collecting your jewelry. Many of the top design houses use this strategy in their pricing which takes them from the runway to the department store.  

The majority of your business comes from the lower section of the pyramid at $15-$50. Then you move into the "over-the-top" pieces which are more elaborate at about $50-$120. The top of the pyramid is your custom, one-of-a-kind, (often commissioned) jewelry at $120+. Most of my designs fall into the the lowest section and I'll be expanding into the middle and upper sections later this year. (Wait til you see what I have planned!) ;-)

Cohesive collections

I'm really happy with how well my vision for this collection is coming along. I have several pieces in the works and also several finished pieces for you to see. I also started a Pinterest board to showcase my new collection, some inspirational pictures, and also the clothing that it might go well with. Check it out here.

New Additions

During the last blog hop, I asked you what colors you'd like to see in the Going To The Bazaar Collection. One of them was purple.
tribal morocan style jewelry middle eastern
Going To The Bazaar earrings in lilac purple
tribal morocan style jewelry middle eastern
Going To The Bazaar earrings in topaz
tribal morocan style jewelry middle eastern
Going To The Bazaar earrings in ruby red
tribal morocan style jewelry middle eastern
Going To The Bazaar necklace in ruby red
tribal morocan style jewelry middle eastern
Going To The Bazaar hand bracelet in ruby red

I think the collection is coming together nicely. What do you think?

Did you miss the 1stBlog Hop post? Click HERE

Now, hop on over to the next blog! Don't forget to join us for the final hop where everyone reveals their entire collections on March 20th!

Brenda Sue Lansdowne, B'sue Boutiques Jewelry Making Outside the Box
Cynthia Wainscott  Exotic Peru
Carole Carlson  Beadsophisticate
Lynn Stinten  Dragonzwench
Marica Zammit  Bead Lovelies
Catherine Shattuck  VRBrose
Michaele Collie  The Vintage Gem
Mary Craig  Jewelry Alchemy
Lee Koopman  Strega Jewelry
Erin Whitacre  Shattered Time Jewelry
Monica Casady  MJCasady Copper Works
Leila West  Leila Nicole Designs
Cindy Peterson  Howling Dog Jewelry
Leila Belcher  Leila Bee Designs
Gloria Allen  Wings and Beads
Pamela Anger  Novegatti Designs
Tammy Adams  Paisley Lizard
Lynda O'Mara  LOmara Creative
Elizabeth Hildreth  ---- YOU ARE HERE ----  MadScientistsDesigns
Dana Hickey  Wind Dancer Studios
Janet Calardo  Jan Lea Designs
Maria Clark  Sweet Willow Designs
Lori Beekman  B. Accessorized
Jennifer Kroeger  Relic Charm
Amy Jorgensen  Hoarder's Corner
Ingrid Anderson  Lilis Gems
Louise O'Shields  Desire Divine Jewels
Susan Killam  Killam Creative
Nike Bottalico  Nike Bottalico
Susan Bowerman  Woodside Wireworks
Jan Peters  Stylized Vintage
Gina Hockett  Freestyle Elements
Linda Anderson  From the Bead Board
Teresa Shurter  TreeZ's Treasurs
Melissa Latimer  Smithed Up
Nadine Edris  Moondance Jewelry
Lori Meyer  Parisienne Girl
Jennifer Merrill Williams  Artists of All Stripes
Denise Lussier Poirier  Jewelry by Denise
Renee Allen  Small Stuff Design
Autumn Adams  Autumn Dawns
Elizabeth Owens  1996 Shabby Lane
Sandra Ballard  Mama San's Mojo
Coral Law  ab:coraldesign

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Hobbyist - Jewelry Maker - Jewelry Designer - Which one am I?

From Marica Zammit on Facebook


Hobbyist - Jewelry Maker - Jewelry Designer - Which one am I? At the moment I feel like I am a hybrid of hobbyist and jewelry designer, but I am steadily working toward being a more focused designer. These definitions from Brenda Sue Lansdowne explain the differences:

Hobbyist
"A hobbyist is someone who enjoys making jewelry for their own use, to share with friends and relatives as gifts, and maybe sell a bit on the side.   They are more interested with exploring their abilities, trying out all the new trends and taking lots of classes.   Because they are a hobbyist and not counting on sales to support their work, they do have the freedom NOT to focus, but to roam and constantly experiment." - Brenda Sue Lansdowne of bsueboutiques.com
Hobbyists can be experienced or novices. They simply make jewelry for the sheer love of doing it. This is where I have spent the main portion of my time. I love experimenting and learning new things, but I don't rely on the income that my jewelry brings in except to purchase supplies, learn new techniques, and to help my shop remain self sustaining.

Jewelry Maker
"A jewelry maker is BUSY, busy making jewelry all the time.   The jewelry maker is a seller  and does need the income generated from the sale of their work to support it.   They may sell online and they also may do many shows.   They may have a loose line but for the most part are working in a number of different styles and may not really have found their artistic focus.  They may work the same way, same gimmick, same sort of thing for a number of years wondering finally why their sales all of a sudden fell off.  This jewelry maker has not kept up with trends or new ideas.   Or you have the jewelry maker whose work looks like it is made by a number of different people not taking price, color, trend, fashion.....ANYTHING....into account.  They are busy doing what their heart tells them to do, selling some, having success here and there." - Brenda Sue Lansdowne of bsueboutiques.com
 I have to admit that I really do not fall far into this category because I don't produce tons of jewelry or sell at shows. I am not much of a trend follower and I tend to work in colors that speak to me instead of what is currently in fashion...Also, I have to admit that I do tend to be somewhat unfocused in my artistic view.

And that leads us to the final category:

Jewelry Designer
"A JEWELRY DESIGNER has stepped up from jewelry maker to the big AHA! moment when they realize, HEY!  This isn't all about what I want to do, but what I have studied as to trend and good design, and the pyramid system of selling.    They haven't given up their love of creating one of a kind jewelry, but they realize that one of a kind jewelry is NOT a line.   They understand that there needs to be those showstoppers to get attention, and good, bold statement pieces to play to fashionable buyers who want a strong piece.    They also 'get' that their bread and butter will come from the 15-50 lower tier of the pyramid, and much attention must be paid to this section of their brand if they are to pay the bills and have longevity as a designer.   A good pyramid has good design as its basis.   Colors that look good on people as well as current color trends are carefully considered. There is a lot of planning and the jewelry designer knows the need to be practical where the majority of the line is considered." - Brenda Sue Lansdowne of bsueboutiques.com
  Lately I have been much more focused on making cohesive collections. I also began researching successful jewelry designers such as Coco Chanel and how they built their lines and their brands. My main focus moving forward is on making cohesive lines of jewelry (even if they are vastly different from one another).

pricing design pyramid - branding - pricing
The pyramid brand and business model in the luxury market from e-University

Sneak Peek
 
I have some exciting upcoming lines for you! Here is a sneak peek:
Going To The Bazaar - Middle Eastern Inspired Jewelry
 This line is the one I am working on for the Build A Line Challenge from B'sue Boutiques. I will have a new post on this for you on Friday, February 20th during the next blog hop. Make sure to join us to see what all of the participants have been up to in addition to sneak peeks of their new lines.
The Tesla Collection - Steampunk Inspired Jewelry








Dragonflies - dragonfly themed jewelry
Writer's Block - Vintage Pen Nib Jewelry
steampunk vacuum tube jewelry jewellry science geek history
Vintage Vacuum Tube Jewelry
 Stop in to see what is currently available. I'll be expanding all of these lines this year ( and adding more, I'm sure hahaha!). Make sure to follow my blog for more updates. See you soon! 

I'd love to hear from you! Are you a hobbyist, a jewelry maker, a jewelry designer, or just a jewelry enthusiast? Inquiring minds want to know! xoxo  ~Elizabeth