Feels like I haven’t made any jewellery for a really long time (when in reality it has only been 1 weekend)! But I’m really excited to be making a ring for my sister’s birthday present. I still have the lapis lazuli cabochons I bought a few weeks ago. So my plan is to make a …
Since I started on my jewellery making quest, I have been asking myself the question “just who would buy my jewellery?”. And it’s a really hard question for me to answer. I’ve read that I should be making jewellery that I like. Sounds simple. The problem is that I like (and sometimes love!) a lot …
From the moment I started learning about jewellery, I started thinking about how I could approach starting a jewellery business. Do I go back to school? Do I look for a jewellery apprenticeship? What do I do about my current career?
I wonder if everyone ask themselves these sorts of questions at some point or another during their lives? Especially when they find a hobby they love? For me, I suppose I have always had it in the back of my mind that I’d like to start my own business. I like the idea of working for myself, and I know I have the discipline to do it, too. But, I’ve never had the first clue about what sort of business or where to start!
This post isn’t about how I (or you) go about starting a jewellery business (although, it’s a theme that I will probably revisit often) – I haven’t even decided if I will start a jewellery business. I’m just not ready!
Being realistic, I went to my first jewellery class in July and it’s September as I write. I’ve spent most weekends since then, practising making jewellery. But professional jewellers have probably practised and trained for years!
Right now, none of my pieces are of a good enough quality or finish that I would have the confidence to sell them. I mean, I just couldn’t face all the returns! I need a LOT more practice before I even think about a business! But I suppose it doesn’t hurt to *think* about how I would turn my hobby into a business. The raw materials for silversmithing cost a lot! I wonder if I start laying the foundations now, then I might have the beginnings of a business. Maybe I need to spend more time thinking about what types of jewellery and styles I like to make.
I’m in the (probably not uncommon) position that I’ve never trained in jewellery design or silversmithing. I also have a full-time job so jewellery making is a complete hobby. And while the idea of doing a jewellery-based degree or taking a diploma is appealing, I just don’t have the luxury of quitting my job and doing a degree. So, it seems that (for the moment at least) I’m going to have to be self-taught. I wonder how many people start the same way?
So that’s where I’m starting from.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been wondering whether I can do some volunteering work at the weekend or a part-time (weekend) apprenticeship. I’ve seen a number of apprenticeships advertised on Benchpeg newsletter – the idea of writing a letter to some of these companies to see if I can get a bit of experience is starting to appeal to me. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? The company will tell me “no” and that they want someone who can work full-time. That’s ok and I’ve already set my expectations.
But maybe, just maybe, someone will say “yes” and let me work/volunteer on weekends. It would be nice to see what a real jewellery designer does – how do they create and finish a piece? What is the real end-to-end process of running a business? Whichever company could be getting free resource, someone enthusiastic and keen to learn, dependable… And I could see myself changing careers at some point in the future – so maybe, that company would get a trained/mouldable employee. Yeah… maybe I’m stretching that one a bit!
So I *am* left with the question “what’s in it for them?”. And it’s this question that i will need to answer before I do approach any jewellers, but I don’t suppose it can hurt to try, when I feel a bit more ready for a “next step”.
Today, I’m starting a special project. My Father-in-Law has asked me to make two birthday pendants for his nieces’ 21st birthday present – they’re twins (in case, you’re wondering). First thing’s first, I need to choose the best design! My Father-in-Law is a massive Leonard Cohen fan. So he asked me to make two pendants …
I decided to have a go at setting a stone into a piece (probably not one of my better ideas, since I can barely control my soldering, but try I did!). So, here’s an overview of my first time setting stones in a bezel setting! I got a lovely 12x16mm oval turquoise cabochon from Bellore. …
I now have a total of six rings under my belt, so I thought I’d take a look back at my handmade rings. I probably need at least another 20 more to iron out all the kinks! That said, it’s been an invaluable experience and I thought I’d share what I learnt each time… 1. …
Having played about for a few weeks with experimenting in my lovely new workshop, I’ve discovered the existence of hallmarking! Quite honestly, as a newbie to jewellery making, I had no idea that silver (and gold) jewellery needs to be hallmarked as proof of quality of the metal. In the UK, items made of sterling …
Making a Filigree Ring – Alone! After my first class and having all purchased my tools, I started my first solo ring project. I spent some time on the internet (there are a lot of really cool step-by-step projects out there!), and managed to find a set of PDF instructions about how to make a …
Just a short post today and purely because I can’t contain my excitement! I’ve just received these semi-precious stones, which I ordered from Bellore. These are lapis lazuli cabochons and are totally beautiful! I thought the turquoise cabochon I previously ordered was nice, but check these out! I’m thinking that these will work really well …
Today, I’m experimenting with how to make a pendant. I’ve never done this before, so I’m doing a practice run with a piece of copper, rather than straight into silver. Copper is significantly less expensive and harder than silver. For these reasons, many books and websites suggest mastering copper before moving onto silver. First Attempt …
