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 of the jewellery that I see around me. BUT (and it’s a very big BUT) I very, very rarely buy any for myself. Instead, I wait for friends, family, husband… (Hint, hint! To my husband if he’s reading this…) to buy jewellery for me. So the question is “why do I never buy “expensive jewellery” for myself?”
Is It Common?
I don’t think I’m alone in not buying jewellery for myself – but I’m not entirely sure why. It’s funny, because I have no problems buying shoes, clothes or bags for myself. Am I the only woman who doesn’t buy jewellery for herself??
The only jewellery I tend to buy for myself are unusual trinkets from my travels. Probably the most expensive piece of jewellery that I ever bought myself was a handmade necklace with sodalite cabs. I bought it from a girl in Argentina and cost me around £30. And that took a lot of justification to myself! So what is it that stops me from forking out £80, £100 or dare I say, £200+ on a piece of jewellery? And what can I do with my jewellery that would persuade me to buy it for myself?
Thinking About Why We Buy Jewellery
My immediate thought is that the most accessible places for me to buy jewellery are the high street retailers. And while the jewellery is pretty and can be really funky, sometimes, I do think it’s quite expensive for what you’re getting – hence, I can never quite bring myself to buy it in the UK. I do buy similar jewellery while I’m abroad – maybe the holiday vibe kicks in, because it’s not always noticeably cheaper.
The alternative, then, is to buy higher end jewellery. But that doesn’t seem to be the answer either – buying myself an expensive piece of jewellery seems to lose the “special treat” element of a really nice piece of jewellery and the sentimental value that comes from receiving jewellery as a gift.
The other issue is that jewellery (generally) doesn’t have a function other than to be decorative. In contrast to clothes (to keep you warm and modest), shoes (to protect your feet from sharp objects) and bags (to carry all your stuff!), jewellery doesn’t seem to have a practical function. And for me, that makes it really hard to justify why I’m buying it – I can’t just buy it because it’s pretty (even if it’s really pretty!).
So Just What Jewellery Should I Be Designing?!
My answer then, however cryptic, is to design and make jewellery that convinces me (a very normal woman!) to treat myself to a little luxury. A piece that appeals to my taste and style enough for me to break my own rules. Something that fits in with my lifestyle and is versatile enough to match my existing wardrobe. If I crack that formula – so that my own jewellery appeals to me enough that I could see myself going out to buy it if I saw it in a shop, then, maybe, just maybe, my jewellery would appeal to other people.
That’s a lot of practice and thinking ahead of me, then! Watch this space, while I figure it out…
