Aftermath

I think I may like this jewelry selling thing! I loove teaching, but my second attempt at selling my silver live (as opposed to cyber selling which I have *not* mastered) was so fun that I'm going to attempt it again in June. And maybe sooner if I can get in to a good show or two.

The Contemporary Crafts Market allows exhibitors to set up their booths a day in advance (quite a luxury from what I hear), so Thursday was all about building my curb appeal. And I think I did a really nice job. Of course I forgot my camera that day. And then on Friday I discovered that the batteries were dead. So I went to the store after the show and got some. But left them on my couch when I left the next morning. So... no pics. The booth was almost exactly like it looked in June with a few improvements though so hopefully these old photos will suffice. : \

The first thing to go was my hinged pendant. I only made it a few weeks ago and hadn't tired of it yet, so I was a little weepy when it chose a new owner. But she really fell in love with it - so at least I know my little pendant has gone to a good home.

Sold

Sold

The riveted rings were a huge hit. Must make more. And I'm thinking of having the shanks cast and perhaps vermeiled. Wouldn't they look pretty in gold?

Interesting thing about shows. I was blasted with tons of traffic one minute and then suddenly... silent as the tomb. I don't work on jewelry during down times so I was intermittently bored. Might have bring a chain to crochet or something simple next time. But the people watching was amazing. The get ups some folks wore was so entertaining, and the gorgeous art clothing others donned to come to the fancy craft show was inspiring.

There were 5 times as many jewelry artists there as any other craft. Par for the course I guess. The range of styles was impressive. Of course there were quite a few traditional gold and sparkly gem jewelers, dichroic glass artists, found object users (some paired with perfectly fabricated, gleaming metal and some completed in a more abstract style), beaders, enamelers and a couple of other metal clay artists.

I got great feedback and lots of oohs and aahs. The economy is still quite a deterrent to selling higher priced things but I had great custom and am most happy with my profit. I'll be going to Richmond, Virginia during Thanksgiving to visit long lost cousins who have offered to put on a home show for me, so I have to get busy right away making more pieces. And there's a shop in Burbank that is interested in carrying my work! Huzzah. So after yesterday's lounge and today's back to business/cleaning up day it's right back into the studiolo for me. No rest for the wicked!