Hey everyone,  we had a surprise visitor at our Wire-Sculpture HQ today , The very talented “Ritzy Misfit” a.k.a. Brooke.  Why is Brooke a rising star?  Well,  if you haven’t heard by now, she is the “In DEMAND” artist right now because her unique jewelry has landed on the neck of Jillian Harris, ABC’s Bachelorette.  Way to go Brooke!  Many thanks for being such a great Wire-Sculpture client!

You can view some  of her unique jewelry pieces here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6657405

Brooke’s Bio:

My name is Brooke, and I love to make almost anything. I get obsessed with figuring out how to do things, and it seems I try it all.  I sew, make jewelry, decorate, re-finish furniture, and use all the big boy toys to make my creations. I don’t, however consider myself a “real artist” because if you ask me to draw a sketch of any of the things I make I couldn’t do it to save my life. You’d have a hard time guessing what it was.  I respect artists and their talent so much, I just don’t feel I’ve earned the title as of yet.

I really like to be unique, and think outside the box. With as many amazing and beautiful things there are out there these days, that becomes more and more of a challenge. But I’m up for it.

The way my creative process works is usually this:  I will see something, whether it be a piece of metal, some old weathered wood, or a simple glass jar, and an idea sparks. Sometimes this spark is inspired by someone else’s work, but I make it my own by tweaking it or even doing it the complete opposite way they did. But I love to be inspired by other people’s creativity. One of the things that makes the world go round, I think.

So as far as my pendants, which are so much fun to play with, it all started with a gift I got for my birthday. I was inspired, and the rest is history. I’m very blessed because people have had such a great response to my pieces.

These pieces really can tell you a lot about yourself. I have found, and hopefully will continue to, that people will choose pendants that reflect themselves as a person, down to their wonderfully unique soul.

“No one is perfect, but we are all beautiful. These pendants give the feeling of being beautiful, unique and rough around the edges all at the same time. My work reflects the wonderful, flawed idiosyncrasies in us all. And it makes us breath-taking.”

My style is asymmetrical, quirky, and sometimes dark. And sometimes… sparkly.  I love all things vintage, and if my things don’t incorporate something old, they tend to have that older, nostalgic feel. I definitely don’t hold back when I like something though. If it’s made completely of glitter and sequins, and I happen to love it, then so it is.  Again, outside the box, I guess.

As far as Ritzy Misfit, it has just grown in such a wonderful way! I’m blessed to have been contacted by some wonderful people who have helped me so much by giving support, and opportunities for growth. I’m pretty shy when it comes to showing people my work and telling them it’s great, so it makes it much nicer when they find me. My pendants are actually going to be on this season of the Bachelorette! Worn by the beautiful Jillian.  I have big hopes for Ritzy Misfit, and hope to continue to grow and evolve.

Using the Internet to engage and conduct business with your customers is an effective way to merchandise your jewelry.  However, it’s not quite as easy as setting up a website, catalogue and ecommerce.  You will need to invite customers to come to your site, find what they like, and be motivated enough to open an account and purchase.  So, this article is about the whole process so that selling online will be a good experience for you and for your customer.  This article is also for the small independent jewelry-maker.

First you will need to create your online store.  It is important to select a store package that is easy to deploy but rich in features so that you can measure customer behavior and adapt.  It is also important to have one that you can modify yourself so that you don’t have to hire a software technician to create your online catalog of jewelry.  You will also want to have a storefront that allows you to upload various pictures of your jewelry.  Finally, you will want to automate everything from pricing to checkout.

After your store is built you will need to invite the customers to come in and peruse.  This is where marketing and advertising comes in.  You will need to develop an advertising campaign strategy by determining what “hook” you can use to bring in customers.  Will they be enticed to click to your store if you offer something free?  If you can’t afford anything free without a purchase, come up with something that you can give away free with a purchase and add it to the cost of your sale.  You could also offer free shipping on any jewelry purchase.  Maybe you could offer a velvet case or a paste for cleaning silver jewelry.  Whatever you decide, it needs to add value to a purchase.   And you need to come up with new ideas all the time to test against each other, looking for the best set to use over and over again.

Next you will need to decide where to promote your offer.  On the Internet there are many places to advertise but it best if you focus entirely on reaching your target market and in this case jewelry it would be females, 21 -55 that have disposable income.  You can also target specific locations if you like and even specific behavior such as those that purchase clothing and accessories online.

Now that you have figured out what to offer and to whom, you need to know where.  One of the most effective ways is through purchasing of keywords in search engines and also in social networking sites, pinpointing your audience using their ad campaign software.  Don’t waste clicks (that you’ll have to pay for) by broadcasting to everyone.  Nail your ad and target so that most visitors arriving at your store are looking for what you offer.  It’s better to get fewer visitors who are looking to buy jewelry than more customers that click away immediately.

Finally, when people arrive at your store you will want to make sure their experience is positive by creating a friendly catalogue that gives your visitor the sense that you know what you are doing, you are reputable, and that they can trust that you will ship what they buy from you.  This happens by including a privacy policy on your site, by telling your visitors that you use secure servers for all transactions, and that you have a return policy that accommodates returns.

As you can see, setting up a store, targeting your customers, and selling them your jewelry is a process that has many steps.  However, once you get all of the above done the fun really starts because then you can watch your customer behavior and continue to tweak your store until it s optimally selling your jewelry for you.

For more on merchandising your jewelry on the internet check out our large selection of Jewelry Marketing Books!

Just what the doctor ordered!
This article will go into depth about the 5 steps of soldering.

Step  1:  Fitting

Soldering is much more challenging when the two or more pieces of metals to be connected together do not make a fitted “join”; fitted join meaning the smooth, built-in or even point of connection with the other.  The edges that will be soldered together must have a fitted match to ensure a secure and lasting bond.  In order to do this, filing may be necessary.  Make sure that the surfaces are free of dents, warping, and kinks.  If joining two flat edges together (butt join), it is recommended to bevel the surfaces so that the metal or wire is overlapping the other.  This will allow for a strong joint.

Step 2. Cleaning

It is important that your metals are clean, and free of dirt, grease, and oil.  This is because solder will not flow on an unclean surface.   Unclean surfaces include those with fingerprints!  Cleaning can be accomplished by pickling or sanding.  Pickling, a chemical process, is very effective.  In order to clean the metals using this method the following items are needed:  pickle, pickle pot, tongs, and tweezers.  Pickle is an acidic solution and can come in a liquid or powder form.  As for the pickle pot, an old coffee pot on top of a hot plate or small crock pot will suffice.  Once you designate your equipment as a pickle pot, it should never be used for cooking or brewing again.  After pickling, the metals need to be washed thoroughly in water with a little baking soda (a copper tong should be used to take the metals in and out of the pot–copper will not contaminate the pickling solution). Dry well.

A wet pumice stone and bristle brush or a clean piece of emery paper will also work for cleaning.  Use a clean pair of tweezers to manage the metals with after they have been cleaned.

Step 3. Fluxing

All areas to be soldered need to be covered with flux (unless using paste solder).  Each piece of solder should also be fluxed.  Soldering flux helps dissolve and prevent oxidation of the base metal.  It also acts as a wetting agent allowing easier spreading of the solder around the join.   There are many soldering fluxes on the market available for use.

Step 4. Solder Placement

Prepare a few snippets of solder; these are called pallions. With a pair of tweezers or a flux-moistened brush tip, place the solder paillon on the join.  Do not use more paillons than necessary for the join, as it is difficult to melt and remove as well as causing blemishes.  If excess solder does flow off the join, it can be removed by filing.

Step 5. Heating

Using a torch, carefully and quickly preheat the entire metal area evenly to provide solder flow.  If the solder is heated without heating the entire piece first, it melts and forms a ball that cannot enter the join.  Equally heat the two or more pieces that are to be connected together.  Once the piece begins to glow, the solder will flow and will fill the seam.  Working in soft light will increase your capability to see the metal glow.  Melted solder is attracted by heat and will always flow toward the hottest spot.  By moving the torch, you can target the solder to flow in the manner you desire.

After the solder has melted to your satisfaction, cool, and place the piece in a warm pickle bath to remove oxidation.  It can also be boiled to increase the cleaning time.

For years we have been the king in the jewelry making instruction business.  Are there other companies out there that have instructional videos and trainings for wire-sculptors?  Yes.  But the bottom line is… nobody competes with Wire-Sculpture.com for useful, valid, easy-to-use instructional wire-wrapping videos and ebooks.

From our Small Biz Jewelry Course to our Master’s Course, our customers have access to over 20 years of valid hands-on training materials to help them get started in their jewelry making hobby or profession.

Up until today, these packages come in….well….packages. When you buy the Master’s Course you receive over 30 DVDs , wire, tools, eBooks, and much more. This package retails for over $4,000, and we sell it for only $997. Pretty good deal, right?

Let’s face it, nearly everyone’s pocket book has been affected by the current economic crisis, almost everyone is now being tested for Swine Flu, and our government is spending Trillions of our hard earned dollars. With all of these things going on who has an additional $1000 laying around?

Don’t worry. If you’re thinking, well, maybe I’m the only one that can’t afford this, you’re not the only one, trust me. There are hundreds of other people thinking the exact same thing.

But Jewelry Making is at the very center of our very being! Who among us, doesn’t love sitting down and using our hands to create a masterpiece out of some wire and some cabochons? I think all of us do! We all yearn to be good at jewelry making, so that we can truly enjoy the experience.

That’s why Wire-Sculpture.com is introducing their very first DVD Auto-Ship program! All of our most popular DVDs are now available for a fraction of their normal price. And more bonuses are being added to each of our new packages!

If you’ve ever thought about purchasing one of our instructional DVD packages, but couldn’t afford it, now is your time! We have broken down a few of our most popular packages below:

-    The Master’s Course now is only $299.25 each month for 4 months! You receive all of the same great stuff, but it’s delivered to you during a 4 month period. This allows you to go through the materials at your own leisure and learn the art of wire-sculpting at your own pace! During those 4 months, you’ll receive all of the same DVDs, EBooks, tools, wire, etc.

-    If you’re thinking that $299.25 still sounds like a little too much right now, don’t wory, we have 2 additional options for you! You can choose to receive the same DVDs as our popular Master’s Course over a 24 month period for only $59.95 per month. Or you can opt for our 12 month package at only $99.95 per month. Same great jewelry making DVDs, at a very low price! Plus with either of these options you will get some great bonuses, click here to see them all.

-    If you just want to get to the very meat of jewelry making we’ve put together a fun and exciting package just for you! You can now receive 2 DVDs per month during 6 months. These are our most popular DVDs and tools put together for a truly fascinating and unique package! In this package you’ll receive our amazing Rings, Bracelets and Pendant DVDs, 12 DVDs in all. This package is only $84.95 per month for 6 months!

And if that weren’t enough, for 3 days only we’re going to include some great bonuses for Free when you sign up for one of our Auto-Ship programs before the end of the day Wednesday May 13, 2009! Here are a list of bonuses that you will receive:

Jewelers Double-Horned Anvil ($12.97 Value)
Stainless Steel Ring Mandrel ($37.95 Value)
Free Upgrade from Wire-Sculpting Tool Kit to Master’s Tool Kit ($49.96 Value)
Automatic Upgrade to Gold Club Member Status (Priceless!)

So what are you waiting for? These courses will never be as affordable as they are now. Now is the PERFECT TIME to start learning how to wire-sculpt or how to perfect some of the skills you already possess as a Jewelry Maker.

We’ll see you soon!

Brandon Hutchins
Wire-Sculpture.com
877-636-0608

Do you collect things around the house like action figures, toy cars, dolls, different kinds of mittens, antiques and many other things? Well, then, how about deciding on collecting things and earn extra profit from it? As you can see, a lot of people today are into the collecting many things and made it as their hobby from calling cards to action figures and just a year ago, some of these people have discovered that they can make this hobby of theirs as a part-time business. You might already be aware of lots of stories about some people who have dug up a goldmine when they decided to sell their antique stuff to some museum or something and they got big money from it. I’ve heard of people collecting stamps, pennies, bits and pieces from old gel mattresses, and other interesting items! There is even this one guy who sold his own copy of the very first superhero comic book and he got thousands of dollars for it. The fact of the matter is, there is money in what you collect. A collector hobby can be a lucrative hobby, too, just as long as you know what to do and how to do it.

Others don’t collect things beforehand to sell them. They would go through Internet websites, hoping to find out what kinds of items that are saleable and once they have found what they are looking for, they will go and find some collectibles price guide , find out how much would it cost to sell those items in a collection and earn profit. For example, people are going crazy over their new president’s merchandise from hats, to pin buttons, to posters and even shirts and handkerchief and other things and they would even sell their soul just to get their hands on those items. As a collector care and collector hobbyist, you invest on these items, put them into one good group or collection and then, post it up for sale and in no time, somebody has to contact you and want to buy that “presidential” collection for a hefty price.