One thing that’s common among wire jewelry artists, and anyone who works with beads, too, is the storage issue! You’ve got all this great wire, stones, and jewelry making tools, but where on earth do you put it all?

Wire-Sculpture has some solutions. For starters, we carry plastic compartment boxes, like many beaders are familiar with. Whether you work with jump rings, lampwork beads, thread, cabochons, Swarovski crystals, or beads, these compartment boxes are amazing! You can divide your little accents into 10 to 24 compartments in just one box, and the cover seals so tightly that the compartments won’t leak. Not to mention, these boxes stack easily, and many are mostly transparent, if not totally see through, so you can easily and quickly see what each box contains. And they’re useful for all kinds of things–my husband even nicked one of mine for his fishing gear!

Say you went to a show and purchased a whole lot of little beads, far more than will fit in a little compartment, but you want to get them out of the bag and tucked away. Well, there are also smaller, individual bead containers available in bulk for things just like this. These small and large containers come in packs of 12 and 16, and are great for beads, gems, cabs, and anything else you need to tuck away!

So those boxes and containers are great jewelry tools for storage, but if you’re looking for something you can keep handy on your desk, Wire-Sculpture also has smaller, stackable, spinnable trays that are small enough to keep on your desk, but big enough to hold several kinds of beads, rings, and anything else you need at hand.

While you’re working at your desk, how do you keep those beads from rolling all over the place and getting damaged? Dale “Cougar” Armstrong is notorious for using mouse pads just for this purpose–but if you can’t find one, or if you just have too many beads to use one, there are a couple solutions from our jewelry making tools section that you can work with.

First, a super handy beading shortcut is a beader’s board. These beading boards not only hold your beads in place, but they are marked and measured with dimensions so you know exactly how big your piece is becoming. Also, there are little trays inside the board to stash extra beads while you work. Nifty, huh? And they’re so low priced, it’s really a smart investment to make.

An alternative tool to the beading board is a beading tray. I find this really useful when I’m making a mess! I can use my little bead tray to zoom around my table and scoop up the beads I let roll away. They’re also great for holding beads as you work, and they come in a variety of sizes. And these aren’t just for seed beads–they’re a great way to keep your cabochons and gemstones safe while you work.

Finally, if you are looking for a better way to store your pliers and jewelry making tools, we have a fantastic wire wrapping/beading work station available! This nifty jeweler’s workbench will hold all your pliers within reach, as well as coils of wire, string, and practically anything else you can think of.

Well, that’s all the news for now! Be sure to check out our selection of jewelry making tools that will make your wire wrapping work easier.

Take care, and stay twisted!

Rose Marion

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As a wire-jewelry instructor I travel all over the United States, quite often arriving at my destination the evening before a class. These days, for a weekend of workshops I enjoy driving no more than a maximum of 12 hours one-way, so I fly a lot. If I show up and my tools don’t, (because they were in a ‘lost’ piece of luggage), I’m almost devastated! Therefore I carry most of my tools and jewelry-making supplies on the plane with me. (I can always buy an extra outfit of clothing and personals if needed, but without my tools I am handicapped. )

When packing my carry-on, I do have to take its weight limit into consideration, by checking with whichever airline I’m using for a particular trip. Just for this purpose, I have invested in a great bag with hard sides and really good wheels that is within the size requirements for all airlines. Due to the size of some planes, often I have to check my bag plane-side while boarding, but I can also pick it up plane-side when I land, so my most important supplies are never really in a location to be opened without my knowledge!

To be able to pass through airport security easily, the way finished jewelry, tools and supplies are packed is extremely important! I use a foot-long, heavy plastic pencil box with a sturdy snap-lock, (found at most office supply stores), to stack all of my hand tools in, making sure that my cutters have a plastic cap on them, and that they are on top of all of my other tools. Also included in this box are a foot-long ruler, heavy emery board, marker, pin vise and a roll of tape, with a cushion-style mouse pad folded in the top to keep everything in place, (as well as being my favorite work-surface). None of the included hand tools is more than seven inches long, and I do not carry scissors. (Just for possible proof that I know what I am doing, I also print out and carry a copy of the TSA ‘tool rules’ with me.) http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm#7

When I go through security, I open this pencil box, exposing all of the tools inside, and place it into its own tub to go through the x-ray machine. (Only once did a TSA agent remove one of the longest pliers and measure them, my Swanstrom flat-nose, only 6-1/8 inches!)

Traveling Toolbox

Because I totally believe that if one is totally prepared nothing will happen, I also carry a large, shark-skin, USPS Priority mailing envelope, self-addressed to my home, with prepaid postage on it, just in case I ever have something ‘not’ get through!

The items that I cannot take on a plane include my stainless steel ring mandrel, any power drills/screwdrivers, any mallet or hammer and my favorite ‘ring-making’ knife. These items I put into a large zip-loc bag, tape my business card inside with them and pack, under my pillow and on top of my clothes, in my checked luggage. (If I am flying to a location for a long-term workshop, I find it easier to ship these items ahead of me.)

Packing my finished jewelry samples takes a bit more time, as I place each item including individual earrings, into its own small zip-loc bag and then put all of the baggies into another snap-loc, heavy plastic box. My optivisors travel nicely wrapped in tissue paper in yet another box, with my digital camera nestled within the optivisors; while all of my sterling, argentium and 14kgf wire coils are in labeled manila envelopes, in one two-gallon zip-loc bag. Loose gemstones, cabs, beads and findings are group-bagged and placed into a small, lock lid plastic container, which goes into a zip-loc bag, (just in-case).

Now for the fun! Playing ‘Tetris’ with all of these boxes and my main carry-on. Actually, packing all of my supplies in individual containers makes this job very easy, (as well as knowing ‘what is where’ when I need to unpack for classes). Obviously the heavier supplies go across the bottom, the optivisor box near the top of the carry-on, and the bag of wire coils goes on top of everything else, just under the zipped cover! In this way, when going through x-ray the coils are easily seen. (I also pack the charger for my laptop in this bag.)

My second carry-on is usually my laptop and its case, which is also where I carry the above mentioned self-addressed, prepaid postage bag with a sheet of bubble wrap inside, my date book, cell phone and wall-charger, gum and wallet. (If you have ever been seriously delayed in an airport, you will want your wall charger with you! Who needs a hair brush?)

I go through security, in this order: I take my laptop out of its case and it goes into a plastic tub, http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/simplifying_laptop_bag_procedures.shtm

My boots and ‘quart-sized’ zip-loc go into another, http://www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm my opened toolbox into another, then the laptop case and finally my main carry-on. When sending my things through in this order, I usually pass through the metal detector as my main bag is going through the x-ray machine, and if the TSA agent has any questions about the contents of my main bag, I am right there to request a Private Screening area, before they begin to open it in public.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1847.shtm It is your right to request a private screening!

Once I have successfully passed through security, I put my quart-sized zip-loc and my tool box into my main carry-on and continue schlepping on to the gate.

Yes, I have had to have many, MANY private screenings! Whenever I fly out of Philly, I just plan extra time for one. Out of a group of eight returning from a vacation to Thailand, whom do you think got pulled by US customs and had every single item removed from every single bag?? Yup, it was me.

Because I do spend a lot of time in airports, I often wonder just what some people were thinking as they dressed for their travels, as I have seen some really unusual ‘fashion statements’. My advice is not only to dress comfortably, but also think about getting through security easily and not looking like a ‘mark’ to any unscrupulous individuals.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/screening_experience.shtm

All of this being said, I recommend that you always check for carry-on weight guidelines with whatever airline you are using, and that you be very familiar with all of the current TSA rules, before you leave for the airport!

Travel safe and ‘Stay Twisted’! Dale/Cougar

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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!

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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.

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Now you’re in the jewelry business, making lovely pieces and you need to figure out how to price them so that they will actually sell!  Below are some tips on how to set prices.

First of all, as a jewelry artist you need to decide what flavor of wire wrapped designer/jewelry artist you are.  Are you inclined to attract the value shopper who wants something low cost but still attractive or would you rather sell to the middle tier customer who considers jewelry an expression of who they are?  Or maybe your desired customer is the investment type who believes that buying a “brand” is as important as the jewelry itself?  Once you decide which type you are creating for, then you can begin to determine your prices.

The best way to start is to assess the pricing levels of your competitors.  Again, your competitors will fall in the three categories defined already – budget jewelry, quality costume jewelry, and designer jewelry.  Within each category there are various subcategories such as ethnic or regional, artist, handcrafted, semi-precious stones, precious metals, etc.  Search online for the products that are similar to what you craft.  Identify a number of different manufacturers and ask them for pricing.  If you don’t feel comfortable asking, persuade a friend to help you because if you don’t know what the competition is doing you can’t effectively price your product.

Another rule of thumb in manufacturing is to charge five times the cost of production.  Jewelry however usually has an additional 40 – 200% markup beyond this because often there are middle-persons who need to get paid for merchandising the product.  If you don’t have this layer in your sales process then you can compete to garner more sales for a similar product found in boutiques or department stores.

You may choose to sell direct to a retail store but you will see yourself getting paid 20-40% of the actual sales price because of this markup.  Selling online is an effective way to merchandise your jewelry also; however you will need some lessons in building a store and then marketing it.  It will require that you build a recognizable brand, build business and consumer relationships, and pay for advertising and marketing that utilize online tools.

Finally, you can always change the price if it’s not working for you, adjusting it up or down until you find the sweet spot that covers your cost of production, your overhead and a profit.  Also, don’t forget to enjoy this pricing process.  Lowering prices does not necessarily increase sales; sometimes the opposite is true because your jewelry will be seen as more valuable, more in demand, and more compelling to own.

For more on Pricing Your Jewelry make sure to read our How to Price Your Wire Jewelry (Article).

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