Most of us have bought our jewelry at stores, boutiques and occasionally from our friend’s jewelry party.  However, doing so limits purchase options because you can only see so much at one time.  Compare this with thousands of jewelry designers that are “out there” that you can’t find or reach!  So, this article is about how to shop for jewelry online to satisfy the jewelry bug in you to find the pieces that meet your requirements for a price you can afford and want to spend.

First of all, you will need to find jewelry pieces.  To do so you will need to employ the help of a search engine.  You probably have your favorite one, so browse to it and consider what terms you should search for.  Think about the types of jewelry you like.  Make a list and then search them.  For example, do you like silver; do you like gold?  What about stones – is there a particular type of stone you prefer?  Then think about weight and the words that would describe it such as “dainty” or “sturdy/robust.”

Enter your search terms and browse the contents that are delivered.  You will want to click to various listings to find either a direct page of an artist or possibly to a directory that lists many artists.  You might use the word, “custom” to improve your search since you may want to find custom pieces using say, “silver wire jewelry with amber nuggets + custom made.”

Finally, once you’ve gone through many listings, you may hit upon exactly what you’d like to have.  Once you have then search again with the terms used by that website or pieces displayed.  This will help you expand your search to offer more options with the jewelry you like.  Compare and contrast them for quality, artistic endeavor and price.

Finally, once you have found something you really like, find out what the return policy is.  Jewelry stores online do offer great pictures to see the item but holding it and trying it on may provide a different experience so it is important to find out if you can return it if you are not satisfied.  Also, ask if there are discounts or other benefits for shopping with them.

As an aside, you might want to go to craft and art shows throughout the year and gather cards for future reference when you are ready to buy online.  You may want to peruse magazines, newsletters or blogs of jewelry artists to find the jewelry designers that speak to your soul through their jewelry.

Search online for wire jewelry artists and buy from them direct.  Not only will you be most satisfied with the pieces you acquire but probably save money from the margins that retailers have to add to make a profit.  Enjoy shopping online!

This is a question I am often asked as a serial entrepreneur helping small/medium businesses start and grow their ventures.  The answer lies within this article so that you can start now creating one.

For years now a website has served as the destination online of businesses.  Now with millions (probably billions) of websites now in existence the level of play has also increased due to competing topics and the challenges associated with getting found.  Over the past several years, companies have flourished when they learned the art of developing techniques to “get websites found.”  The next new level now is “social media” marketing and Facebook falls into this category.

Social media tools such as Facebook allow the dissemination of information to move from typical broadcast models of one to many, to many to many, transforming content consumers to content producers.  This development then allows for building a base of those that share your information along with theirs.  For example, you may post information about a wire jewelry sale you are having into your Facebook account.  Anyone who follows you now has direct access to that information and so does everyone who is a friend or fan of them, dramatically increasing your reach.  When I say “access” I mean that each one in this connected web can read, interact with (comment on directly) or share the information you posted.

All of this is free.  I guess if you want the bottom line, Facebook is the essence of “word of mouth” advertising that all marketers consider highly valuable and any path to it should be leveraged.  Jewelry as a product is highly influenced by “social” relationships and therefore Facebook is a good way to show off your various wire jewelry pieces.

In addition to being able to extend your reach through direct postings, you can also reach new customers by carefully adding keywords into your Facebook description and about pages so that your page is delivered in search results (in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc.).  Facebook has paid close attention to provide SEO (search engine optimization) to their pages.

Finally, having a Facebook badge on your website is critical now since “everyone” has one and if you don’t, customers will think you are behind the times and will search for another website that is in sync.

Social media marketing is here to stay and will continue to grow – it’s time for you to bite the bullet and get it done now if you have a small/medium business.

The New Year is fast approaching and its common for each of us to examine our life and look for areas of change.  One common thrust toward new choices is the commitment to make a better life for oneself and for their family.  Sometimes it involves learning and other times its just deciding to do what it takes to achieve a goal.  This article is about how to get on track and stay there for all of 2010, driving toward the development and application of artistic talents.

First of all, you must define what your talents are and how they can be manifested by you in a way that is rewarding and includes having fun, and often being able to monetize it.  With the shape of the economy and the ongoing need to manage finances, one can’t often just start up a hobby and not intend to make money from it.  So, for this article, fun and financial reward will be at the core.

Do you love to work with your hands?  Do you have a knack for manifesting sounds or images into 3D pieces of art?  Do you like jewelry?  If you answer yes to these three questions then you should explore the art of wire jewelry making as an artistic way to express your abilities.

Finding wire jewelry making supplies is easy too.  You can start with patterns and designs that include the materials you’ll need to create the piece.  All you will need to learn is how to twist and connect wire; learn the range of materials, and then start designing pieces.

You will pull from nature, your daughter’s piano recital, or from a squirrel darting across the top of your fence, ideas that you can translate into a beautiful piece of wire jewelry.  Be sure to jot down what comes to you as you experience various forms of inspiration so that you can draw on it when you’re ready to order supplies to create with.  Then, when received you can sit down on a quiet afternoon and start creating.

After you’ve created a range of pieces, you’ll then want to start planning how to commercialize them – where to sell them and how to hang out your shingle.  Be sure to consult some experts if you need to, so that you don’t find yourself frustrated with lack of success.

Finally, enjoy the process and stick with it for all of 2010 so that you can look back and give yourself a pat on the back for a year well done in capturing the essence of your artist talent and funneling it toward a productive outcome!

Happy New Year!

Okay – so you’ve waited until the last minute to shop for gifts and now that its getting down to the wire, you feel less like going out there and braving the crowds in the store.  Well, here’s your lifesaver – go online and order some wire jewelry supply kits with patterns for your gal – she’ll love it that you see the artist in her!

The best place to shop online for wire jewelry supplies is http://www.wire-sculpture.com.  They have everything that any wire jewelry artist could possibly want – supplying materials and tools to the young and old, experienced or novice alike.  All you need to do is peruse for ideas and ask for suggested gift ideas if you can’t decide.

When you arrive at http://www.wire-sculpture.com you will notice that the website offers instructional DVDs for beginners and intermediate wire jewelry artists.  Also, there is a DVD set for creating rings.  Whether your gal is someone who will dive in from the get go or tip toe into the art form, you’ll find the right instructional video for her from the collections.

You might also want to add a few wire jewelry making tools to your purchase as well as a pattern or two to get her started.  Once she does she’ll be hooked because women just can’t have enough jewelry.  Also, women like variety and what better want to achieve that goal than to make their own?  Also, add some beads, cameos or cabochons to your selections.   The site also offers Swarovski crystal beads, gemstones, and storing/packaging supplies.

Keep in mind that wire is the basis of wire jewelry making.  So consider adding to your shopping list several different types – from yellow brass wire to craft/galvanized wire.  A spool of each will go a long way.  If in doubt call Wire Sculpture’s toll-free number:  1-877-636-0608

Finally – don’t forget that you can also just buy a gift certificate if you can’t decide what to get for that special woman friend in your life.  To buy a gift certificate simply navigate to: http://wire-sculpture.com/index.php?p=gift_certificate and fill out the form.  Be sure to select the amount of the gift certificate.  Then you can relax because your shopping will be all done!

Happy Happy Holidays!

Finding instructions of any kind on the Internet is getting pretty easy to do these days.  Printing those instructions so that you can have them in front of you when you’re carrying out the described tasks is another matter.  So, this article is to help you print instructions, both with a black and white printer or a color one.  As a wire jewelry maker you’ll need your instructions handy as you progress through your projects.

First of course, navigate to the page you want to print.  Decide if you want to have the final copy in color or in black and white.  Some people hate wasting their color ink on instructions that will be filed away in a notebook.  Yet others, need the pictures included in the instructions as a task guide and as a result, want the pictures in color.

So, after you’ve found the page, you have a couple options on printing the material if a “print page” isn’t available.  The easiest way is to simply go to the top of the browser, top left option called “File”, and click.  The drop-down menu offers a print and print preview option.  The best way to print this way is to click on “print preview” to make sure you’re going to like the outcome.  You can see if you should change the “lay-out” to be landscape (meaning wider than longer) compared to the default setting of portrait (meaning taller than wider).  If you do want to change the lay-out, you can do so by clicking on “page setup” at the top of the print preview page.

Other available options include the amount of information on a page since the default is to make whatever is on the page fit into the printed page.  You may decide you only want the information on the left and don’t care about the right column and opt to increase the size of the print.  This is available in the drop-down menu called “scale.”  Finally, when you are happy with the look you can click “print” at the top of the page.

After you click “print” then you have the option to change the properties of your print by clicking on the “properties” button next to the name of your printer.  Click on the color tab at the top to find the color or grayscale buttons.  Select the one you want.  Click “OK” and then click “OK” again on the print screen and your printer will start printing.

Another option for printing which I prefer is to copy and paste the material I find on a webpage to a word document so that I have more control over the look and feel.  I can also cut out material I don’t want on the page by just “selecting” the portions I want, copying, and then pasting.

To copy and paste you simply use your cursor to “highlight” the section you want to copy, holding the left button on your mouse down while dragging the cursor over the section; releasing the mouse button when you’ve “captured” the content you want to print.  Once highlighted, then put your cursor over the area and “right-click” your mouse.  You will see the options available; select “copy.”  Once you do that the content you selected will be saved to the “clipboard.”  Open Microsoft Word or any other word processing program and place your cursor on the page.  Right-click your mouse one more time and you’ll see the option to “paste.”  Select it and you’ll notice that the content from the webpage now resides in your Word document.  Name and save your document and then print it.

Cutting and pasting is easy but also may require some adjustment to the layout since “formatting” doesn’t often transfer from a webpage to a Word document.  Also, these instructions are for a PC only since a MAC does not have the “right-click” button.

If you have any trouble printing after using these instructions feel free to submit questions to us at http://www.wire-sculpture.com