Gemology Pursuit

Today's challenge is to see how much I can get written with my toddler competing for my attention. It's been difficult to write lately with daily demands of appointments, school, working and full time with my kids, still making time for my husband... but I really want to give an update.

With my latest store sales I've been able to pay for some of my classes to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) "The world's foremost authority in gemology." Recently I received my AJP which stands for Accredited Jewelry Professional. Currently I'm studying Diamonds and Diamond grading with the intent of completing the program to gemologist.

I've been studying gems since I was about 16 years old and as I'm sure I've mentioned before, have built my own gem lab more recently. I've always had a love for fine jewelry especially. While in high school I would save portions of my lunch money to buy jewelry at the local pawn shop. From there I would trade items up as I had money and ended up with a nice collection of gemstone jewelry, much of it in karat gold.

My grandma had a love for jewelry and perhaps influenced my early appreciation for fine pieces. She has since passed on but I'm sure she'd be proud of me pursuing my interests.

Well, it only took me 45 minutes to write this.

Thank you for your support in helping me do something I've always wanted to do.

Considering a Store Close

I have a passion for jewelry making and design but the reality is, the time it takes to produce my pieces and the cost of my supplies versus the price that moves them through my store leaves me at a financial disadvantage. There are so many jewelry artists out there and in order to compete with others' prices I feel I'm having to sell myself short.

In order to get items noticed among the hundreds of thousands on Etsy I must advertise and/or consistently relist pieces to move them toward the top of the "most recent". Doing this also puts the piece in a brief front page viewing as "recently listed items". This costs money and can add up quickly. So while Etsy's commission is very reasonable, an item, for example that cost me $5 to make that I'm selling for $10 on clearance, I may have to pay several dollars in relisting fees to get it noticed before it actually sells; thus being out time and possibly money. This is not to mention Paypal's fees.

In my jewelry I use sterling and fine silver. If you've followed precious metal prices lately, you'll know they've gone up exponentially. In fact sterling wire prices alone have nearly doubled since I started my Etsy shop just less than 2 years ago. Fine silver in clay form has always been pricey but so far my vendor has kept the prices the same. As a result I've been making more items out of fine silver lately. While the supply cost is not much different, my prices are higher because it takes me 2 days to make these pieces. I've considered doing a tutorial--and perhaps at some point I will. Experiencing the labor that goes into PMC and Art Clay pieces in forming and finishing them, I've come to appreciate other artists' creations in a renewed way.

So, what's happening now in my jewelry shop is I've clearanced out many pieces. I have no official plan should I phase out completely. I'm considering pulling some pieces I've gotten compliments on from family and friends and may save them as gifts and keep some samples of work for my own collection; things I've put a lot of heart into. I will not likely reduce the prices anymore than I have but have a coupon code being offered on my store's front page for additional savings. I also may auction some off on Ebay.

Another shop I'm considering closing is my gem shop. I've got hundreds upon hundreds of loose gems. Listing these take a bit more time because each one is measured weighted and sometimes run through expensive tests before being photographed for entry into the shop. It's a bit much for a $5 gem. I've got a coupon code floating in that shop too.

As for my art shop, I don't have plans to close it down anytime soon. I need some sort of outlet after all. I do, however need to move things along so, that store as well has a coupon code.

I'm not going to close out anything in a haste. I thought posting this might give people a head's up as to what may be coming. If there is something you're interested, please consider purchasing it while it's still there. If there are multiple items you're interested and want to make an offer for a discount, I'm totally open to that.

Thanks to those of you who have taken time to read my blog and especially those who've supported my shops. I can't thank you enough.

Last Blog Update for 2010

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and Hanukkah time. Thanks to all my wonderful customers I was able to, not only give my family a decent Christmas, but pay for my first class of school. I've begun my courses at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to become a gemologist. I've studied gems for more than 15 years and as you may know, I sell them on Etsy as well. I have a complete gem lab and a vast array of rare and exotic gems used for my study so this is right up my alley.

Between caring for my 3 children and my dear husband, and managing all their appointments, I'm finding time to study, paint, make jewelry pieces and manage my shops. I'm not Super Woman so something is going to have to give--and it can't be my kids or husband so it'll be time on my projects. I'll be a bit slower paced on getting pieces made and listed.

I've reduced prices (some drastically) in my art and jewelry shops on most items to clearance out older pieces. New jewelry should be released by next week and I hope to create and list more new paintings sometime this week as I have ideas stewing in my head.

Thank you all for a wonderful 2010. I understand we're in an economic recession and there are many things you can choose to spend your money on. I'm humbled and honored that you'd chose to invest in one of my art pieces whether it's a painting or pendant.

May God bless you and keep you safe. Happy 2011 to you and yours,

Melissa

THANKSGIVING SALE!!! Preview

This is the biggest sale of the year for me and for the first time, I will have great sales in ALL THREE stores! Etsy (the site my stores are on) has made it so we can issue out coupon codes. The reason this is so great is you don't have to wait for me to refund savings any longer. You get your savings immediately at checkout.

So, onto the sale specials. These specials will begin on Thursday. This means the coupon codes you see here will not work until then. These codes will all expire Cyber Monday.

Embound (jewelry store)

Use coupon code "thanks201" for 20% off your entire order. This includes chains that never go on sale (nor should they with today's silver prices) as well as the already discounted items in my clearance bargains catagory.

EmBoundArt (my paintings shop)

Use coupon code "thanks102" for 10% off your entire order. PLUS, buy 3 of my necklaces in this store, get 1 free. Just enter your selection at checkout and please allow up to a week for shipment. THERE'S MORE! With any $30 purchase (after savings, not before) get a free "thank you" gift! This is a sample pack of my work. It includes a blank card, 2 stickers, a glass magnet, and a metallic ACEO signed print. Your pack will vary slightly. One per customer while supplies last.

EmBoundGem (my store for loose gemstones)

Use coupon code "thanks103" for 10% off your entire order in my shop. This is really special because I've never done a sale in this shop. I price my gems competitively anyway and often find I've priced them lower than I can replace them for. Nonetheless, they are overstock of my personal collection and are great for creating your own jewelry or just adding to your own collection.


So, there it is. Please know I really appreciate all your support :). Happy Thanksgiving!!

Custom Nursery Paintings

I have two pregnant friends who have babies due at nearly the same time. Both these women are absolutely precious to me so I wanted to do something for their nurseries. Doing so meant I've had to step away from my girly-girl butterflies and ladybugs and try something new. I actually had a great time making these and coming out with new characters. I've made some ACEOs that match both of these themes.

In other news I have several of my necklaces now listed in my Art Shop on Etsy. You can click on "Jewelry" to see each piece. I have many more designs to come eventually but if you see an image in my digital collage you like, you are welcome to email me with a custom request.

Terraterra and EmBound

I just had to show off these adorable Scrabble tile pendants made by Maybe Kinda Crafty, Etsy user name "terraterra". These pendants were produced using my art images and are fantastic ideas for stocking stuffers. Terraterra sells these necklaces at $7 each plus shipping, however, if you buy 3, you can choose a free one.

Here is a link to view necklaces made from my images: http://www.etsy.com/shop/terraterra/search?search_query=emboundart&search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5430443&shopname=terraterra

Thank you Terraterra for featuring my art in your jewelry!

In other news, My EmBoundArt shop is going to be debuting it's new necklaces too. They aren't scrabble tile pendants but a little bigger. I have 1 inch circle and square necklaces. I've been working on these for quite some time. I've considered using this pendant style to do custom art pieces as well as customer's submitted photos. My "goal" is to have these necklaces listed sometime this week. But with 3 kids, and a busy schedule I'm not going to hold myself to that.

This week has been productive. Last night I managed to FINALLY get a bunch of new gems listed. I have morganites, sapphires, tanzanites, alexandrites, zircon, and more. I've got many more items to list but the camera battery died so I'm off the hook for now. I also got quite a few custom paintings done (likely to be reveled in the next blog).

I'm excited to see what new items other Etsy sellers are putting out as the holiday season draws near. If you're a seller, feel free to post your shop and what's new in the comments. I'm looking for cute inexpensive gifts for my nieces and other family members if you would like to share some ideas with me.

What's New? Here's the Latest...

I have several projects I've been working on the past couple of weeks in addition to my day to day busyness.

Currently in the midst of making pendants out of portions of my artwork. Feeling crafty yourself? You can purchase downloads of the same images I will soon be creating into magnets and necklaces. The pendants will make great inexpensive stocking-stuffers come the holiday time!


I just got done uploading several new paintings. I'm really enjoying flower themes and ladybugs.

In the next couple weeks I'd really like to begin restocking my gem shop. I have some morganites, sapphires (mellees) and much more I'd like to add.

Lastly, I've made some major discounts in my jewelry shop. I'm really hoping to clearance out some of my pieces before adding any more. I have some custom jobs I'm needing to get started on and hope to do so also within the next couple weeks.

While I'm a stay-at-home-mom and not employed outside my home, I stay extremely busy during my day. I have three wonderful kids, but between therapy, school functions, church and day to day chores, finding time to stay on top of shop updates is not easy.

Thank you all for your support! It means more than you know.