Etsy BNR

OK, you remember my rant last week about Etsy BNRs and my struggle over whether or not to design and make some lower priced items?  Well a couple of my items are being featured in the next round of that BNR.

My multi blue bracelet is being featured for just $64.00

And, my copper heart charm necklace for $40.00

For Etsy sellers, if you buy either piece, one of your items will replace mine.  The rules are listed on the BNR.  For others, you can just buy the pieces.

Of course, there are lovely items handmade by other artisans also being featured in the BNR.  There are some lovely pieces for sale.

We'll see how this round goes but it is probably my last BNR.

Heartsy Feature

I need 13 more "yes definitely" votes today to have a chance at a feature sale on Heartsy.  Please visit and help me out.  It will only take a second.  If I'm featured, you'll have a chance to purchase my jewelry for at least a 50% discount.

http://heartsy.me/deals/1426/like

Balancing Quality and Cost

This is my dilema...I want to be known for making beautiful, heirloom quality jewelry.   I want people to be excited by buying or receiving a Jill's Jewelry piece.  I want them (the jewelry, that is) to be one of a kind classic pieces that can be worn with pride year after year and passed down from mother to daughter. I know that sounds a bit arrogant but I don't intend it that way.  It probably isn't reality yet but it is my goal.  That means in addition to the exacting workmanship involved, I have to start with the highest quality materials, sterling or argentium silver, gold fill or 14 or 24 kt. gold and beautiful, well cut stones.  Of course, that drives up the prices of my pieces.

I do want to be able to sell the jewelry I make.  So, here is the dilema...high quality materials may drive the cost of my jewelry beyond the reach of many people.  I don't like that at all.  Not only does it cause my sales to be limited to those who can afford expensive jewelry,  most of the promotional activities on the websites I use to sell my jewelry are designed to be effective for lower priced products and can't be effectively used with my price point.  In addition, it just leaves way too many people out there who are not wearing Jill's Jewelry creations.

I've considered making a line of less expensive jewelry.  I would still use the same exacting standards of workmanship but would use less expensive materials like silver and gold plate and vermeil instead of what I'm currently using.  However, if I do that, should I create another brand or should I sell under Jill's Jewelry?  I've been struggling with this for some time now.  Every time I look at the current price of silver and gold, I rethink this issue.  Frankly, I've been hesitant to do this because it means that I'll have to purchase an entire new inventory of components, wire and other things.  Then, I'll have to figure out a storage system that keeps the components separate from my other materials.  I have enough trouble keeping my "stuff" organized now.  You would not believe the mess that is my work bench.  Perhaps I'll post a picture one day.  Hmmm, we'll see.

So, now I'm reaching out to you to tell me what you think, should I continue to use only high quality materials?  Should I continue to use high quality materials and also develop another lower cost line?  Finally, should I sell my lower cost items under the Jill's Jewelry brand or should I develop another brand for those pieces?

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think about all this.

JCUIN Guild Item of the Month

My 7 strand garnet necklace was voted best item of the month for March in the JCUIN jewelry makers guild Item of the Month Vote.

And, of course, I also have the perfect earrings to go with it:

It is very nice to know that others see the beauty in my work.  Besides, I did get a lot of new visitors to my store, all of whom came from the JCUIN voting site.  I suspect even losing the vote would be a great way to promote your store.

Treasuries and Collections

Treasuries are an Etsy creation.  Basically it is a grouping of Etsy items put together by random members of Etsy.  They come with a certain protocol.  It is in bad taste to put your own items in a treasury that you create.  Even so, treasuries are a very popular way to promote Etsy items.  There are entire teams devoted to creating treasuries made of their members items.  Here is a link to a treasury I put together last night.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d97f69f55608eefb5501f85/why-green-is-my-favorite-color

Collections are exactly the same except they are on Artfire instead of Etsy.  My multi-blue bracelet is being featured in a collection this morning.

Here is a link to that Artfire collection:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=collections&op=details&cid=17386

And the links to my Etsy and Artfire shops were you'll find my multi blue bracelet:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44230778/multi-blue-quartz-bracelet

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=3014656

One of the main ways that people shop on Etsy is by browsing through the treasuries.  Therefore, if your item appears in a lot of treasuries, your exposure is increased.  The goal of everything sellers do on these sites has to be increasing your exposure.  The greater number of buyers who see your items leads to higher probabilities that your item will sell.

I don't really know if treasuries and collections increase your sales but I do know that it warms my heart to know that other artisans think enough of my work to feature me in their collections.

What Does My Brand Mean?

Today I had my first experience with an Etsy BNR.  I'm not so sure it was a good experience.  You may be asking yourself right now... what is an Etsy BNR anyway.  Well, I'll tell you.  It is a type of Treasury (collection of items from many different shops displayed together) where each of the items displayed can be replaced by an item from your shop.  In order to do that, you have to buy in.  In other words, you have to purchase something from one of the shops listed in the BNR.  The curator then picks an item from your store to add to the collection and you stay in the BNR until someone buys your item.

I had never tried a BNR before and, for some unknown reason, I decided I would buy my way into one today.  I actually bought my way into 2 spots on the BNR.  These 2 items were available on the BNR all afternoon:

In addition, I offered a 20% discount to anyone buying something from my shop.  No one offered to buy either of them.  The BNR was a very busy one and items were flying off the BNR.  But not my items.  Everyone participating was commenting on how beautiful my items were.  However,  they were also saying that my stuff is too expensive to really work in a BNR.  I have looked at many BNRs and the average price point for most of them is about $12.00.   Some items sell for a dollar or two and the most expensive ones are listed for $40 or so.  I received a lot of friendly advice (one wonderful thing about Etsy is that the sellers are always willing to help by providing free advice) from several participants that I should create some low cost items for use with BNRs.  That got me to thinking...

What does my brand mean?  The 2 pieces above are some of my lower cost items.  The earrings sell for $20.00 and the necklace for $40.00.  I wonder what my brand means to shoppers.  Is it worth the few dollars I would make selling cheap items on BNRs to weaken my brand?  I use only the best materials in my designs.  I spend my little free time painstakingly creating these pieces.  Therefore, my designs are not cheap.  I don't think I want shoppers to be able to wear a Jill's Jewelry design for so few dollars.  I think I prefer that when my customers put on their Jill's Jewelry creations, they can know that only the best, most beautiful components make it into my designs.  Maybe a Jill's Jewelry creation is a bit more expensive than some other's designs.  I suspect it may also be a bit cheaper than some other designs on Etsy.  Regardless, I price my items so that you get what you pay for, and I get a fair price for the one of a kind pieces I create.

I guess I'll simply have to find another way to promote my beautiful creations.

Artfire Collections

Two of my items were featured in Artfire collections this week.  Here are the links so you can check them out.

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=collections&op=details&cid=17073

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=collections&op=details&cid=17007

In addition to my items, you'll find many other lovely items from other artists who have a shop on Artfire.