Saturday, May 31, 2008
Julia Bristow Jewelry: Ga'Hooletree Designs#links
My friend Julia Bristow took the time to mention the Sun and Waves Bracelet today! Julia Bristow Jewelry: Ga'Hooletree Designs#links Thanks so much again Julia for your support. Hugs, -Anna Lee H. in Toronto
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Looking for Etsians for New Street Team
Okay, I took the plunge and decided to start and head up a new street team on etsy. It's no secret that I've turned into an Etsy geek and I'm looking for like minded souls interested in friendship, connection, inspiration, guidance and cross promotion, folks willing to discuss and implement all the basic principles of social networking in order to drive traffic to their storefronts and sales sites!
So far we have 30 members who have expressed interest in working together. On Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/) a 'Street Team' is just another name for a collaborative group working towards a common goal. I decided to form a group based on the Etsy storefront platform because Etsy is free to join and listing fees are currently only 20 cents per item. Through my etsy stores I've managed to sell almost 200 items since September 2007. If I can do it, anyone can.
I found it easy to work with the Etsy module for uploading my product pics and item descriptions. If you're a crafty person or designer with say 20 or more items ready to sell, you can quickly set up a professional looking storefront at http://www.etsy.com/. Email your interest if you're an Etsian not already involved in other street teams or comment on this Etsy thread.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
GaHooleTree :: Elegance Opera Necklace - Citrine, Ametrine, Pearl and Silver
Fabulous statement piece - 200 carats of genuine gemstone!!! This item is still available or contact us to get your custom designer gemstone jewelry project under way.
Family Necklace - Customized Mother's Day Gift Idea
Looking for that special Mother's Day gift item? Well nothing could be more personal than my take on the "Family" necklace. For each creation, I choose a birthstone to represent mom, dad and each of the children.
Shown here was Kathy's christmas present designed by her husband John. The large faceted blue sapphire and peridot represent mom and dad while the gem quality smaller blue sapphire briolette and red garnet marquis cut represent their son and daughter.
Of course, you choose the metal and finishing touches. This item featured loads of 24k vermeil (gold plated sterling silver) spacers and ornate goodies, but there are tons of more simplistic ways to complete the look.
Send me a quick email to get your family necklace project started. You may have missed out on Mother's Day for 2008, but this type of thoughtful gift is welcomed by moms at any time of year. Take my word for it!
Shown here was Kathy's christmas present designed by her husband John. The large faceted blue sapphire and peridot represent mom and dad while the gem quality smaller blue sapphire briolette and red garnet marquis cut represent their son and daughter.
Of course, you choose the metal and finishing touches. This item featured loads of 24k vermeil (gold plated sterling silver) spacers and ornate goodies, but there are tons of more simplistic ways to complete the look.
Send me a quick email to get your family necklace project started. You may have missed out on Mother's Day for 2008, but this type of thoughtful gift is welcomed by moms at any time of year. Take my word for it!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
I Carry a Torch For You Blue Topaz Handmade Chandelier Earrings
Well this is a totally new experience for me... I'm blogging directly from my Flickr account! This system might actually make things a ton easier for me. I'm finding the uploading of pics and posting the blog journals for my different blogs to be a bit time consuming. But using this feature, things will be easier. There's a way you can "grant access" to your blogger accounts from within Flickr. So when viewing this particular item for instance, you just click the icon labelled "Blog This". Easy peasy!!!
These scrumptuous faceted baby blue topaz flames hang gracefully by 14k gold fill chain below 24k vermeil (gold plated sterling silver) posts with genuine pearl accent. Ear nuts are 24k gold vermeil too. I imported these wonderful post earring components directly from Indonesia. These components were in the shipment I blogged about a few days ago! These blue topaz "flame" stones are a rare find. I have no more left so grab this creation while available.
This item is now available for sale in my Etsy store front or you can purchase this item directly from me. Shipping is free within continental Canada/USA too!
These scrumptuous faceted baby blue topaz flames hang gracefully by 14k gold fill chain below 24k vermeil (gold plated sterling silver) posts with genuine pearl accent. Ear nuts are 24k gold vermeil too. I imported these wonderful post earring components directly from Indonesia. These components were in the shipment I blogged about a few days ago! These blue topaz "flame" stones are a rare find. I have no more left so grab this creation while available.
This item is now available for sale in my Etsy store front or you can purchase this item directly from me. Shipping is free within continental Canada/USA too!
Buy Groups for Sourcing Jewelry Design Materials
This post will be of interest to fellow jewelry designers, beaders, crafters etc. or those interesting in becoming same. In an earlier post I began this topic and I'm pleased to announce that I took the plunge and placed my first 'group buy' order the other day. In this case the buy group involved is a rather close knit collective of artisan jewelry designers and membership must be approved by the group owner or moderators. But once you're approved and are issued a membership ID, you gain access to the group's purchasing power meaning when current 'buys' go live, you can save 50% or in some cases acquire materials below wholesale.
My first group purchase was for jewelry wire and included a few troy ounces of argentium wire, a few troy ounces of sterling silver wire, some bronze wire, and brass wire. The pricing is the best I've seen recently and well below that offered at the main stream outlets. The only downside inherent in the group buy process is the fulfillment horizon. I won't receive my order for likely 7-10 weeks. This is because the buy remains open for one more week, then the buy hostess needs time to collate and submit the order, the wire supplier needs two weeks to process this large volume transaction, items will then be shipped to the buy hostess who finally sets about sorting and shipping to each individual participant.
The group purchase form of acquisition may not be for every one. In fact, in my own jewelry design business I can't always participate in this type of purchase scheme as sometimes I'm in immediate need of materials. When I'm urgently in need of items it is necessary to deal with my existing suppliers, most of whom offer easy online ordering, same day shipping and expedited courier
delivery.
Today for example I placed another individual order with an Indonesian supplier of handmade Bali sterling silver and 24k vermeil components. These exquisitely handcrafted Bali beads and findings are the ornate touches I like to incorporate in many of my styles like the Summer Breezes Bracelet shown above. And I've not found any domestic Canadian or USA sources that can even come close to the factory direct pricing. Believe it or not, on a $400 shipment I pay only $22 in S&H with no duties or other taxes.
If you are interested in participating in group purchasing for jewelry materials drop me a line and I'll send some info by email. Until next time...
My first group purchase was for jewelry wire and included a few troy ounces of argentium wire, a few troy ounces of sterling silver wire, some bronze wire, and brass wire. The pricing is the best I've seen recently and well below that offered at the main stream outlets. The only downside inherent in the group buy process is the fulfillment horizon. I won't receive my order for likely 7-10 weeks. This is because the buy remains open for one more week, then the buy hostess needs time to collate and submit the order, the wire supplier needs two weeks to process this large volume transaction, items will then be shipped to the buy hostess who finally sets about sorting and shipping to each individual participant.
The group purchase form of acquisition may not be for every one. In fact, in my own jewelry design business I can't always participate in this type of purchase scheme as sometimes I'm in immediate need of materials. When I'm urgently in need of items it is necessary to deal with my existing suppliers, most of whom offer easy online ordering, same day shipping and expedited courier
delivery.Today for example I placed another individual order with an Indonesian supplier of handmade Bali sterling silver and 24k vermeil components. These exquisitely handcrafted Bali beads and findings are the ornate touches I like to incorporate in many of my styles like the Summer Breezes Bracelet shown above. And I've not found any domestic Canadian or USA sources that can even come close to the factory direct pricing. Believe it or not, on a $400 shipment I pay only $22 in S&H with no duties or other taxes.
If you are interested in participating in group purchasing for jewelry materials drop me a line and I'll send some info by email. Until next time...
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