A Guide to Making Necklaces

Making necklaces takes time, patience, a steady hand, and - above all - a good initial cash flow. If you're like me and are just starting out making your own charm bracelets and pendant necklaces, you know how expensive some of the raw materials can get.Well fear no more fellow craftsmen and women! In this simple guide there are several tips that can help you save time and money when starting that what-you-hope-will-be-lucrative jewelry making business.A little history: I started my jewelry making in the summer of this past year (2005) after I had a kidney transplant that knocked me out for a good 4 months. Since I didn't have much to do, I couldn't go to work often enough to make a steady paycheck, and I needed something to take my mind off of my nagging pain in my right side, I turned to something my friend had introduced me to recently: making necklaces and bracelets.Now admittedly I didn't know what I was getting myself into at first, and I later realized I could have easily cut my costs and kept more money in my savings account than I did, and now I'd like to pass that on to you:Getting Started - buying materialsWhen I first started out I immediately thought that a craft store would be my best bet for buying materials. Boy was I wrong...I ended up spending about $250 at the craft store when I could have cut my cost almost in half by buying okay. After I'd almost depleted my spendings on initial supplies, I went back and checked out okay for some specialized trinkets and such to make the necklaces with. What I found on okay was far better than many of the trinkets and pendants I found at the craft store, and for incredibly better prices as well. So to maximize your materials and minimize your spending, here are some tips:Buy Wholesalemany sellers on okay have charms, pendants, and even necklace chains up for sale in wholesale auctions for great prices. I got a lot of 5 pewter crosses for $0.99 plus shipping which would have cost me about $20 in a crafts store.Wholesale is an easy way for people to get rid of overstock or bundle items that they no longer need or have no use for, or that they just have too much of.Check User Feedbackthe easiest way to see if your seller is a good one is to check the user feedback. Even if they have 100% positive feedback, don't go on the numbers alone: check and see what kind of praise people have left, what other items these users have bought, and how many users responded to the listings.Read the neutral and negative feedback as well if there is any. In addition to the positive feedback these gements can give a good idea as to the character of the seller, and especially on the negative and neutral feedbacks the sellers will typically give their own responses, so certainly read that to get the other side of the storyIf you can, buy BULKthe more you can get in a lot, the better. More often than not you'll get a better price on something that's sold 25 to a lot instead of 5.Exception - Sometimes charm lots and necklace chain lots only gee in 5s, so getting more will be an artful choice of multiple lots by multiple sellers. You can still get great prices on these 5-item lots, as they're good quality for great prices most times.Buy raw materialspersonally I make jewelry for re-sale, and so I buy all the raw materials and make the items myself. If you're looking to make a quick turnaround, then buying the entire item may be better, but it's WAY pricier.Buying the raw materials and making the item yourself cuts down on cost, and allows you to set your own reasonable prices for the finished items.How to Set Prices:Set your prices based on the costs of the raw materials used and the time/effort put into making the necklace or bracelet. Shipping costs should NOT be a factor in this, as they are extra and are calculated differently based on weight and carrier.It's typically best when you don't price your time and effort too high, as you're more likely to actually sell your item that way.Example:You've just finished making a beautiful stainless steel charm bracelet with 10 charms, and a 7" bracelet. Each geponent was separate: the charms, the charm connectors, the bracelet material, and the clasp.Your materials cost $4.00. You spent about 4 hours making the bracelet, putting all the charms on there, making sure everything was secured, and then cleaning it up so that it shines brightly. Remember that you need to cover your costs and your time spent, and possibly make at least a mild profit off of your work. You can price it whatever you want, but a lower price will encourage people to buy. You need to cover your costs, so in this case I'd say price it at $4.00 plus 75%-100% of the cost, to cover your time and effort. The QUALITY of the materials should also factor in, and if you used all stainless steel it shouldn't be priced at more than $15.This way, you cover your cost, you make a profit, and you have enough $ to make another bracelet.Setting a price will differ based on each Crafter's materials, time spent, and quality of the item, so keep in mind everything that goes into your jewelry when you make it!Other Tips:Trade shows are a good place to get wholesale charms and beads if you're making beaded items. You can get LOTS of items in bulk, and end up spending FAR less than conventional craft storessmall plastic bags are great for transporting the jewelry, but need to be mailed in something equally protective. Bubble mailers work best, depending on the size of your item.always price things fairly and reasonably: you want to ATTRACT buyers, not scare them with outrageous pricesHopefully this gives starting jewelry makers an idea of how to start out, and what to do! Best wishes to everyone!