Jewelry Projects

[MaraUT]

I'd like to post some pictures from the last set of jewelry I put in my Etsy store. These didn't move, though I had interest and people liked them. There is no plastic used anywhere in these: all beads are glass, semi-precious stones, or other natural materials. The vast majority of findings are silver- or gold-tone. The only non-natural product is the stringing material, which I needed to use for security.

Would you please critique these items for me? I'd love to know what you like and what you think looks like poo - the photography is up for critique, as well.

Green Cellini Spiral
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/5ce9efce-5852-4051-8c97-f3897e3d20ee/cellini01_small.jpg


Blues Dutch Spiral
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/7fdf8156-f88a-4c0b-a08b-cee3c4101266/dutchBlue01_small.jpg


Russian Spiral
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/92692fb3-0ab7-45fb-88b9-07a5ded7894a/russSpiral1_small.jpg


Turquoise Spiral
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/ceaa5b28-19a0-4b5c-bc47-f164e556e65e/turq02_small.jpg


Purple Friendship
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/50c0bb0c-64d3-43c2-bb44-c7b5cd6d0570/purpleBraid01_small.jpg

[Mummyhill]

Those are beautiful Mara! They must of taken ages to thread just right.

[Sarah76]

Hi I think they look fab only thing would say and I hate being a critic is the shells or stones you have used to show them are not clear at first what they are the brown one I first thought was part of the jewellery , I'd maybe use a box or lighter colour stone? Beige or sand for dark
Coloured ones
Hth

[Aspasia]

Green Cellini Spiral
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/5ce9efce-5852-4051-8c97-f3897e3d20ee/cellini01_small.jpg

It's hard to get an idea of the scale with this one, love, but it looks more chunky than I normally would wear, meaning I'd only buy it as a piece to wear for "going out" in, rather than everyday wear, as I wouldn't be able to type wearing it for example. I like the tones but maybe the opacity of the browny bead doesn't quite go with the others which are more sparkly and light?




Blues Dutch Spiral
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/7fdf8156-f88a-4c0b-a08b-cee3c4101266/dutchBlue01_small.jpg

I *love* this one - the colours are beautiful, it looks more delicate than the first one, and the beaded clasp seems really unusual - plus it means you could wear this with other jewellery that was silver OR gold making it more versatile.



Russian Spiral
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/92692fb3-0ab7-45fb-88b9-07a5ded7894a/russSpiral1_small.jpg
The bracelet is pretty - the colours aren't my personal taste (plus I don't wear gold) but I think this would in style be more something I'd be comfy wearing on a daily basis as it looks still quite slender/light but the spiral is quite tight so I'd be less worried about it catching on things. I like the use of a coin for scale, but the picture is a bit dark - the fabric it's resting on isn't bright white like some of the other pics.


Turquoise Spiral
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/ceaa5b28-19a0-4b5c-bc47-f164e556e65e/turq02_small.jpg
Another of my faves (yeah it's partly the colour!) - I like the natural stone and the contrast of the turquoise with the dark beads is really pretty and gives it a nice modern edge.


Purple Friendship
http://content.screencast.com/users/maryvivit/folders/General Use/media/50c0bb0c-64d3-43c2-bb44-c7b5cd6d0570/purpleBraid01_small.jpg
I like the colours on this as well but I think the style probably would suit a younger audience, maybe the teenage girl type, because of the style partly but also the name you've selected for it? As an adult I wouldn't be likely to click on a link marked "friendship bracelets" I think, unless I was shopping for my niece. It's good to show some variety in styles though so it's good you've included it.



Overall, I think they all show a huge amount of skill and I like all of them, but obviously some more than others. I think it would be good to get something for scale in all the photos, and maybe even to have some showing them "in situ" on a wrist if possible?

Are the clasps the first or last thing you add? If they are the last, you could offer people the choice of gold or silver on any bracelet which would be a big plus for lots of people who only wear one or the other.

[MaraUT]

Hi I think they look fab only thing would say and I hate being a critic is the shells or stones you have used to show them are not clear at first what they are the brown one I first thought was part of the jewellery , I'd maybe use a box or lighter colour stone? Beige or sand for dark
Coloured ones
Hth

A very good point, Sarah. I wanted to drape them over something natural. Do you think if I just drape on the high/low fabric areas it'll be ok? And thanks for the response!

[MaraUT]

Those are beautiful Mara! They must of taken ages to thread just right.

Thank you, Mummy! It's like knitting or crochet - you get used to the different stitches, and the work isn't too bad. Tension is an issue sometimes. I have a couple with bead crochet I haven't photographed yet. I'm not crazy about the clasp on the first one (it was my first hand-wired clasp) but the other one is better.

[MaraUT]

OOooo - thanks, Aspasia. Let's see:

Green spiral - Yes, the first one is a little chunky - actually most of them have some weight to them. The matte finish beads might be a turn off, but I was going for a little of everything: the emerald green-colored ones have a metallic core. So quite a mix.
Blue spiral - It's actually about the same size as the green one, but it has a lighter look. I was thinking about seashores and beach glass on that one. I like the custom clasps, though I'm still getting the hang of lengths.
Brown Russian spiral - You're spot on about the lighting. I'm having a horrible time with it. Part of the problem is my digital camera, which actually has fewer pixel/inch than my newer phone (smile).
Turquoise - Definitely my favorite. It *is* rather chunky too. I may try another version with smaller turquoise chips and #11 beaks instead of #8.
Friendship bracelet - I was definitely going for the younger crowd. It's something a little more sparkly than the traditional friendship bracelets here, and because I do them on a bead loom, I can keep the costs down.


I do need to get a wrist in there. Guess I'm self-conscious about my own one. I can get a jewelry "hand", but I'd rather have a live model. I need to figure out the lighting in a major way. Etsy has great tutorials and workshops for photography. I wanted to show the whole piece ... a lot of sellers do "artsy" shots that don't quite include the whole work. I *could* add the clasps later, but I'm not sure about doing a photo with incomplete work. Something to think about, though. I've tried to pick something that "goes" with the colors - again to my tastes, though.

Thanks, again - that's great information to work from!

[Aspasia]

Surely one of the boys has a nice girl friend (or even girlfriend) who has suitable wrists and would be prepared to lend them for an hour or so?


EDIT: that's not to say your wrists wouldn't be lovely, in fact I think seeing them displayed on a mature hand would be a plus point for a lot of women who are sick of seeing things always on model-type people, but if you're feeling unsure about it then it's not worth stressing about, plus I imagine it's hard to photograph your own wrists :P

[MaraUT]

Dang it, Aspasia - you're spot on, as usual.

[Mummyhill]

Would it be possible to take a pic of them on a wrist and then embed a small pic of the whole thing in the bottom right corner of that picture or would that be overly complicated?

[Squishymama]

Ooo, they are lovely! I really really like the purple one at the bottom.

[Suzi]

I think they are gorgeous, but again I think it's the photography which is letting you down. What are you writing as your description? Are you selling them enough?

[shine]

i love them Mara. Probably my favourites are the Russian spiral and the blue dutch spiral but i love the friendship bracelet because i think the colours are so pretty. It must have taken you ages to make them. You have so much talent.

[MaraUT]

Would it be possible to take a pic of them on a wrist and then embed a small pic of the whole thing in the bottom right corner of that picture or would that be overly complicated?

Wouldn't be too terrible complicated, Mummy. If I use my own wrist, I'll have to trust the picture efforts to another person ... or invest in a solid, tabletop tripod. Perfectly do-able, though.

[Angie]

I like them Mara specially the 2nd 3rd and 4th, have you thought about making a lightbox its mainly a box with three sides cut out and tracing paper stuck there, then two small lamps on two of the sides and the bracelet inside to take the pic, wil try and find the instructions for you later hun

[MaraUT]

I think they are gorgeous, but again I think it's the photography which is letting you down. What are you writing as your description? Are you selling them enough?
I haven't made a sale on these. After some reflection, I think these are the issues:

Dodge photography
Not frequent enough changes on the pages to bring people back
MY impatience ... it takes a lot of time to get a name and product seen a lot
Not enough side "advertising": blog, other pages, etc.


The text seems pretty good, and most folks have commented on it highly. So I think I'm good there.

[MaraUT]

i love them Mara. Probably my favourites are the Russian spiral and the blue dutch spiral but i love the friendship bracelet because i think the colours are so pretty. It must have taken you ages to make them. You have so much talent.
Thank you, shine! I love the Russian spiral one: the technique is a little tricky, but it looks very elegant. The main reason I did that friendship bracelet is because I wanted to do purple! I didn't have a lot of purple beads in my stash, so this worked out well. I did it using a beading loom.

[MaraUT]

I like them Mara specially the 2nd 3rd and 4th, have you thought about making a lightbox its mainly a box with three sides cut out and tracing paper stuck there, then two small lamps on two of the sides and the bracelet inside to take the pic, wil try and find the instructions for you later hun
Oooo - I'd thought of doing something like that, but hadn't gotten around to it. Thanks for looking for the instructions!

[Angie]

Your welcome hun

[Angie]

Here you go hun thought would be ideal if you could watch one being made

http://youtu.be/--wO67tpj8I

[SuperInferior]

Wow those are beautiful, I particularly like the Turquoise Spiral. (My favourite colours!)

I think the photography could be improved with some better lighting. I'm not sure if a lamp overhead may help, or angled slightly so as to not give a glare. I suppose using flash would give a glare against the decorative stones.
But I think others have already commented on that.

[Aspasia]

Would it be possible to take a pic of them on a wrist and then embed a small pic of the whole thing in the bottom right corner of that picture or would that be overly complicated?

^ I approve this suggestion, that would look awesome :)


I haven't made a sale on these. After some reflection, I think these are the issues:
Not enough side "advertising": blog, other pages, etc.

My friend Lisa sells via etsy too, spiral bracelets etc, but she won't ship to the US and I imagine you won't ship to the UK, maybe you could consider a reciprocal arrangement with someone who sells similar products over here, and cross link to each other?
I think a crafty blog would be great, although I know it's a time investment and time is the thing you have least of usually. You should spend a little time using Pinterest to advertise too, I'll repin anything of yours you stick up there!


Thank you, shine! I love the Russian spiral one: the technique is a little tricky, but it looks very elegant. The main reason I did that friendship bracelet is because I wanted to do purple! I didn't have a lot of purple beads in my stash, so this worked out well. I did it using a beading loom.

There should be more purple beads in your stash! Purple rocks ;)

[MaraUT]

Thanks, Aspasia. I seem to remember something in the Pinterest agreement about self-promotions, but I think they really mean HUGE self-promotion. And yes, Purple does Rock. ;)

[jason22]

Would it be possible to take a pic of them on a wrist and then embed a small pic of the whole thing in the bottom right corner of that picture or would that be overly complicated?

yeah..i also want to see this