Is recession really affecting the sales of jewelry?

I've just been musing...back in December I ran a 10% off offer on all my jewelry on my blog and Dawanda shop. I had really hardly any sales, whereby I truly wanted to help people save some money by buying it cheaper.

Interestingly enough, sales started to pick up soon after the prices went up to normal. And what's more interesting, the mid-higher end pieces are going better than the cheaper ones. For example, I've just sold today this Queen's necklace, one of my chainmail pieces, which seems to go nowadays much easier than the Euro 15-18 earrings. I know people like my jewelry, they are buying them, I mean look at the feedback that I'm getting, so it's definitely not that.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to offer cheaper - yet still quality - jewelry so more people can afford it, but it seems that things are turned upside-down. I guess it shows that no woman can say 'no' to a beautiful piece of jewelry, or something to pamper oneself with, and recession has no saying in that at all! Speaking of which, I just got hubby to buy me Dior's J'adore *gulp*. Don't I have a sweet hubby? And boy that perfume smells like heaven...

Bit of personal boasting

I guess artistry runs in the family. While I am good at creating handmade silver jewelry, my brother's passion is playing classical guitar.
I got this very short video of him playing classical guitar in a known Berlin cafehaus. I really love the relaxed atmosphere of that place. Nothing like the coffeeshops here in Cyprus.

So may I present, my brother :)

Oscar Bling

The 81st Annual Academy Awards were last night, and what a show it was. If you saw it, you noticed the jewelry on the Red Carpet. It was hard to miss. This year seemed to be all about making a statement with jewelry. So who made our jaws drop with their stunning or gawdy awful jewelry while strolling the the Red Carpet?

Let's start with someone who can do no wrong, Angeline Jolie. All I can saw is wow! First of all, she's classy and sophisticated in her black strapless Elie Saab gown, but she tops it off with emerald Lorraine Schwartz earrings and a matching cocktail ring. Your eyes went straight towards them, as they should have. Any emerald of this size, cut and design should steal the show.

Let's move on to Heidi Klum. Now, you would assume that she could do no wrong being the host of Fashion Runway. However, don't forget that a model of this caliber is also willing to take risks. Well, I'm afraid she lost this one. Her red Roland Mouret dress was a disaster and seemed to be pulling and stretching in all the wrong places. It just seemed like the fabric was wrapped, folded and pinned wherever it landed. On top of this, her excessive jewelry just added to the chaos. She should have put the earrings on and left without all those bracelets. In her defense, she was wearing and promoting a Diet Coke charm bracelet that she designed to benefit a charity.

OK, let's talk about something positive! Taraji Henson made her Red Carpet debut in a fantastic Roberto Cavalli strapless gown and some jaw dropping Fred Leighton jewels around her neck. Plus, did anyone notice her red clutch?What a fabulous nod to the event and to her overall statement. She either found an excellent stylist or she has impeccable taste.

On a controversial note, Amy Adams looked....good. I myself was torn. I though her dress was beautiful, and her necklace was amazing. But when I saw it all together, I just don't know. Perhaps she could have taken a tip from Angelina Jolie, make a statement with the dress -OR- the jewelry. I think if the dress were just red without the black lines, the necklace, or a version of the necklace might have worked. On a side note, I hated her choice of shoes - black, clunky, and it didn't tie in at all with her necklace choice. They remind me of Prom.

Whether fabulous or disastrous, those are my Red Carpet picks of the night as far as jewelry goes. Until next year.
You can view all your fashions favorites online at E! Fashion.

My jewelry at Dawanda

Well after some discussions with friends and some deep thinking, I've decided to keep my jewelry at Dawanda. Any new jewelry I make, I will post directly on my blog, however while existing stock lasts, I leave them at Dawanda. Once I sold out, I will close shop. This will give me the time to open the shop under my own domain, which will feature only jewelry created in 2009.

Now that I came to the decision, I feel relieved :) Sometimes it's not which decision you take, but you take a decision is the important part.

On another note, I've been asked what type of jewelry was my best seller in 2008. On the quick, I'd say herringbone jewelry and border wrapped cabs. But I will check my stats from the database and post back here the results, with some pictures of what has sold.
It's funny because I thought that chainmail jewelry would be the best seller, and border wrapping is a thing of the past. I guess the truth proved me wrong :)

Ready Stock: Sparkling Crystals on Heart Earrings

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Sparkling Crystals on Heart Earrings
~Made in Korea~
Retail Price: RM45.50
Our Price: RM38.00 ($11.19 USD)*
Code: B5940038
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Contact us for International Shipping Rates.

SOLD OUT: Colorful Numbers Bracelet

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^SOLD OUT^
Colorful Numbers Bracelet
~Made in Korea~
Retail Price: RM31.20

Our Price: RM26.00 ($7.65 USD)*
Code: B5790026
^left ONE piece only^^SOLD OUT^
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Contact us for International Shipping Rates.

Ready Stock: 'Heart-to-Heart' Adjustable Necklace

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'Heart-to-Heart'_Adjustable_Necklace
~Made in Korea~
Retail Price: RM37.70
Our Price: RM32.00 ($9.42 USD)*
Code: B5670032
Details: Rhodium coated. Flexible and adjustable chain.
Size: Chain length=66cm, Pendant size=2.2cm & 1.5cm
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Contact us for International Shipping Rates.

Jewelry Clasps

Jewelry clasps are often looked over when shopping for jewelry. But, there are many different types of clasps, from fancy decorative clasps to a simple ribbon or stringing material that ties into a bow. Some are part of the design while others are simply the fixture that keeps the piece of jewelry on your body. So, let's talk a little more about different clasps, as well as what to watch out for.

The claw
The most common type of clasp is the claw, which is a little hook with a spring that opens and closes to secure your necklace or bracelet. These are great, secure clasps, but watch out for the tiny ones, these can be hard to open and close if they are too tiny. These are also difficult to use on bracelets, you seem to keep chasing the bracelet around and around your arm.

Hook clasp
A simple hook clasp, usually handmade, are a nice and easy to use, especially with bracelets. All you have to is hook the loop without holding a clasp open. Once you hook it, you are golden - no pun intended. Make sure the hooks aren't too wide at the opening, or your jewelry might fall off. You can easily tighten your hook clasp by pinching in together once it's hooked together.

Toggle Clasp
A toggle clasp is a ring on one end and a swivel or bar on the other side. The bar is inserted into the ring sideways, then it's secured when the bar turns so the width is larger than the ring. Does that make sense, it's a bit tough to describe. They are also easy to use, and can be decorative enough to be in the front or the back of a necklace. Some necklaces are even designed around the toggle clasp, if they are elaborate enough.

Magnetic clasps
These are great for lightweight jewelry and non strung jewelry. Why? Well, while they are very convenient and easy to use, they don't latch properly, or at all. So if you are wearing a beaded bracelet and it gets caught on your seat belt, or your sweater, or something else, then disaster can strike. Best case scenario, your bracelet falls off and you see it and put it back on. Worst case scenario, the bracelet falls to the ground and beads go everywhere! I'm not trying to say that magnetic clasps are a mistake, I'm simply saying you should carefully decide which jewelry you wear with a magnetic clasp.

I haven't even begun to cover the different types and designs for clasps...this article would be too long and I don't want to bore you. Let's face it, this isn't the most exciting topic in this blog. But, it is something to think about when buying jewelry or making jewelry. Make sure your clasp is secure and easy to use. Just because it's beautiful, doesn't mean it's practical. Try on your jewelry yourself. Many jewelry shops will put it on for you, but you wont get a sense of how easy it is to put on and take off yourself. But don't over analyze, if you love that unique handcrafted bracelet with your favorite gemstones or pearls, you can always have your husband or friends help you put it on. It's not the end of the world, we do have to make some sacrifices for beautiful jewelry.

Dawanda is finally introducing listing and sold items fees

I've just received today a pre-invoice from Dawanda. This is two fold:
1. We are to pay for all sold items starting from June 08 a 5% fee
3. Dawanda is introducing new listing fees (it was free until now), which is depending on the price of the item.

This is the new scheme for the listing fees (separately of the 5% commision on each sold item).

Items up to value 10.00 EUR cost 0.10 EUR per item listed
Items of value 10.01 EUR - 20.00 EUR cost 0.20 EUR per item listed
Items of value 20.01 EUR and above cost 0.30 EUR per item listed
Listings are now running on a limited time of 120 days, starting on the day of listing.

Now I don't mind paying, we all knew it was coming, however I find that being less known than Etsy, and having much less traffic and sales, Dawanda is introducing a very steep pricing structure.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Etsy has 3.5% commision and a flat fee of $0.2 for each listed item.

Dawanda, has a 5% commision, and depending on the item listed, it can cost you up to 0.3 Euros (which is approximately $0.4 - double than the Etsy listing).

Also I think most of us were under the impression that the fees will be introduced from 'now on', not going back to mid last year. A couple of us have been just hit with a major fee that we have to pay by Feb. 23, which we didn't count on.

I guess what I've always preached but never really put into place, I will have to actually do: start my own shop under my own name and domain, so I can control exactly what I'm paying and when.

If you have a shop at Dawanda right now, what do you think of these new listing fees? You might just convice me to keep my items there for a bit longer if you have the best argument...or to open my own shop :-)

A quick detour to another hobby of mine

This post is really not for everybody, but if you are at all interested in what is called Internet Marketing, I've set up a an online diary for my journey in the world of online marketing. It's a quite interesting world out there, and I'm learning lots as we speak. And many of the things I'm learning there I can apply to promoting my jewelry as well. If you're curious, head over to my Internet Marketing Blog and let me know what you think. Beware, it has nothing to do with jewelry, so if jewelry is your only passion, you might get bored there. But if you're interested in the new possibilities of earning money out there (think of stay at home moms, or people who lost their jobs or folks want to start out on their own instead of being stuck at their 9-5 jobs), it's something you can pick up very easily anytime.