I’m 90% certain this beautiful brooch and matching earrings are Hollycraft.

Why oh why oh why did jewelry makers not sign every dang piece they made????? Of course, that would take the fun out of research, but criminy.

So here we have a rich-looking goldtone brooch and earrings set with milk glass rhinestones and accented with black enamel.

Flowers with black enameled lacy (sort of filigree) petals and milk glass rhinestone centers. The three leaves on the brooch have life-like detail and light texturing. It all comes together in a very appealing look.

Okay, so why do I say Hollycraft?

A few years ago, a friend had this same set except hers was signed. My research has shown that Hollycraft didn’t always sign their pieces. In fact, there’s probably quite a bit of Hollycraft floating around unsigned and unattributed.

So this demi will be listed in my JewelryObsessed shop, probably around the end of the week.

I’ll be listing this trembler brooch, with its bright, colorful, cheery rhinestone and enameled flowers and butterfly, at the same time:

It has an interesting combination of plain and textured backs on the components.

Why wait til the end of the week? There are some Valentine pieces to be photo’d and listed first. I may post some of them here tomorrow.

I’ve really gotta step up the pace, or I’ll still be purging three years from now…

Good Morning! Time to get to work!
First off, I’ve decided wholesaling tends to make me feel like a machine. That’s uncomfortable. The creative muse hates it, to the point where she’s on vacation.

Step #1: Drop the wholesale business. Done!
Step #2: Revisit pricing.

Dropping wholesale led to thoughts on pricing. For now, I’m concentrating on JewelryObsessed, as that inventory is currently at full retail. DanceTheMoon has “old stock” that’s already below wholesale. (Though that will probably change, too.)

Do I need that cushion between wholesale and retail prices now? If not, how can I give my retail customers the best deal, without going broke and getting the lights shut off?

A bit of number crunching revealed that yes, indeed, lower retail prices will work. Not only that, but I can throw shipping in on the deal! Whoa!
Not only that, but my prices were a bit high for jewelry on Etsy. This will put them right around average.

Right here is where I want to give you a head’s up on a great spreadsheet for pricing handcrafted work. If you haven’t tried Chris Parry’s Excel sheet, you’re missing out. It’s a real eye-opener. There’s actually two sheets: One is good for jewelry and other things that have more precise expenses, the other you’ll want to tweak to fit your art/craft. They’re both amazing – and free.

Sooo… this weekend, you’ll find me at JewelryObsessed:
Step #3: Set up new shipping profile.
Step #4: Change prices.
Step #5: Revise policies.
Step #6: Revise shop announcement.
Step #7: Freshen up existing listings, new photos; freshen profile.
Step #8: List more jewelry! Now that I know where I’m going with this shop, I can get busy with it :-)
Of course, 7 & 8 aren’t weekend projects, and will be ongoing.

In the meantime, do try out those spreadsheets and let me know what you think. I just might share some tips and tweaks in the future… ;-)

Off to refill the coffee mug… Talk to ya later :-)

Good Morning World :-)

Started playing catch-up yesterday. Got a couple things listed in one of my Etsy shops, Jewelry Obsessed. One handcrafted choker necklace, and one vintage brooch. I love the brooch, hate to part with it, but have never worn it and probably never will. So what’s the point, eh?

It’s signed “Cameo Sterling”, which has been an unsolved mystery for me for years. I do know it’s from the 1940s, and that’s about it. Pat from Illusion Jewels shared that info with me years ago. She didn’t have any other info at the time. Checked their site yesterday to see if by some chance it had been added, but no. Anyone know anything about Cameo jewelry, would appreciate it if you’d satisfy my curiosity, lol.

It’s gorgeous! Absolutely love the metalwork, sort of a spider webby type of filigree. The green chalcedony cab really sets it off smartly.

Today will work at getting the minis and widgets on here, so I can show off my stuff, hah!

No, this blog isn’t going to be a bunch of marketing and promoting. *yawn* I can only handle so much of that – o.O – and I’m sure you feel the same. There’s lots of other stuff to ramble on about. Will share cool stuff I find on Etsy and eCRATER from time to time, though.

Talk to ya later :-)