Super HOT Jewelry Sale Starts Tonight!

As I sit here writing this post with bleary eyes - I have been SO busy today getting ready for this sale - I am really excited about all the new customers I will get to share my jewelry with as a result of this sale!

No, I'm not finished with preparations for this sale by a long shot. But at least I will know how to handle preparations for the very next sale I'm having after this one. (It's about 2 months away, maybe...I haven't decided yet...) I do know that I will have to begin preparations as soon as I'm finished with this sale - this sale ends Friday at midnight (should it be my midnight - I'm EST - or everyone else's interpretation of midnight? I don't know yet...).

I have 57 pieces of jewelry already on my website, and I have maybe 40 more pieces ready to be loaded before midnight. I will probably meet my original goal of having 100 pieces ready for the sale, but I wish I had done more.

I will probably say this every time I do a sale or point someone in the direction of my website. I'll wonder if I should have had more necklaces available or bracelets, or something like that. I'll wonder if I should get back into designing and making pins and brooches again. I'll wonder if maybe I should go back to making hair accessories again. I will probably always wish I had done more.

Right now, I'm taking Excedrine Migraine so that I can keep working. I'm in a time crunch, so taking a nap isn't really an option. There are pictures to edit and upload to the site and descriptions and prices to determine. Then, some time around 10:30 or 11:00pm I'll have to go and adjust every single item on the site that is above $5.00 so that they all read $5.00 (or the equivalent of $5.00 per piece in a set).

"$5.00??? Are you crazy?" you might ask. "Your jewelry is worth more than $5.00."

Yeah, I know. You think I'm crazy now...just wait until the "Jub-Jub" sale...

My Bad Turned Good

I’m looking at the end of a very unsuccessful marketing strategy and will seriously have to remember the way I originally started my business so that I can create a marketing strategy that works. As much as I would like to expose people to my true creative vision, it looks like I’m going to have to build my clients up to being ready for it.

I did start my original jewelry business with earrings at super-low prices. Mind you, these are not prices I would heavily consider today – 16 years later – but I've decided that I can go with low-priced earrings again. I will have to change the materials I work with to something much less expensive and, fortunately, I do know how to do that.

My goal is to use an “earring explosion” to get my name out there and to expose lots of people to jewelry that is tempting and creative. I will still continue to do the work that is near and dear to my heart and I will still continue to price them the way I have been pricing them. I want new clients to realize that I offer “something for everyone” with quality and creativity no matter the price.

Additionally, I would like to entice a broad range of people to become clients by continuing toward my goal of creating some very sexy, very expensive pieces.

It is very important to me that I not become known as the “discount merchant”. I would much rather be known as someone who makes creative jewelry, or even, artistic jewelry.

Another part of my new marketing strategy involves becoming more visible. I have added some new pictures to my blog (see left) and I will be working with my daughter to get some pictures of myself on my blog and on my MySpace page. I will pay more attention to MySpace and to my blogs and to my Etsy pages so that I can attract the clients that I want to attract.

The Rantings of an Unamused Jewelry Designer

"My mom makes jewelry."

That's what a guy said to me when I showed him the newest project I'd been working on. Never mind that she doesn't offer what I do. Never mind that the statement he made had nothing to do with what I was showing him at the time. I can honestly say that I don't have the desire to get to know everyone who does jewelry. Just because two people make jewelry does not mean that they are going to automatically click.

If I sound a little irritated, it's because the general perception is that everyone who makes jewelry should be lumped in together - that jewelry making is just a cute li'l ol' hobby and that jewelry is a commodity, meaning that it's practically worthless because you can get it any where and dirt-cheap.

That perception makes it necessary to educate your customers, if they'll stand still long enough to ingest the information you need to share with them. We live in an instant gratification society among people with very short attention spans.

Additionally, since there are abundances of jewelry classes - even online, bead shops, and bead magazines, everyone seems to have gotten on the bandwagon of making jewelry and selling it. There are large numbers of people who are content to copy simple designs, perhaps using different beads from the ones used in the picture, and then sell them as their own work, even labeling themselves jewelry artists during this process. I have seen so much unimaginative work that I am starting to feel bad for the true artists out there who put their heart and soul into their jewelry designs.

For me, designing has been a passion since I was a child whether it was designing new clothes for my Barbie, creating jewelry designs in metal shop class or designing clothing for myself when I was a teenager. And, if you care to look, you can see the passion in the work I do. You can see that my aim is to create against the trends. However, the trend in society is to be, look like, act like everyone else, and that's not what I stand for. And I definitely do not want to be lumped in with everyone else.

Let's face it. Not all jewelry is just alike. Some pieces are obviously original designs. Some pieces are works of art. Some pieces are high quality. Unfortunately, there's a lot of junk out there, and it's up to the artisans to inform the public.

A Business is Like...

Business is like a marriage, they say. You have to commit yourself to it if it has any chance of working out. Yes, there will be doubts and there will times when you will wonder, “What the heck was I thinking?” There will be times when you will want to dump the whole thing for anything that is easier than what you are going through at the moment.

Then, there will be times when it will seem like all the hard work was worth it. Times when the product turns out just how you visualized it; times when your customer will compliment you at just the right time; times when a customer comes in out of the blue and wants to buy up a quarter of your inventory. (No, this hasn’t happened to me yet, but there’s no reason it couldn’t happen…) When more money comes in than expected for that particular month or when several customers come to see you because they heard about what you do and they’re curious – that’s what makes the business worthwhile.

I’ve been committing myself to the business for the last couple of months, digging deeper, and learning what I can do to get myself more entrenched in the business of doing business. My personality dictates that I can do this though I need to find out which parts of my personality are best suited for which jobs. Once I am headed in the right direction, which I’m pretty sure I am, then I can know what to ask for and whom to ask when I need help.

I’m pretty independent and oftentimes a loner, but I’m also pretty good with making people feel like I’m interested in them. It’s not a ruse, I assure you. I am very interested in people, but I wasn’t always good at showing that. I’m also honest and dependable and very, very serious about quality – these are qualities I do not compromise on. These are the qualities I must use in my business to make it grow.

I am very thankful to the customers I have and am expending an effort I did not expend the first time around in this business to make sure they know that. I am watching what other people do in their businesses to show their appreciation to their customers – not on Christmas, when certain things are expected, and not just during Customer Appreciation week.

I am getting to understand that I am not necessarily losing money just because I give some things away for free to my customers. I am learning that giving some things away free builds my reputation as someone people would enjoy doing business with. And that’s good! That’s just what I want.

Just so you know, I’ve decided to become more committed to my writing as well. Therefore, you’ll begin seeing more than 2 posts here per month, effective immediately. I really can’t say just how many articles you’ll see here, but I expect to figure that out as I get acclimated to writing more often.

Miles and Miles of Gratitude

“These words are my own from my heart flow – I love you, I love you, I love you,” by Natasha Bedingfield.

I just positively LOVE this song because it makes me think about all the people I want to say Thank you to. So, here goes:

Thank you, first of all, to my son, DJ JSR (www.myspace.com/djjsr19), and my daughter, Chanel, who listened to all my crazy ideas and still love me anyway! (XXOoxoXOxxooO, guys!) Thank you to my mother who chose to be an entrepreneur even though her mother thought it wasn’t a good idea – if it weren’t for you, I might not be on the path I am on, thinking anything is possible (Love you, Mom!)

Thank you to all my friends at SKF USA Inc – all the ones who wished me well and all those who doubted – I couldn’t look at all sides of the coins without you! Thank you to my friends at the old Chicago Rawhide – you’ve all supported me in ways that made me better and stronger than I could have ever been without you! If I named all of you and all I’m thankful for, I’d never finish this blog, because you’ve done so much for me!

Thank you to all the wives of the guys of the Automotive OE Business Unit, Plymouth. You made me feel welcome and it was wonderful to get to talk to GIRLS for a while (know what I mean?).

Thank you to Jeannette Maw who coached me through some of the craziest situations of my life – I gotta say, sometimes listening to other people’s stories makes life just that much more interesting, right? I’m glad to have found a friend who’s just as “not normal” as me! You rock!!!

Thank you to my sisters Ishah and Jamesa who remind me of all the things I could be doing with my business. You two are fascinating! Love you anyway!!! (Tee, hee, hee!) Thank you to my brothers Jantzen, Jamar, and Franz, and to Aunt Sylvia who show great enthusiasm about whatever it is I’ll be doing next. Michael, I know you’d be happy for me, too, if we talked more. I’ll work on that! I love and miss you all!!!

Thank you to April and Claudette (www.creativeapples.etsy.com and www.mexicachica.etsy.com) for showing me that Etsy.com is a wonderful place for an artist AND a buyer! I wish you the best in all you do!

Thank you to my dads, Mike and James, who encourage me to be the best I can be. Love, hugs, and kisses!

Thank you so much to my customers, both past and present, who have supported me no matter what I was selling at the time! You keep hope alive and you are precious to me always!

I know I’ll want to thank everyone again every once in awhile, so stay in touch… :)

Just So We're Clear Here...

YES! Yes, I do want to do my jewelry business. We already know that I enjoy creating new jewelry. I just had to figure out why I wanted to make a business of it...

Here's the why: I want to find out how far I can go with it. There are just SO many possibilities... I need to kow how far I can go with it.

I've been away from the jewelry biz for about 6 years, so now this is outside my comfort zone. I feel nervous, scared, and excited - all at the same time! So I've GOT to do this!

Check this out: My dad invited me to a jewelry party at his house this past week, hoping to gift me with some inspiration. (I did get to see that the party did well - all with no games, which made me glad since I don't really like the games.) Anyway, his girlfriend wanted to see my jewelry, so I showed her and her friend what I brought. They totally LOVED the jewelry and were figuring out which of their friends would want to buy certain pieces. AND my dad offered to hold a jewelry showing for me at their house! How wonderful!

Check this out, too: My daughter signed me up as a speaker in her Entrepreneurship class, and I was assigned to go before the class this past Thursday. I got to talk about my history as an entrepreneur: Avon, Paris Perfumes, clothing alterations, seamstress, fashion designer, and whatever else I did as a business over the years - some of which I'm sure I've left out!

The students were attentive and asked a lot of great questions. They even showed an interest in the jewelry I passed around the classroom.

I took this opportunity to talk about my strengths and weaknesses, my successes and failures, and to give business advice. Basically, I had the opportunity to INSPIRE people - my main purpose in life, I've noticed.

It was FANTASTIC!!!

Jewelry Business Doubts

So, I said that I wanted to write about my successes and failures.

I seem to be having some doubts about this jewelry business.

I know that I infect people with my enthusiasm for beads and jewelry and stones and stuff, but is this what I’m supposed to be doing right now?

Should I be putting together a bead store with colorful beads in unusual shapes and sizes and teaching people to make jewelry the simplest way possible while infusing their personalities into each piece that they make?

Both sound like great ideas, but I don’t think I’m interested in sitting on the sidelines…

Maybe it’s that I shouldn’t take my jewelry online. (I did already, so could you let me know what you think after taking a look at www.marquina.etsy.com?)

Of course, it could be the pictures I took of the jewelry. I haven’t thought much about photography, but maybe it’s time I went to the library and picked up a book. (I stopped trying to use my scanner for pictures, by the way. I am now the proud owner of a Kodak EasyShare C533! It’s so cute!)

Maybe I just don’t like selling. I do it because I have to right now. But, if I could get someone else to do it who loves it…wait a minute…what a wonderful thought!

What if I just designed and created and got someone else to do the selling and the paperwork? What if I got to be just “the talent”?

You see, I can do paperwork OR I can sell OR I can design and create. I get a little depressed trying to handle all three at the same time. That’s not to say I only want to design and create always. I really like being involved in all aspects of my business. Just not all at once.

I think I may have to build a schedule around this concept in order to get things moving. When I come up with something that works, I’ll let you know…

Why "The JewelryWriter"?

Wow! Getting the renewed version of my jewelry business launched isn’t as easy as it was the 1st time around when I knew less than I do now and had less money! Surprising, isn’t it?

Now, there are too many options, too much information, and too much unsolicited advice given by people who swear they have your best interests at heart. It’s too much, I tell you!

A few weeks ago, I watched “Inside the Actor’s Guild” on Bravo when James Lipton was interviewing Eddie Murphy. An aspiring actor asked Eddie what kind of advice he would give someone like him.

Eddie said, “None.” Then he told a story of when he had asked Rodney Dangerfield for advice when he was just getting started. Rodney told him to quit cursing.

Eddie didn’t change his act, his career took flight, and some years later, Rodney’s response to the whole thing was, “Who knew?”

Eddie basically said that sometimes advice given can dampen your spirit, which can mess up your game, so you should follow your gut.

That’s what I’m trying to do. But, oh, all the voices, options, and decisions…Wow!

My gut said, “Do the blog. And call it “The JewelryWriter” because you love to make jewelry and writing was always your first love anyway.”

I can remember writing songs and poetry when I was about 6 years old. When I was about 9, I tried to write a novel complete with illustrations – stick people with luxurious hair! When I was in the 11th grade, I wrote a paper that Ms. Kasberger, my 11th grade English Lit teacher, said was “a hair shy” of getting into a literary magazine.

Here I am now, 20 years later, combining the two interests.

I created The JewelryWriter so that I can share my successes, failures, struggles, and triumphs in the handcrafted jewelry industry. I intend to inspire as many people as I can as long as I am here.

If I inspire someone to step out and start his or her own business – Great! If I tickle a funny bone and make someone smile – Wonderful! If I stir someone’s creative juices and some mind-blowing idea comes from it – Absolutely fantastic!

Right now, I’ve got to go figure out how my scanner works. It’s taking ugly pictures of my jewelry, so I can’t post any of them or put them on Ebay so that you can see what I’ve been up to. I can’t have that.

Otherwise, I’ll have to go back to canvassing businesses and making deals for the businesses to get a cut of the jewelry they sell. It works, but it’s not fun, and I really, really want to have fun!

If anyone knows about the Visioneer OneTouch 7300 USB scanner, please leave a comment. Even if the comment is: The Visioneer sucks! Get this instead… :)

Hello. Nice to Meet You!

So, I’m busy trying to get my original jewelry business idea to work at a higher level than before. Not that the first idea wasn’t successful. It’s just that it wasn’t something that I could sustain my family on.

I’m Marquina Rawlings and I am an artistic jewelry designer.

I choose wire and bead combinations that I want to use to construct jewelry pieces. My goal is always to come up with some designs that are out of the ordinary, something that everybody isn’t necessarily wearing already.

Sometimes that means that I create designs that people fall in love with immediately, which is always fabulous. And sometimes that means that I create designs that don’t come into the trends for a couple of years. I suppose that it could be a bit discouraging when a few of the pieces take longer to sell than I expected, but who cares? I’m always excited by the next idea that pops into my head, so the frustration doesn’t last for very long.

Anyway, the idea is to create jewelry that speaks to people. This would be jewelry that a person feels expresses their personality. I’m all for individuality and the jewelry speaks for itself.

Sometimes I’ll create a piece that’s a bit outrageous and, instead of doubting that it will sell, I’ll watch to see who it attracts. I just love to see who purchases that piece of jewelry. It’s exciting for me.

People ask me, “Have you taken any classes?” “How did you get started making jewelry?”

The answers: 1) No, and, 2) Remember how back in the 1st grade we had to make macaroni necklaces? Yeah, that’s pretty much how I got started.

I had no idea at the time that it was going to become a passion for me, although when I chose to make jewelry for a metalshop project in art class in the 10th grade, that probably should have been a clue for me.

It wasn’t, though. I was told to come up with something to make so that I could get graded on it, and that’s what happened. I loved art and I loved getting good grades.

I was in the business of making hair accessories when I stumbled onto jewelry-making again. I took a look at a necklace I saw in a store and thought, hey, I can do that.

I used to be a seamstress and a bit of a clothing designer before I started making jewelry. Honestly, I loved to design clothing but I didn’t have the patience to watch the design come to life. So, I switched to making jewelry. It takes a LOT less time!

I think people expect some sort of super-extravagant story when they ask me about my history. You know, like I was trained alongside Judith Jack (LOVE her marcasite jewelry!) or was discovered by Sharon Stone or Halle Berry or something like that.

I wasn’t, you know. So it’s a bit amusing to hear the deflated “Oh…” when I tell the macaroni story. Because they’re looking at my jewelry and trying to think about macaroni at the same time, which is pretty funny from my point of view!

Honestly, jewelry is just something I really enjoy doing. And asking me how I do what I do is kind of like asking the person who is totally fabulous at cooking how they got that good. You’ll get a blank look from them because there isn’t really an answer to that. They just are. That’s the answer.