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| Dorae earrings. New! |
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| Sown earrings. First Frost 2009/2010. |
The Issue of Price
The biggest issue raised to me by far was the lack of a consistent body of work priced under $250.00 and another under $100.00. It was brought to my attention that a couple of years ago I was producing much more work within these two ranges; and the work that I was producing was much more varied (not just pearls). I have been somewhat aware of this issue myself, but not to the point that it has been bothersome, though now it is. I gradually moved away from creating this type of smaller, yet still lavish, work after I first introduced it in the First Frost Collection of 2009, because this is when I began to really see my work being the 'inspiration' for others. It was my natural instinct to move toward more sumptuous, complicated, more difficult-to-replicate pieces and higher-end designs. In addition to my compositions becoming more complicated, I also became more fascinated with use of rare and gem-grade materials only, thus the price also increased.
I am working on this and will re-vamp and re-introduce a line of $80 to $300.00 work that will be as undeniably fabulous as the rest of my work.
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| $25.00 freshwater & sterling La Grande Pearl earrings vs. $208.00 freshwater baroque & 18k gold/sterling Vermeer earrings |
The Perception vs. Truth of Value
Another issue brought up often in the comments block of the survey was the question about, not the questioning of, why my work often costs more than that of many of the designers on Etsy. First I must point out, as some of you may not know, that Etsy is not the only 'outlet' for my business. I am a professional artist and Etsy is just one of the venues that I sell my work through. Secondly, I would like to change the diction used, swapping out cost for worth and have a conversation about value. Jewelry is one of those rare commodities, like most arts, that truly is an investment. The precious metal market is a perfect example of this: When I began purchasing gold a few years back it was under $700.00 an ounce, today it is over $1,825.00 an ounce and rising.
Simply stated, without comparing what I use for material quality compared to what others use, the price of my work is dependent solely on the cost of the materials I put into it and the time I devote to creating them. Some designs are, yes, seemingly devastatingly simple yet I may use, for example, use a type of pearl that is incredibly rare (relatively speaking, of course) and I will employ solid karat gold. As I stated with the current price of gold, gold is becoming cost-prohibitive, and that is frightening. The addition of vintage and antique items - many solid gold or of rare or unique origin - adds to my cost (my investment).
Many of my designs will take weeks or even months to finish. I don't sit down and work on one piece from beginning to end and I am far from a machine, pumping out one piece after another day in and day out. I prefer to think of myself as an insane conductor of sorts, trying to orchestrate many concerts at the same. One concept may take only hours to complete while one composition may sit on my desk for six months, waiting for its turn.
My ridiculously high standard for materials often gets in my way as well; such as the fact that any imperfect stone in a strand (cracked, nicked, etc will be discarded), this greatly increases my cost of creation. I will say that the quality of the materials I use is bar none. And my penchant for the rare or unusual adds to both the artistry and value, but also the cost. I know that not everyone operates this way, but I do. And quality is one area in which I will not compromise. Each and every piece is an investment of my own money and time; every design is not only a creation, but a risk.
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| D-Grade dyed Chinese freshwater pearls vs. gem-grade untreated nucleated freshwater Baroque pearls. |
The Blog
You were all over about this one! Some wanted more of this, some less of that. But no one wanted none of anything that I wrote as a suggested topic, which is good. I'm going to have to do a little bit more specific number-crunching to figure out exactly what direction I'm going to take the blog in but one thing is for sure, almost everyone wanted to see more about jewelry inspiration. So, I'll have to work on that one.
The Website
It surprised me to see this in the comments section a couple times because I didn't address it in the survey. But sure enough, it popped up. Some of you expressed concerns about it being under construction. And I assure you, I will get to it. It is on my list, just not at the top. And it probably should be at the top... I just do all my web editing myself (along with making the jewelry, photographing, listing, e-mailing, Facebook, Blog, bookkeeping, taxes, phone calls, buying stock...) I know, excuses, right? You are right. I will do it. That's my goal. Fully-functioning website by the end of September - or at least make it so it doesn't lamely say 'under construction.'
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| Vintage signed Miriam Haskell screw-back earrings. |
Custom Orders & Miscellaneous
A lot of concerns were raised about the fact that I don't carry a specific item. Some of these things could be solved by custom orders. I'm not sure if my clients are aware that I am happy to accept custom orders, but I am! I think I need to work on getting that message out there. For example, I am more than happy to take on an order for bridal or bridesmaid jewelry - and have in the past.
A couple other people raised the issue of ear clips. I have come across some amazing vintage ear clips that I would love to work with (embellish), much as I've done in the past with brooches. However I have thought the market to be quite small for clips and screw-backs, so I haven't made the investment in these pieces. Also, I can make interpretations or variations of certain pieces that can't be changed to clips.
Lastly, for now, the issue of size and reference came up. I've been struggling for a bit to come up with a way to portray size without the use of (in my opinion) often cheesy mannequins or whatnot. I'm working on a way to take artistic, pleasing shots that also portray size and dimension. Photography is such a battle for me as I do it all myself - arranging, shooting and editing. This itself is an artform. I never wanted to be a photographer I must confess! If ever in doubt, please send me a note and I will do my best to take a not-so-flattering self portrait of me wearing the piece in question. I usually am able to answer you within a few hours at most.
Any other issues that I didn't directly address here will be, they haven't been forgotten. Also, if you didn't have a chance to put in your two cents (or four) I'd still love to hear from you. Please feel free to take this survey or contact me directly at jennifer {at} leeohiodesigns {dot} com - you can also visit my Etsy shop and contact me via the Etsy Convo application.
