Rebranding of Silverlight Jewellery - sneak peek #2

The new tagline for Silverlight Jewellery will be 'soft gothic'. 

In the first sneak peek, I described the aesthetic I'm aiming for in Silverlight Jewellery's new look. In this post, I want to give you a more visual idea of that aesthetic. 

So here is a collection of gorgeousness from Etsy that gives some idea of the intention behind Silverlight Jewellery's new look. I have deliberately stayed away from images of jewellery, because I want you to see the 'feeling' of the aesthetic rather than any particular design ideas. (Those will come in sneak peek #3!)

Gothic Calla Boutonniere by AprilHilerDesigns

Chat Noir - a fine art photography print by Raceytay

Fiery Autumn fine art nature photography print by Raceytay

12pcs Small bleached and eggshell color dyed peacock FEATHER eyes by pegasus22

Recycled Wine Bottle - Elegant Yellow Gothic Arches (Set of 6) by GreenRoseDesigns

19th Century Graveyard Angels print by Gothicrow

Cemetery Roses, Artisan Perfume Oil Sample Ampule by SteamBathFactory

Interlude (4x4 inch reproduction print on wood or canvas) by stilettoheights

Gothic Amsterdam Building - Fine Art Photography by EyeShutterToThink

Mask-Handmade Masquerade/Costume/Halloween/Mardi Gras Mask -Vechi Singe Feminin- by effigymasks

Corvid Otherworldly Gothic Angel Graveyard Pro Photo by Gothicrow

Iron scroll cyanotype fine art photo by onepointsixphoto

Entrance to Saint Patrick's Cathedral - Fine Art Photography by EyeShutterToThink

Twilight - 8x10 Fine Art Photo Print by A2SeaPhotography

Sneak peek #3 will show you some of the actual jewellery designs. Stay tuned!

Earrings: a confession, a story, and a thought

I have a confession to make.
I don't wear earrings.
I make them and sell them, but I don't wear them.
I know, you're shocked and horrified. Please try to forgive me.
And let me explain ...

For a long time, I refused to make earrings, for two reasons. Firstly, I felt that since I don't wear earrings, I wouldn't know the difference between a good, comfortable pair and a clumsy, uncomfortable pair. Secondly, I felt that earrings were too small. Yes, too small. If you were a painter, and you could choose between a big canvas and a little one, which would you choose? I'd choose the big one. You can do more on a big canvas; you can say more and express more, because you have more space. So I felt that, artistically speaking, I could say more with a necklace or a bracelet than I could with a little pair of earrings.

But I kept getting requests for custom earrings. People would ask for earrings to match the necklace that they had bought, or because their disposable income was small and they could afford $20.00 for a pair of earrings but not $40.00 for a necklace. Every pair that I made was well received, so evidently I wasn't bad at making them, even though I didn't wear them.
Then I got to a point where I needed some lower price points in my shop. There's a recession on: people admired my jewellery but couldn't always afford it; plus, when you're new to purchasing online, paying a stranger $15-20 over the Internet feels a lot safer than paying $50-100.

So I decided to make a few pairs of earrings and see what happened. And lo and behold - it was fun! I had easily as much fun making earrings as I did making necklaces or bracelets. The joy of making something small but perfectly formed was just as much of a thrill as making something larger and more complex. And they were so quick to make! For instant gratification, you can't go far past earrings. I was surprised. (And slightly mortified that it had taken me so long to figure this out.)
Moreover, speed of production equals efficiency: in one hour, I can churn out four to ten pairs of earrings, compared with one to four necklaces or bracelets in the same amount of time. More product naturally means more items to list online, which means more chances of getting seen online, which equals more sales. FAB. Pair this (pun intended) with the fact that people are more likely to buy earrings and you have a win/win situation.

And now I sell more earrings than everything else put together.

Copper Leaves earrings: one of my best sellers.

Most of you jewellery artists will be shaking your heads, raising your eyebrows and thinking, 'How long did it take you to figure that out, silly? I've been making earrings forever!'
If you are, just remember this: everything is obvious AFTER you've figured it out.

Remember, if you will, all those online shops you see and think, 'There are so many things that are wrong with this shop, it's not even funny'. The photographs are poor and unprofessional, the shop feels thoughtless and thrown together, the spelling and grammar are terrible, the descriptions are barely there, the banner is blurry, the tagging is minimal, branding - what branding? ... The list goes on and on. The reasons why the owners of those shops are not making any sales are obvious to us - but not to them.
I have many, many stories - more than I care to relate or even to think about - of times when the obvious in my life remained bafflingly obscure.

So here is today's little lesson:

Every now and then, look at what is already under your nose. 

It may answer all your questions.

 White Buds earrings: newly listed on Felt.

Rebranding of Silverlight Jewellery - sneak peek #1

Next month, Silverlight Jewellery will be undergoing a revamp. New look, new style.
Previous Silverlight Jewellery pieces have been all OOAK - one of a kind; no design repeated. They have also had a rather scattered aesthetic, including vintage and vintage-inspired pieces, steampunk-inspired pieces, bohemian, classical, and whatever else my fevered brain would spout.

The new look is one that I am very excited about. Here's a sneak peek at the new branding.

The sticker design above was created by my graphic artist, DrRiptide. He has designed all of the web banners for the new brand, plus the new business cards, free shipping cards, and stickers for packaging. He's a perfectionist, like me, so he didn't mind me endlessly saying 'Can we change this?' or 'I can't decide ... let's come back to it later'. 

As you can see, the tagline for the new brand is 'soft gothic'. 'Gothic' means, among other things, 'of or pertaining to a literary style characterised by gloom, the grotesque, and the supernatural'. I've also heard it defined as 'characterised by a preoccupation with death'.

I'm going for a softer, less gloomy but still introspective and thoughtful feel. Gothicism without the harshness, grotesqueness, or the preoccupation with death. Don't think spikes or vampires; think black and silver, wings and keys, leather and crystal, black velvet and black satin. The night sky, frosts, creaking old iron gates, black cats, stars, the poetry of Keats and Tennyson, snow, and the moon. With occasional touches of scarlet, crimson, gold, saffron, indigo, and purple, for extra drama. A somewhat bohemian aesthetic, influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and the New Romantics, the neo-goths and the romantigoths. (Yes, 'romantigoth' is a real word! Isn't it scrummy?)
A bohemian gothic. A romantic gothic. A soft, classy, elegant gothic. 

Designs will run from simple, relatively conservative pieces with just a hint of gothic charisma, so that they are suitable for wearing to work, to bold, unabashedly bohemian showstoppers that are only suitable for rock stars and those blessed people who are so secure in themselves that they can handle the gaping stares.
There will also be a greater emphasis on masculine and unisex jewellery in this brand, with some plain leather wrap bracelets and very un-girly pendants. The font I chose for the branding is intended to reflect this 'gender neutral' feel.

There will be further previews before the big launch in September ... stay tuned.

Renewing on Etsy: the Something Blue experiment

 There has been a lot of discussion in the Etsy forums, over the years (or is it only months?), as to whether or not renewing is a profitable strategy for being found in the masses of items that throng Etsy's website. Some say it is; some say it does little but eat up profit.

(For those who are unsure, 'renewing' here means relisting an item before it has sold or expired; in other words, 'refreshing' a listing so that it appears at the front of the search results and the categories, and paying the listing fee again in order to do so. 'Relisting', on the other hand, is listing an item again after it has expired or sold.)

Something Blue took it upon herself to find out the scientific way. The results are quite fascinating.

If you sell on Etsy, or - like me - are planning to sell on Etsy eventually and in the meantime are curious to know whether you'll end up renewing a lot when you do, take a look.

http://shopsomethingblue.blogspot.com/2009/08/etsy-experiment-revealed.html

The Journey to Ithaca (read it slowly)

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never
set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor,
Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become,
with so much experience,
you must already have understood
what Ithacas mean.

- Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)

With thanks to Chris Guillebeau for quoting this on his blog.

Peace be all your journeys.