Facebook

I've done it: Silverlight & Whiteleaf Jewellery is on Facebook.

My third big step into the world of social media (this blog and my Twitter account being the first and second): I reluctantly joined Facebook in early February.

I put it off for a long time, but after multiple requests from friends, acquaintances, and relatives, and after hearing for the umpteenth time about artisans who find that one of their best promotional tools is their Facebook pages, I decided to give it a try, and scheduled it for early February. Perhaps the reality of Facebook would be more fun than my mental image of it.

Regrettably, that was not the case. It took me 48 hours to grasp Twitter, and that felt like a long time. Two weeks after joining Facebook, I thought that I might be getting the hang of it, and I was starting to see the possibilities in it. Twitter was overwhelming because of the sheer amount of information being flung about; Facebook is overwhelming because it is complex, sprawling, feels unnatural, and, despite the fact that it's the biggest social network in the world, it's not user-friendly.

Despite all that, I'm now almost starting to like it. Unlike on Twitter, on Facebook you can post images and get rapid feedback from potential customers. Now that's handy. I can also say that I have made a sale due to Facebook, which is more than I can say about Twitter, fun though Twitter is. I've also found that customers are clicking on the Facebook link in my E-mail signature and are 'liking' my page, which is brilliant as it means that they are keen to keep in touch with my work and to see new designs.

'Baroque' earrings, a new Silverlight Jewellery design. Available on Felt, Zibbet, and ArtFire.

Facebook is sort of like a blog, a bit like Twitter, a bit like StumbleUpon, and a bit like Tumblr. It's as though each of those social media platforms took an idea from Facebook and expanded on it, while Facebook itself, as the original social media platform, is the (more or less) happy medium.

You will notice that there is now a Facebook badge in the sidebar on the left of this blog. So you can now officially 'like' Silverlight & Whiteleaf Jewellery on Facebook. 

Too Precious To Wear: my policy on animal-derived materials

Mentioning in a blog post last month that there are certain animal-derived materials that I don't use in my jewellery reminded me that I have never fully explained which materials I don't use and why. Herewith, I explain.

I love the look of freshwater pearls. They are absolutely stunning. Their irregular, organic beauty makes me drool.
I also love the look of coral, for the same reason. The shapes are incredible; like underwater trees.
I love fur, and leather, and silk.
But I don't love where those materials come from.
In order for pearls, leather, fur, silk, and coral to be obtained, living creatures have to die. Occasionally, those materials can be gained from animals that died of natural causes, but far more often than not the animals are killed for their bodies so that we can make beautiful things out of them. Every animal-derived product was once a living creature with a personality of its own.

Fur is beautiful, but even more so when it is lived in and maintained by its original owner.

Photo-Tiger 5x7 by ttlensphotography on Etsy

Whiteleaf Jewellery and Silverlight Jewellery use no coral, horn, shell, bone, pearls, new silk, or new leather. All leather and silk is either synthetic imitation stuff, recycled or 'upcycled' material from old clothes, vintage old stock that has been sitting around idle for years (and will simply continue to sit around idle if it is not used), or off-cuts that would be thrown away if they were not made into something beautiful. All pearls are imitations – usually glass or crystal based. All feathers are from a cruelty-free source – that is, they are either naturally moulted and collected, or taken from birds that died of natural causes.
This decision was made when the Whiteleaf Jewellery brand was being planned, but the below article – from The Storque, the blog of Etsy.com – made me realise that I had never actually explained this decision in detail to my customers.

Declaring Coral 'Too Precious To Wear'

My earlier comparison of coral to 'underwater trees' is actually quite accurate, as it turns out.

This is the twenty-first century. We have the means, now, to make synthetic versions of all the natural materials that we love so much.
Please note that I am not condemning or criticising artists who do use new leather, or coral or pearls, etc., in their work. As said above, I love those materials. I'm merely explaining why I don't use them.

Often the imitations of animal-derived products are more durable than the real thing. Swarovski pearls are of particularly high quality, having a crystal core that simulates the weight and feel of a real pearl. They have a flawless surface that is fade- and perfume-resistant – unlike that of a real pearl. The faux suede thonging that I use is actually synthetic microfibre, which – unlike genuine leather – will not crack, smell, or peel.

While I am not a vegan, I do think that the idea of a vegan world has some very attractive qualities.
Coral, pearls, silk, fur, and all other 'animal materials' are beautiful in themselves ... but the creatures themselves are more beautiful still.
Let's use the synthetics, and let the animals grace the earth alive.

Red Fox Winter Profile - 4x6 Photograph by ADelicateWorld on Etsy

(Special thanks to ADelicateWorld and ttlensphotography for giving me permission to use their magnificent animal photographs. Now that's the way to shoot a tiger!)

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Copyright: what not to do

Deryn Mentock has written an interesting blog post regarding copyright. She compares stealing from another's work to committing a fashion faux pas, while using your own ideas, she says, is like wearing what looks good on you. 
Mentock also quotes a letter from Hazel Wheaton, editor of Art Jewelry magazine, regarding the nature of copyright.
The blog post is interesting and informative, and deals with an onerous topic without being too heavy. Take a look!

What Not To Do 
by Deryn Mentock of Something Sublime.

Any resemblance is entirely coincidental by Beanforest on Etsy
 

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So, what do you do?

"So, what do you do to earn a living?"

Ah, yes. That question.
My standard answer is, "I'm a full time, self-employed jewellery artist", which means that the next question is invariably, "What kind of jewellery do you make?", or, "What does that involve?"
I usually manage to cobble together some kind of reasonably cogent response to the first question; something along the lines of, "I make hand-assembled jewellery from pre-made components, and I have two brands", followed by an explanation of the brand styles. In answer to the second question, however, my impulse is always to to ask, "How much time do you have?"

What I actually say is much less succinct, and involves a lot of fumbling for a way of translating the technical terms of what I do into a pithy statement that will be understood by people who don't even know what a cabochon is, much less a baile or a headpin. And most of them haven't even heard of Twitter!

So I have been thinking that I need a more coherent, eloquent way of expressing what I do. And it came to me a few weeks ago:

"What does that involve? 

It involves a working knowledge of the handmade movement, 

the online shopping industry, 

computers, 

and social media;

plus skills in

photography, 

customer service, 

branding, 

marketing, 

administration, 

time management, 

budgeting, 

accounting, 

research, 

and jewellery making.

It demands devotion, determination, punctiliousness, and passion." 
 

Now I just have to memorise it. 

Own It. Share It. Do It. Believe It. Magnet by Choosingbeauty on Etsy

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Short and sweet: don't panic

There are eighteen days until Christmas, and not just my blog readers but almost everyone I can think of will be busy – if not frantically busy! So let's keep this short and sweet.

Here is a suitably short and sweet – like an iced biscuit – blog post by Crissy Herron of IndieBizChicks.com. It contains four quick tips to help you keep your sanity and your business in one piece over the busiest time of year.

Don’t Let Your Biz Fall Apart During The Holidays

Also, remember the immortal words that are inscribed on the back of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: 

And here's my own best bit of advice for this time of year: 

Keep Calm, 

Carry On, 

And 

Enjoy. 

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