Making jewelry is a fun hobby and it can be very lucrative, but it can also sap your creativity if you're making a lot of jewelry pieces and then spending lots of time putting together the supplies for each piece over and over. One great way to avoid that jewelry making burn out while still using your jewelry design skills is to begin offering jewelry repair services! Many of custom jewelry designers work throughout the day putting together custom jewelry pieces and hunting for jewelry supplies for that next necklace or eye-catching design.
Instead of making a bracelet from scratch, you usually need to take someone else's jewelry pattern and find beads to replace missing or broken jewelry pieces that either look similar to the rest of the jewelry piece or at least compliment it. Repairing jewelry requires a slightly different approach to buying jewelry supplies because you'll need to have lots of connectors, pendants and wire available. You'll also want think about using a decent jewelry database software package to track what jewelry pieces you have on hand, what you'll need to purchase soon and where you can get them for the lowest price. Repairing someone else's jewelry uses your jewelry design skills and will often present some unique challenges. Here are some other tricks to remember when you begin repairing jewelry for others:
Remember to get a bit creative, especially if you have to fill in missing beads, but check with the customer first. Some people demand that their jewelry to be fixed to the exact condition it had before, some don't mind small bead or clasp modifications.
As a custom jewelry maker you may also want to make suggestions on other parts of a jewelry pieces to fix even though it may not be broken yet. If you see worn connectors or cracked pieces it's a good idea to notify your customer so that she isn't caught off guard when something else breaks.
Often times you will be fixing a jewelry piece that holds a special meaning or is particularly liked by your client. You're performing a service of not just fixing a piece of jewelry, but often you're helping restore a memory or feeling! Remember to price your services in line with the going rates.
Finally, remember to have fun with it! Both repairing handmade jewelry and making your own jewelry are enjoyable ways to make some extra cash, but it's up to you to find the proper balance to keep you smiling and making money at the same time. You can generally charge just as much to repair a piece of jewelry as you would to create it. But because are often working with existing jewelry materials fixing a piece of jewelry may be a lot more profitable. - 33381
Instead of making a bracelet from scratch, you usually need to take someone else's jewelry pattern and find beads to replace missing or broken jewelry pieces that either look similar to the rest of the jewelry piece or at least compliment it. Repairing jewelry requires a slightly different approach to buying jewelry supplies because you'll need to have lots of connectors, pendants and wire available. You'll also want think about using a decent jewelry database software package to track what jewelry pieces you have on hand, what you'll need to purchase soon and where you can get them for the lowest price. Repairing someone else's jewelry uses your jewelry design skills and will often present some unique challenges. Here are some other tricks to remember when you begin repairing jewelry for others:
Remember to get a bit creative, especially if you have to fill in missing beads, but check with the customer first. Some people demand that their jewelry to be fixed to the exact condition it had before, some don't mind small bead or clasp modifications.
As a custom jewelry maker you may also want to make suggestions on other parts of a jewelry pieces to fix even though it may not be broken yet. If you see worn connectors or cracked pieces it's a good idea to notify your customer so that she isn't caught off guard when something else breaks.
Often times you will be fixing a jewelry piece that holds a special meaning or is particularly liked by your client. You're performing a service of not just fixing a piece of jewelry, but often you're helping restore a memory or feeling! Remember to price your services in line with the going rates.
Finally, remember to have fun with it! Both repairing handmade jewelry and making your own jewelry are enjoyable ways to make some extra cash, but it's up to you to find the proper balance to keep you smiling and making money at the same time. You can generally charge just as much to repair a piece of jewelry as you would to create it. But because are often working with existing jewelry materials fixing a piece of jewelry may be a lot more profitable. - 33381
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