Lessons from a Jewelry Expert
When I picked up beading in high school, it was a lot of experimentation, but I came up with some pretty fun designs! One of my first was the Triangle Waterfall Necklace, which remains an oldie but a goodie. I also made pagoda earrings, which I have revamped with newer beads for a more polished look. Though at the time, I didn’t know about the importance of the right thread. I naively used sewing thread. Though it was inexpensive and easy to come by, I had many instances where a piece of jewelry would break because of frayed thread. My parents knew not to bat an eye if they heard me squawk on a Saturday afternoon- they knew it most likely meant that I had tied off a piece of jewelry and it had snapped, sending beads flying hither and yon.
At the beginning of my sophomore year, we went to visit my godparents and their daughters in LaCrosse, WI. They pointed out a local bead store, Gossamer Wings Beads, owned by a lovely woman named Cheri. Over the year, went to LaCrosse a lot. At the end of the school year, I got a sizeable haul from Cheri’s store, and she asked what I was making. I pointed to my blue and silver pagoda earrings.
“Wow- with that imagination, you could really do well selling your work!”
One day, she told me about specialty bead thread, that was designed for beading to be more durable. What a game changer. No more fraying or easy breakage of pieces. At the time, Nymo was the standard used for beading thread. I also learned some knotting tricks from her. So grateful she told me about specialty bead thread- worth the extra cost!
Cheri had some of my jewelry in her store on consignment. I was so excited! At first, l tried making 3-5 of the exact same piece, frantically staying up late before I delivered them to her. Something in me realized that maybe staying up til 3 AM several nights in a row was not productive. Going forward, I came to prefer making one-of-a-kind pieces. I love variety, and I’d likely get bored making the same design in the same colors 4 times. Not to mention, there’s something kind of fun about being the only one in the world who has THAT particular piece.
She had some insights on craft fairs, and she warned me that they can be hit or miss. I went to my first craft fair at the start of my junior year, in rural Wisconsin. I had some unique DIY displays, including a famous lamp. I purchased this lamp at the now defunct Hadassah House in Skokie, IL. I cut the cord and spray-painted it and added some beads for flair. This was the first famous floral wreath frame jewelry rack! That lamp worked well for jewelry storage, since it could be decorative, and the jewelry pieces were at eye level. I also had a few of my necklaces as flat lays against foam board, fastened with straight pins against a backdrop of black velour. Although this allowed you to see the detailed beadwork against black fabric, it wasn’t especially polished. Not to mention Styrofoam is ecologically terrible! Given that, I promptly 86ed the idea of the foam board.
Though I met some wonderful, encouraging folks (I was the youngest artisan there, just shy of 17), I didn’t make many sales. I was encouraged to see a lot of people, “Ooh- that’s cool!” since my designs have always been very much “off the beaten path.”
Though on the second day, I was dejected when a Wisconsin autumn rain came down, paired with howling winds that knocked over my whole display! I am grateful to my Mom and my dear friend Heather who kept their cool when I completely lost mine! While I collected my marbles, Heather and Mom helped me pack up my jewelry and we opted to get out of Dodge!
Cheri was right- craft fairs can be hit and miss. In college, I did a couple of craft fairs and didn’t do too terrible. In the end, I learned that craft fairs are fun, but they are a bit of a production. I have come to appreciate them for the social aspect- it’s always fun to see what other people are making and doing. A few times, I have bartered my jewelry for other handmade/homegrown goods- candles, coffee, honey, home grown potatoes, or a custom-dyed scarf.
Over the years, I’ve maintained that view of craft shows. They are fun and great for the social component, but they are often a lot of work, and can be hit and miss, depending on weather and location. With that, Cheri planted a seed in my head about other avenues for sharing my art with the world. Though that seed sometimes went dormant, it was always in the back of my head to diversify strategies.
And by George, experience is an excellent teacher for a green beader. A lot of lessons I had to learn, but they really helped guide me as an artist. These lessons also guided the evolution of my jewelry over the years, and for that, I am thankful.
'Til next time!
All the best,
Grace