Monday, May 25, 2015
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Wire Wrapping Grooved Stones
One of the things I love the most about Wire Wrapping stones is how many variations there are. From the standard wire wrap, which is where I began, to free form wrapping, to the most complicated weaves, wire wrapping cabochons can be as simple or as hard as you make it.
For the last few years I have been wire wrapping my stones with the groove wrap. I personally love this style, as it gives me several options, but the biggest benefit in my opinion is the guarantee I can put on all my work. Not to mention that I have arthritis in my hands and it makes it much easier to hold on to the cabs while I work. Some might say that I am cheating, but, say what they will, I have done all the forms of wire wrapping and find this to be the best for me and what I do. And, our feedback has been wonderful.
We carry groove-able cabochons in our Etsy shop as well as the Tutorials needed to get you started. Come check them out!
Cabochons for Wire Wrapping
Birdseye Rhyolite
Ocean Jasper
Our Tutorials
For the last few years I have been wire wrapping my stones with the groove wrap. I personally love this style, as it gives me several options, but the biggest benefit in my opinion is the guarantee I can put on all my work. Not to mention that I have arthritis in my hands and it makes it much easier to hold on to the cabs while I work. Some might say that I am cheating, but, say what they will, I have done all the forms of wire wrapping and find this to be the best for me and what I do. And, our feedback has been wonderful.
We carry groove-able cabochons in our Etsy shop as well as the Tutorials needed to get you started. Come check them out!
Our Tutorials
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Wire Wrapped Stone Pendants
I think this has got to be one of the hardest things for me to remember to do.....blogging is not one of the easiest things for me...lol...I think about it a lot...just never know what to talk about.
So ...for this post I will introduce you to some of the newest items created and listed in my Etsy shop....
1st....my newest Unisex pendant....these pendants are great for anyone to wear.
Montana Agate
Lake Superior Agate
Genuine Natural Jade
Indonesian Coral
Australian Mookaite
Genuine Natural Jade
More new items coming soon!!
So ...for this post I will introduce you to some of the newest items created and listed in my Etsy shop....
1st....my newest Unisex pendant....these pendants are great for anyone to wear.
Montana Agate
More new items coming soon!!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Selling Your Hand Made Items On Line
As a seller of hand made jewelry, it has been extremely hard for me to figure out just how to get my items seen online. There are literally millions of web sites, pages, and listings all over the net dedicated to selling hand made goods, a lot of which are jewelry. So how do we get our items in front of people? We read and read about our *target audience* ....but....who is that and how do we find them? Well...here are some tips that seem to have worked for me and these ideas just started coming to me last year, and so far....sales have been steadily increasing.
1. Numbers
2. Targeting
Lets look at the *Numbers*.....last year my new husband started telling me things that he has read over the years. Things about the *numbers* ...the math that plays in to selling anything. It doesn't matter WHAT you are selling...it all boils down to the numbers. Big companies know this, and they use it to their advantage every single day. There are only so many personality types in the world....big companies know this as well, which is why the choose to *do the math*. The fact is the bigger number of people that see your items, the more you will sell. Every time you increase the number of people that see your creations, that is that many more sales you will make.
A lot of you out there have thrown a party of whatever kind, and ....a lot of you have heard the old saying...of all the people you invite, you should probably plan on about 1/3 showing up...right? Well...the same basic idea should be thought about when selling.....of all the people who see your items...you can count on the following to happen......of the number of people who see your items, *X* will take a closer look, of the number that took a closer look, *X* will actually go too your page for another look, of the number of people who went to your page, *X* will want it but cant afford it, or will make it them selves....and the break down goes even further, until you finally reach the 1 person who will hit the *check out* button, and buy your item. Now...this is not my *idea*....I did not just pull this out of thin air some where....these are the hard cold facts of selling anything....and big companies use it every day. They know that they need vast numbers of people to see what they are selling in order to sell it....if they show it to enough people, someone will buy it. This is what is known as the law of averages...and ..it's a fact. They use TV ads, newspaper ads magazine ads, bill boards....you name it, and they use it. And....it works...
Now lets look at HOW you get those vast numbers to see your items. It starts with your willingness to spend time and energy doing something that sometimes gets monotonous. The repeated...over and over again...daunting task of posting, linking and net working. But.....are you posting...and linking..in the right places? and how much of it are you doing? If you are posting something on face book...say once a day.....is it enough? Probably not....more than likely there are not enough people on line at the same time you are, and they just wont see it. And now that face book has changed everything up for pages, even if you have 3,000+ fans like we do...only a small number of those people actually get to see what you post, unless they go directly to your page every day just to see what you are posting. And again the law of averages will play a factor in that only a certain number of people will do that....so....
My personal favorite sites to share on ...and every single new item I list gets shared immediately on these sites
Twitter
Stumbleupon
Scoopit
Pinterest
Delicious
Facebook
These have proven to be the best sharing sites for me, and what I make.
Targeting how to:
So...now you know you NEED to get your items in front of more people in order to sell them, right? So ...how do you target the right audience? This is something new for me...but I started thinking about WHO would buy my items....who are these people? For me....they are rock hounds...plain and simple...I sell items made from rocks....and most of the people who buy my items love rocks as well.....so this is who I target....by doing simple things like creating a Pinterest board dedicated to, and titled.....rock hound gifts. I am also connected to a lot of rock lovers forums & groups. You don't want to spam your audience by any means, but you most certainly want them to know you are there. I try to post something to these places about once a day....I could do more I suppose....which would give me higher numbers...but again..spamming is not something I am personally interested in doing. The BEST way to figure out who your target audience is....simple.....describe yourself.....who are you? What is it that makes you love the items you create? Are you old fashioned, so you create more traditional older style items? Or are you bold and more fashion minded...so you create what is in style today? What makes you....YOU.....once you figure out who YOU are and why you like this style of item...you will have your target audience....because more than likely, the people who will buy what you love will buy them for the same reasons you created them....they will think similar to you, like a lot of the same things.....
As for tagging your items with the right key words....well...try to think of what YOU would type in to search for that item....would you type in copper bracelet...copper cuff.....copper jewelry? Try to use the same words YOU would use to find a particular item.....
1. Numbers
2. Targeting
Lets look at the *Numbers*.....last year my new husband started telling me things that he has read over the years. Things about the *numbers* ...the math that plays in to selling anything. It doesn't matter WHAT you are selling...it all boils down to the numbers. Big companies know this, and they use it to their advantage every single day. There are only so many personality types in the world....big companies know this as well, which is why the choose to *do the math*. The fact is the bigger number of people that see your items, the more you will sell. Every time you increase the number of people that see your creations, that is that many more sales you will make.
A lot of you out there have thrown a party of whatever kind, and ....a lot of you have heard the old saying...of all the people you invite, you should probably plan on about 1/3 showing up...right? Well...the same basic idea should be thought about when selling.....of all the people who see your items...you can count on the following to happen......of the number of people who see your items, *X* will take a closer look, of the number that took a closer look, *X* will actually go too your page for another look, of the number of people who went to your page, *X* will want it but cant afford it, or will make it them selves....and the break down goes even further, until you finally reach the 1 person who will hit the *check out* button, and buy your item. Now...this is not my *idea*....I did not just pull this out of thin air some where....these are the hard cold facts of selling anything....and big companies use it every day. They know that they need vast numbers of people to see what they are selling in order to sell it....if they show it to enough people, someone will buy it. This is what is known as the law of averages...and ..it's a fact. They use TV ads, newspaper ads magazine ads, bill boards....you name it, and they use it. And....it works...
Now lets look at HOW you get those vast numbers to see your items. It starts with your willingness to spend time and energy doing something that sometimes gets monotonous. The repeated...over and over again...daunting task of posting, linking and net working. But.....are you posting...and linking..in the right places? and how much of it are you doing? If you are posting something on face book...say once a day.....is it enough? Probably not....more than likely there are not enough people on line at the same time you are, and they just wont see it. And now that face book has changed everything up for pages, even if you have 3,000+ fans like we do...only a small number of those people actually get to see what you post, unless they go directly to your page every day just to see what you are posting. And again the law of averages will play a factor in that only a certain number of people will do that....so....
My personal favorite sites to share on ...and every single new item I list gets shared immediately on these sites
Stumbleupon
Scoopit
Delicious
These have proven to be the best sharing sites for me, and what I make.
Targeting how to:
So...now you know you NEED to get your items in front of more people in order to sell them, right? So ...how do you target the right audience? This is something new for me...but I started thinking about WHO would buy my items....who are these people? For me....they are rock hounds...plain and simple...I sell items made from rocks....and most of the people who buy my items love rocks as well.....so this is who I target....by doing simple things like creating a Pinterest board dedicated to, and titled.....rock hound gifts. I am also connected to a lot of rock lovers forums & groups. You don't want to spam your audience by any means, but you most certainly want them to know you are there. I try to post something to these places about once a day....I could do more I suppose....which would give me higher numbers...but again..spamming is not something I am personally interested in doing. The BEST way to figure out who your target audience is....simple.....describe yourself.....who are you? What is it that makes you love the items you create? Are you old fashioned, so you create more traditional older style items? Or are you bold and more fashion minded...so you create what is in style today? What makes you....YOU.....once you figure out who YOU are and why you like this style of item...you will have your target audience....because more than likely, the people who will buy what you love will buy them for the same reasons you created them....they will think similar to you, like a lot of the same things.....
As for tagging your items with the right key words....well...try to think of what YOU would type in to search for that item....would you type in copper bracelet...copper cuff.....copper jewelry? Try to use the same words YOU would use to find a particular item.....
Sunday, January 6, 2013
How To Make Wire Jewelry
About 4 years ago, I had never even heard of Wire Wrapped Jewelry......and when I discovered it, it was by complete accident. The journey from "How in the world do they do THAT" to now, has been extraordinary, fun, enlightening, and.....a lot of times very frustrating. There are so many different techniques, and styles, that coming up with something all your own is almost impossible.
I get a lot of questions about how to start, where to begin, and what I use in my work......so to help answer some of those questions, I decided to write a few things down. Make Wire jewelry can be so rewarding, once you get the hang of it, and, over time you develop your own style, your own way of doing things.
Choosing the right stones for a beginner:
When I first started, I purchased some cabochons from an online supply to play with. After of course, trying to wrap a tumbled stone, and days and days of frustrations!! The purchased cabs were pretty small, and had very little girdle to them. For me, a person with bigger hands, a complete beginner, and, at the time, a bit clumsy.....these cabs made it difficult for me to do anything with. I didn't realize at the time, that practicing would have been so much easier if the cab were bigger, and the girdle on the cab would have been thicker. The small stones were so hard for me to hang on to, and the wire kept slipping off the girdle of the cab, causing me to kink the wire, and , in the end, become very frustrated with it all. Then someone sent me, as a gift, a cabochon with some size, and a thicker girdle....WOW...what a difference that made!!
MY SUGGESTION: a 40mm cab, with a girdle of 3mm makes things much much easier for a beginner
I do NOT suggest a round or oval cab for a beginner...these are harder to wrap
WIRE:
In the beginning of my journey, I tried using round wire....what a mess!! If you are doing a standard wire wrap, SQUARE wire is much easier to use. It will lay flat against the cabochon, and not roll off the cab every time you try to do something, like swirls or curls, bindings etc. I personally started with 22 gauge dead soft, but, 22 gauge is a very tiny wire for a beginner. If I had to do it all over again, I would start with 20 gauge, it's not a lot bigger, it will give the same look to the piece, but it is a bit easier to manage and hang on to.
I Always use dead soft wire to do a wrap, even to this day. 1/2 hard wire will kink and bend, when you need it to be smooth, even sweeps, and swirls. It's a bit harder to work with too, and your hands will get tired after just a short time of trying to work with it.
My style has changed a lot over the past 4 years, but the things that have not changed are these:
My work must be TIGHT, the wire must be so secure against the stone, it takes wire cutters or pliers to get them apart. They must be neat, and clean, with neatly laid bindings, side by side, even bails, even weaves....so everything comes together in a completely secure setting that provides beauty as well.
I have a free tutorial listed on my facebook page, as well as pay tutorials in my Etsy shop. We will discuss some more in the next posting about how to get started once you have the right supplies.
I get a lot of questions about how to start, where to begin, and what I use in my work......so to help answer some of those questions, I decided to write a few things down. Make Wire jewelry can be so rewarding, once you get the hang of it, and, over time you develop your own style, your own way of doing things.
Choosing the right stones for a beginner:
When I first started, I purchased some cabochons from an online supply to play with. After of course, trying to wrap a tumbled stone, and days and days of frustrations!! The purchased cabs were pretty small, and had very little girdle to them. For me, a person with bigger hands, a complete beginner, and, at the time, a bit clumsy.....these cabs made it difficult for me to do anything with. I didn't realize at the time, that practicing would have been so much easier if the cab were bigger, and the girdle on the cab would have been thicker. The small stones were so hard for me to hang on to, and the wire kept slipping off the girdle of the cab, causing me to kink the wire, and , in the end, become very frustrated with it all. Then someone sent me, as a gift, a cabochon with some size, and a thicker girdle....WOW...what a difference that made!!
MY SUGGESTION: a 40mm cab, with a girdle of 3mm makes things much much easier for a beginner
I do NOT suggest a round or oval cab for a beginner...these are harder to wrap
WIRE:
In the beginning of my journey, I tried using round wire....what a mess!! If you are doing a standard wire wrap, SQUARE wire is much easier to use. It will lay flat against the cabochon, and not roll off the cab every time you try to do something, like swirls or curls, bindings etc. I personally started with 22 gauge dead soft, but, 22 gauge is a very tiny wire for a beginner. If I had to do it all over again, I would start with 20 gauge, it's not a lot bigger, it will give the same look to the piece, but it is a bit easier to manage and hang on to.
I Always use dead soft wire to do a wrap, even to this day. 1/2 hard wire will kink and bend, when you need it to be smooth, even sweeps, and swirls. It's a bit harder to work with too, and your hands will get tired after just a short time of trying to work with it.
My style has changed a lot over the past 4 years, but the things that have not changed are these:
My work must be TIGHT, the wire must be so secure against the stone, it takes wire cutters or pliers to get them apart. They must be neat, and clean, with neatly laid bindings, side by side, even bails, even weaves....so everything comes together in a completely secure setting that provides beauty as well.
I have a free tutorial listed on my facebook page, as well as pay tutorials in my Etsy shop. We will discuss some more in the next posting about how to get started once you have the right supplies.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Russian Charoite
Purple Stones at their best
For quite some time now, we have been looking for some Russian Charoite stones that we could cut and cab. Recently, we found some ! We are very excited about this, as, most of what we have found has been so expensive, it was well out of our reach.
The stones have a gorgeous coloring in various shades of purple, and a light chatoyance, which just adds to the beauty and appearance of the stone.
It is said that Charoite has very good healing properties, but for us it's just the natural beauty of the stone that attracts. If you love purple, and are generally looking at Amethyst in purple stones, this is a wonderful choice to add to your collection of stone jewelry.
If you are looking for other alternative purple stones, some of the choices are:
Amethyst
Flourite
Sugalite
Lepidolite
Charoite
There are others out there, we just haven't located them all yet, but.....we will!! So stay tuned!!
Check us out on Facebook!!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charoite (K(Ca;Na)2Si4O10(OH;F)·H2O)[3] is a rare silicate mineral, first described in 1978 and named for the Chara River.[2] It has been reported only from the Sakha Republic, Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.[3] It is found where a syenite of the Murunskii Massif has intruded into and altered limestone deposits producing a potassium feldspar metasomatite.[1][2]Charoite is translucent lavender to purple in color with a pearly lustre. Charoite is strictly massive in nature, and fractures are conchoidal. It has an unusual swirling, fibrous appearance, sometimes chatoyant, and that, along with its intense color, can lead many to believe at first that it is synthetic or enhanced artificially.
Though reportedly discovered in the 1940s, it was not known to the outside world until its description in 1978. It is said to be opaque and unattractive when found in the field; a fact that may have contributed to its late recognition.
Charoite occurs in association with tinaksite and canasite.[3]
Mohs scale hardness 5 - 6
Name Origin: Named for the impression that it gives: "chary" in Russian means "charms" or "magic" and not for the Chara River, which is 70 km away from the locality.
Locality: Murun massif, Chara River area, Aldan Shield, SW Yakutia (Sakha Republic). Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Friday, September 21, 2012
New Wire Wrapping Tutorial
For about the past year or so, I have had so many people ask me to post a tutorial on my wire wrapped pendants. Well...I finally sat down, and put it together. After several hours of picture taking while wrapping a gorgeous Rhodonite gem stone, and typing up the instructions the new tutorial is now live, and listed in my shop.
This wire wrap technique is designed to save you time and money in creating your hand made jewelry.
Now that I have figured out how to do a tutorial on my own, I feel there just might be more in the near future!!
Come check it out!
This wire wrap technique is designed to save you time and money in creating your hand made jewelry.
Now that I have figured out how to do a tutorial on my own, I feel there just might be more in the near future!!
Come check it out!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Copper Wire Jewelry Style
It has been a long time used material in jewelry making, and the style, and warmth of copper continues to be a favorite among a large group of people. It's properties create a genuine feeling of warmth when worn, as well as being a favorite when it comes to the Fall season each year. Copper is said to remove toxins from the body, which is why a person's skin may turn green occasionally. It's easily cleaned, with no harsh chemicals need to do so, simple dish soap and water, or even Ketchup, with clean copper.
I have had a back stash of copper wire sitting here, and hadn't had a use for it really, but I decided to make some things and use it up. It turns out, I had a lot more here than I thought I did, but, I am enjoying working with it, as well as some beautiful red brass.
Check out my latest creations, now listed in my Etsy shop!!
I have had a back stash of copper wire sitting here, and hadn't had a use for it really, but I decided to make some things and use it up. It turns out, I had a lot more here than I thought I did, but, I am enjoying working with it, as well as some beautiful red brass.
Check out my latest creations, now listed in my Etsy shop!!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
9 LB Lake Superior Agate found just before Agate Days in Moose Lake!!
This is just a beautiful, once in a lifetime find for us! We found this
huge Laker in our favorite hunting spot in central Minnesota. And, we
knew it was big, but as we dug it out of the ground, it turned out to be
way bigger than we first thought....a whopping 9 pounds! Agates likes
this are extremely rare, the odds of finding something like this are
just phenomenal, as only 1 in every 10,000 Lake Superior Agates are even
over a pound. The average size of a Lake Superior Agate is the size of a
pea, and finding bigger ones, especially ones this big, is so exciting.
And while owning this rock is exciting for us, we believe it should be
in the hands of a serious collector. The agate is whole, and not broken,
showing small areas of fortification banding, moss agate, and quartz. I
have included wet and dry photos, and have even more photos on hand for
anyone who wants them before buying.To purchase this stone please check my Etsy shop.
Where we found this stone:
And the Agate itself:
Thank you for taking the time to check our Agate, and our shop!!
Where we found this stone:
And the Agate itself:
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
There ARE other stones, besides a Lake Superior Agate, to Wire Wrap......Right?
While I try very hard to wrap a Lake Superior Stone every day, I always have to remember that there are others to cab and wrap as well.....not always easy for me, but...I manage to get some other items made. Agate Days in Moose Lake is still approaching fast, and I still can't wait to go. Should be a very fun, and exciting day for me, because, well, you all know how I love the Lakers!! I do have a couple more wrapped up, just need to get them listed in the Etsy shop, that should be later today....
Meanwhile, here are some of my latest wraps I thought you all would enjoying looking at......
Have a look at the rest of my silver pendants.....you might find that perfect one!!
While I try very hard to wrap a Lake Superior Stone every day, I always have to remember that there are others to cab and wrap as well.....not always easy for me, but...I manage to get some other items made. Agate Days in Moose Lake is still approaching fast, and I still can't wait to go. Should be a very fun, and exciting day for me, because, well, you all know how I love the Lakers!! I do have a couple more wrapped up, just need to get them listed in the Etsy shop, that should be later today....
Meanwhile, here are some of my latest wraps I thought you all would enjoying looking at......
 |
| Blue Lace Agate |
 |
| Chrysoprase |
 |
| Dalmatian Jasper |
 |
| Green Tree Agate |
 | |||
| Sodalite |
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Moose Lake MN Agate Days
It's almost that time of year again, and Agate Days is coming fast! Lived in this area for about 5 years now, and it seems like every year something comes up, and I don't get to go! This year, however, I am doing my very best to get there, and am getting really excited for it!
This show is all about my beloved Lake Superior Agate, the gorgeous stone which got me started in the rock & gem cutting world, created my addiction for rock hounding, and has given me an inner peace that I cannot even explain, not clearly anyway.
From rough, to specimens, big and small, jewelry, gifts, and so much more, I understand that if you like Lake Superior Agates, this is the place to be!
As my excitement builds, here is just a small handful of the stones I have recently cut for cabbing, and then to make jewelry/pendants with....
These, among many others, will be wire wrapped soon, and listed in my Etsy shop....The Goal, as soon as I catch up on some orders is to get 1 a day done...that's the goal, we'll see what happens!!
This show is all about my beloved Lake Superior Agate, the gorgeous stone which got me started in the rock & gem cutting world, created my addiction for rock hounding, and has given me an inner peace that I cannot even explain, not clearly anyway.
From rough, to specimens, big and small, jewelry, gifts, and so much more, I understand that if you like Lake Superior Agates, this is the place to be!
As my excitement builds, here is just a small handful of the stones I have recently cut for cabbing, and then to make jewelry/pendants with....
These, among many others, will be wire wrapped soon, and listed in my Etsy shop....The Goal, as soon as I catch up on some orders is to get 1 a day done...that's the goal, we'll see what happens!!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Cabochon Rough
Introducing the newest Rough for our Cabochons!
We were going to wait, and just surprise you all with the latest rock shop finds from yesterday....but....it was so exciting to find all of this wonderful material, we just could not hold back! These photos will show you "almost" all of what we found.....gotta hold back a couple for surprises later on....I will tell you that at least one of those we aren't telling you about will be premium grade cabs...We are also holding back on all the self collected Minnesota material we have found out on rock hounding days.So, without further delay......here are the latest rocks we found down there for you guys.
AMAZONITE
We were going to wait, and just surprise you all with the latest rock shop finds from yesterday....but....it was so exciting to find all of this wonderful material, we just could not hold back! These photos will show you "almost" all of what we found.....gotta hold back a couple for surprises later on....I will tell you that at least one of those we aren't telling you about will be premium grade cabs...We are also holding back on all the self collected Minnesota material we have found out on rock hounding days.So, without further delay......here are the latest rocks we found down there for you guys.
AMAZONITE
BLUE GOLDSTONE
OCEAN JASPER
LEOPARD SKIN JASPER
GREEN GOLDSTONE
LABRADORITE
CHRYSOCOLLA
WHITE LABRADORITE (RAINBOW MOONSTONE)
GREEN TREE AGATE
HYPERSTHENE
TIGER EYE
AND THERE YA HAVE IT!!
These will hopefully be cut this weekend so we can start cabbing it up for you next week......and again, there are more......something purple, something blue, something green......We are very excited about being able to find some of these. Have been looking for MONTHS now to find the White Labradorite, as well as another one we found, and FINALLY, we have it!! A possibility of getting more too!! There is more of the White Lab than I show in the photo. The Labradorite stones are showing some outstanding promise on the outside , and we are hoping there will be flash through out the stones. The green Goldstone is something I have also been looking for, and they finally had a huge chunk of it in stock!! I looked on Etsy, and right now there are only a handful of listings using this stone...so my girls will be able to put something new on the table with it!! We continue to try and find you all stones that there aren't a lot of people using, so that you are not swallowed up in the listings from so many using the same stones. Finding UNIQUE stones for you is not an easy task, but when we do, it's soooo exciting. We want you all to succeed at what you are doing, and being able to offer something DIFFERENT is key in that success.....
HOPE THIS EXCITES YOU ALL AS MUCH AS IT DOES US!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY, AND ENJOY THE NEW CABS TO COME!!
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