How to Supplement Your Jewelry Design Income

Would you like to discover more ways to make money with your jewelry design skills and expertise? We all know the jewelry business has its share of slow times which is going to be true of almost any business you enter. Here are some ways to bring in extra income when your jewelry sales are slow:

         1. Share your jewelry making expertise at the local level

Offer to teach your jewelry or beading skills at your local college as a noncredit course. Ask for a certain percentage of the enrollment fees as your payment. You could do this on an ongoing basis and make quite a nice supplemental income.  Alternatively, you could set up a similar arrangement with your local bead store and offer a variety of beading and jewelry making classes on an continuing basis. This is a much needed service. As a bead store owner, I know how much we value our teachers!

        2.  Share your jewelry design expertise online

Consider producing a DVD showing how you make your jewelry and sell it from your website or on Ebay. This could open up a whole new market for your jewelry making expertise. Here’s an example of a person who started out as a jewelry designer selling at shows and is now hugely successful selling jewelry making DVD’s. Click here.

       3. Publish your jewelry making expertise in the form of books and magazines

          You could either self publish your own books and ebooks on beading and jewelry design techniques

          or you could write beading how to articles for magazines such as Bead Style, Bead and Button

          etc. Publishers such as Lark Publishing are always looking for talented designers to write

          books relating to their area of craft expertise.

     4. Market your jewelry designs in kit form

         With so many people pressed for time these days, there's a large market for beading and

         jewelry making kits. Could you modify and simplify your designs a bit and offer them in kit

         form to beaders? You would be reaching an entirely new and potentially lucrative market. You

         could market your jewelry design kits via a website and through local bead stores.

     5. Sell bead and jewelry making supplies

        If you currently sell your jewelry design, chances are you're buying your beads and findings

        wholesale. Why not supplement your income selling your excess supplies? You could also parlay

       this into a separate business by arranging with wholesalers and manufacturers to buy in larger

       quantities. You could then sell bead and jewelry making supplies to beaders via a website. This would

       not only allow you to establish a supplemental business, but would increase the profit margin on your

       existing jewelry design business by allowing you to buy in larger quantities.

     6. Do bead restringing and jewelry repair

        If you're proficient at bead stringing, there's a market for your services. There are lots of people

        out there who want to have necklaces restrung and don't want to pay the high prices charged by

        their local jewelry store. If you can become proficient at restringing pearls, which requires

        knotting between beads, your market becomes even larger. If you have soldering skills, you

        may also be able to do simple jewelry repairs in your home. You can also establish an arrangement

        with your local jewelry stores whereby they contract out their restringing and jewelry repair jobs to you.

       At our bead store, we have a brisk restringing business which suggests the market is strong.

   7. Become a jewelry marketing consultant

       Starting a new jewelry design business can be overwhelming for the beginner. You could offer your

       services as a jewelry marketing consultant and help new jewelry businesses find a market for their

       handmade designs. Are you a pro at the craft show circuit? You could help beginners design effective

       craft booths. ( I know there's loads of uncertainty and confusion on how to do this). If you need some

       great information on this topic, check out this invaluable resource. You could also help fledgling jewelry

       designers get started in the jewelry home party business if you know the ropes. One resource that

       might help you gain the knowledge you need to consult in this area is this.

   8. Start a jewelry or craft co-op

       If you have a good location available with foot traffic, you could start a small craft co-op. You would

       charge crafters a small fee to rent out space in the co-op to exhibit their designs. They would also

       be required to work at least one day a month to provide employee coverage. You would also have

       the opportunity to display your jewelry in the co-op, plus earn a little extra money as a bonue!

  9.  Publish a newsletter

       If you enjoy writing, you could publish a newsletter for beginning jewelry artists, beaders, or jewelry

       designers. Fill it with specialized tips and techniques. You could also publish a newsletter on marketing

       jewelry. ( I guess I'm setting myself up for competition. :-)  Here's a jewelry designer who's been

       quite successful publishing a jewelry marketing newsletter.

As you can see, there are lots of options available to supplement your jewelry design income. These supplemental businesses give you the opportunity to expand into new markets and reach new audiences for both your services and your handmade jewelry designs. Best of luck all of your projects. :-)

Kristie