I went to a bead show Ft. Worth about 3 weeks ago and picked up these prehnite beads. Prehnite is such a soft beautiful green color. And I am always a little upset that I can't seem to catch the right shade of green with my camera.
I am more and more loving the sort of natural cut of the stones that are dangling from the bottom of the cross. And I am completely in love with prehnite. I love the color, and I even love prehnite when it has inclusions like these beads do.
I've built a sturdy sterling silver cross frame to support these beauties. Tumble polished for hours for strength and shine, I have decided to leave these bright shiny silver.
Not that they wouldn't look great oxidized, because they will. I just decided to leave them shiny for now. And you know sterling silver, it will surely oxidize on it's own in all the right spots.
These earrings measure 2 1/2" from the top of the hand made sterling ear wires, and are 1 1/4" at the widest point.
They are available for sale. If you are interested, they are $ 45 including shipping. Send me an email at amymarez@yahoo.com.
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In other news:
I am seriously thinking about opening a shop on Big Cartel. I could have my own website built, but I know myself too well. I would be too lazy to figure out how to maintain it, and too cheap to pay someone to fix it for me.
After completing my taxes for 2010, and realizing how much I pay in fees to Etsy....Whew! Let's just say it's a lot! It's tough though, because Etsy has the buyers, and I am grateful for the traffic I get there. It just seems in these tough economic times it would be wise to watch my dollars a little more closely.
Maybe direct my regulars to Big Cartel, every little bit would help, and I could slowly continue to build my clientele...I don't know. I'm just thinking out loud at this point.
What about you guys? Have you ever considered doing another online venue that was more your own?
Amy...the earrings are gorgeous...I also love prehnite. I too was a little flabbergasted at the total amount of fees paid to Etsy and Paypal last year to do business. Even at that it seems to be better than what boutiques & galleries charge. I had a website at one time but it seemed to be a lot more maintenance but I was trying to keep it going plus Etsy...my sales were actually better on Etsy. It is a tough decision...I struggled for months & months with the decision to close my website and I finally did. I have not heard of Big Cartel...will have to check them out. With the way silver is going these days, every little bit helps. Regardless of your decision, I am sure you will do very well.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh, those earrings are gorgeous, Amy! Prehnite is one of my all time favourite stones...it is the most perfect shade of green :-) I bought some beautiful faceted prehnite on Ebay the other day. It is loaded with beautiful black rutiles...and I can't wait to get my hands on it! Hurry up, Mr Postman!!! LOL
ReplyDeleteI've seen many artists recently give up Etsy in favour of their own website, or a shop on Big Cartel. Etsy seems to be a great launching pad for many, but the fees are a definite downside. I think if you have built up enough of a client base, then go for it! Good clients will follow you no matter where you go. Best of luck with whatever you decide!
B.
-xo-
I really don't know how big cartel is set up. But, I did have a shop on artfire for a while. I just couldn't do the $12/mo fees when I wasn't getting the traffic and nor the sales to pay for it. So I bailed and I've always come back to etsy. I know their fees are a lot, but they really do get more traffic in. It seems that everyone I mention my shop to, strangers, recognize the name etsy now. I don't know. It's a hard choice. Maybe try a shop on both for a while?
ReplyDeleteAlso meant to say...love the new work! What a beautiful stone.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the input and advice ladies. I did take the leap. I know it is going to be long going building clientele, but I guess that's just part of it. I'm continuing to work on the new store to get it looking great, and working on some new pieces to stock the store with. I have a feeling the Etsy fees will be around for awhile, but at least I feel like I am building something else too.
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