I am an Obsessed Wire-wrapped Jewellery Maker who has just started a Small Business on Etsy - AMA

[silvershell]

I thought I might be able to help out anyone who has been recently inspired to start selling their creations. I have had my shop for 3 months, so can answer questions related to start-up. I can also answer questions related to wire-wrapped jewellery. I have been making jewellery on and off for about 10 years, my preference is wire-wrapped jewellery which I have been making for over 2 years :)

They are beautiful! I also have an Etsy shop. (I am the fossilised fanny seller under another name )

Is it hard to sell this style of jewellery? I used to make macrame jewellery and found many people didn't want to pay a lot for jewellery that wasn't gold or silver.

Beautiful jewellery!

How long did it take for you to sell your first piece on Etsy, and take off to make it worth your while?

How long does it take you do make one necklace?

Do you get repeat customers?

@Noroiscoming

Hi! Thank you and thank you for your question.

:D that sounds like a very unique craft indeed!

I wouldn't say it's been hard to sell at my price points TBH. There are wire wrappers who charge double what I do and they still seem to sell. Pricing is a difficult one with this type of jewellery because they can take a long time to create, as the whole thing is from scratch, like your macramé jewellery. So I understand why some sellers price higher, but I my creations to be available to everyone, so I keep my prices moderate.

If I were to work with sterling silver (which I intend to in the future) then I would have to increase the price because the cost of materials would quadruple!

You can get 10% sterling silver-filled copper wire, which is a way to create high quality silver pieces without the added expense. It lasts longer than silver-plate and oxidises the same as sterling. But by and large, people are enjoying the copper pieces. Only once I have been asked for a version of one of my designs in silver and they were more than happy with it in 10% sterling silver-filled copper.

@MydogWillow

Beautiful jewellery!

How long did it take for you to sell your first piece on Etsy, and take off to make it worth your while?

How long does it take you do make one necklace?

Do you get repeat customers?

Thank you and thank you for your question!

I sold my first piece within a few weeks. I think you are asking me if I am making any profit? At the moment, no, I am still paying back my start-up costs at present, and obviously I have ongoing expenses with buying materials and advertising costs. I don't expect the the shop to turn an income for at least another 6 months. But who knows. This depends on many different factors, the primary one probably getting found. So working on SEO (search engine optimisation) is an ongoing learning curve. But I am getting better at it and I am getting found more often each time I improve things.

Length of time depends on the design, how tricky the stone is to set and how much detail weaving is involved. But a range would be anywhere from minimum 2 hours to up to 6. Most sit around the 4 hour mark for me.

Yes! I have had several repeat customers. which has been lovely. This is my first time selling anything I have created, so to have people come back is very encouraging.

They're beautiful! You said you've been making them for 2 years - when you were first starting out, how did you learn? It looks quite complicated - did you take classes, or teach yourself?

@GreenWhiteViolet

They're beautiful! You said you've been making them for 2 years - when you were first starting out, how did you learn? It looks quite complicated - did you take classes, or teach yourself?

Thank you and thank you for your question!

So I had seen time lapse videos of wire wrapping online and like yourself, I wondered what sorcery is this!? What I discovered is that wire wrapping basically boils down to 4 skills: stone setting, bail making, weaving and design. There are different ways to set stones, determined by either your preference or by the shape of the stone, bails can also vary by preference. The design is all yours - you can do whatever you like once that stone is secure. So I spent a lot of time researching different ways to hold stones with wire through online tutorials. Once I had practised that to death, I got off the internet and started experimenting. My wire wrapping "voice" began to emerge after about 6 months of design work.

One of the most important things to learn is how to use the different gauges (thicknesses) of wires. Most of what I have learned has been through trial and error. I have also developed my own stone setting and bail making techniques now, simply through experimentation. So I can alter these basics to my design, rather than making the design fit them, IYKWIM. You can also experiment and come up with your own weaves. Once you learn the 3 basics (minus design, as that's really your voice), then you can start breaking the rules and making it all truly yours!

So, short answer: self-taught, after practising the basic techniques of wire work.