THE JEWELERS’ PALETTE, 1/27/2025
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From Warren and
Land of Odds
Use February’s Discount Code For Extra 25% Off @Land of Odds:
FEBRUARY25
www.landofodds.com
February 1, 2025
Hi everyone,
Some Updates and Things Happening.
(Please share this newsletter)
In this Issue:
1. Basics of Bead Stringing and Attaching Clasps
2. Promoting Your Jewelry On Social Media: Some Tips
3. How To Market An Open Studios Event
4. Some suggestions about pricing when you have multiple audiences
5. Coreen Simpson Defined the Black Cameo by Black Women for Black Women
6. 2025 A’ Design Award, Jewelry Design Category
7. Latest question from our members — please share your comments
8. Getting that grant application to a Yes!
Some articles you may have missed
1. My most popular class was called BASICS OF BEAD STRINGING AND ATTACHING CLASPS. I turned this into a book, and expanded the chapters to include some related clinics and classes that I also taught.
I pay particular attention to architectural issues — that is, how you deal in your design with the inevitable stresses and strains placed on jewelry when worn.
452pp, many images and diagrams
Kindle or Ebook or Print
Learning Bead Stringing Is More Than Putting Beads On A String And Tying On A Clasp
There is an art and skill to stringing beads. First, of course, is the selection of beads for a design, and the selection of the appropriate stringing material. Then is the selection of a clasp or closure, appropriate to the design and use of the piece.
You want your pieces to be appealing. You want them to wear well. You want someone to wear them or buy them. This means understanding the basic techniques, not only in terms of craft and art, but also with considerations about architecture, mechanics, and some sociology, anthropology and psychology.
In this book, I go into depth about:
1. Choosing stringing materials, and the pros and cons of each type
2. Choosing clasps, and the pros and cons of different clasps
3. All about the different jewelry findings and how you use them
4. Architectural considerations and how to build these into your pieces
5. How better designers use cable wires and crimp, as well as, use needle and thread to string beads
6. How best to make stretchy bracelets
7. How to make adjustable slip knots, coiled wire loops, and silk wraps
8. How to finish off the ends of thicker cords or ropes, so that you can attach a clasp
9. How to construct such projects as eyeglass leashes, mask chains, lariats, multi-strand pieces, twist multi-strand pieces, and memory wire bracelets
10. How different teaching paradigms — craft vs. art vs. design — might influence the types of choices you make
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. MATERIALS AND TOOLS
3. WORKSPACE
4. THREE TEACHING APPROACHES
5. THE DESIGN PROCESS
6. CHOOSING CLASPS
7. CHOOSING STRINGING MATERIALS
8. TWO COGNITIVE PHENOMENA
9. TYPES OF CLASPS
10. TYPES OF STRINGING MATERIALS
11. JEWELRY FINDINGS
12. HOW TO CRIMP
13. STRINGING WITH NEEDLE AND THREAD
14. ELASTIC STRING AND STRETCHY BRACELETS
15. MAKING SIMPLE AND COILED WIRE LOOPS
16. ATTACHING END PIECES TO THICKER CORDS
17. MAKING SIMPLE AND FANCY ADJUSTABLE SLIP KNOTS
18. SILK WRAP
19. EYEGLASS LEASH AND MASK CHAIN
20. LARIAT
21. MULTI-STRAND PIECES
22. TWIST MULTI-STRAND PIECES
23. MEMORY WIRE
24. FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE
2. Promoting your jewelry on social media: Some Tips
🎨 Create buzz on social media for your upcoming projects/shows:
- Start sharing as soon as possible: use any existing footage in stories and reels.
- Early sharing builds anticipation and allows you to experiment with what resonates.
- Add voiceovers to explain why this project matters. Personal insights create emotional connections with viewers.
- Natural light is best for recording. If unavailable, invest in an affordable $20 tripod (simple tools can yield beautiful videos).
Take risks with your content — when it goes well, it can go viral. When it doesn’t, you lose nothing. It’s the perfect way to learn and grow your online presence.
📱 If you wish your posts were performing better on IG, remember:
- Algorithms prioritize engagement, not frequency — 1 viral post trumps 30 non-viral ones.
- Use vertical/portrait format (9:16) for Reels. Avoid landscape; mobile users miss key visuals.
- Short, engaging videos with multiple cuts show progression better than time-lapses.
- Remove text overlapping artwork; instead, lead with finished work and show process in successive slides.
- Use hooks (both visual and verbal) to draw viewers in (e.g., dramatic start or surprising technique).
- Keep content dynamic — switch angles, zoom, and close-ups.
Simplify production. Think less like a filmmaker — focus on storytelling in short, direct clips.
📈 Boost your Instagram growth with storytelling…
As mentioned above, instead of polished posts or static images, show how you create your art and share the story behind it.
Process-focused content — like videos of you working on textures or unique techniques — grabs attention and keeps viewers engaged.
Pair this with storytelling or insights about your materials (like nontoxic pigments or unique inspirations) to turn informative content into mesmerizing reels.
This authentic approach will outperform paid promotions for long-term growth.
3. I have a friend who works from a studio he rents in a converted warehouse in Nashville, which also houses many other related artisan businesses. Some insights from him on how to market an open studios event.
🗣️ How to market an open studios event and have successful sales conversations with collectors
- Use storytelling to highlight the unique aspects of your process, such as working with invasive species leather.
- Prepare materials that educate visitors about your mission and the significance of your medium.
- Engage collectors with interactive displays showcasing your creative process.
- Focus on conversational sales techniques — ask questions about their interests and share personalized recommendations.
- Follow up with attendees post-event to nurture relationships and encourage repeat sales.
4. Some suggestions for pricing your jewelry if you are targeted multiple audiences at different income and interest points.
💰 How to price your jewelry for different buyer categories to increase overall sales
- Offer a range of price points, including smaller, affordable pieces for new buyers.
- Create limited edition prints to scale sales and increase accessibility without diluting exclusivity.
- Price jewelry that is more “art” or uses unique materials (like leather or feathers or vintage materials and clasps) higher to reflect craftsmanship and rarity.
- Consider bundling products or services (e.g., jewelry with donations to relevant causes) to appeal to conscious buyers.
- Continuously evaluate pricing strategies based on collector feedback and sales data.
- For some pieces, you might turn them into kits.
5. Coreen Simpson Defined the Black Cameo by Black Women for Black Women
Cameos have existed since ancient Egypt and play an essential role in the history of jewelry. In materials such as onyx, agate, or mother-of-pearl, which contrast with the color of the gemstone backing, the cameo acted as a miniature canvas to present carved portraits of kings, emperors, or scenes from mythology.
Yet despite the cameo’s ancient origins and its status as a classic jewelry item, the Black community has often had a complicated relationship with these pieces, especially due to a history of racist caricature in the imagery that also became associated with the cameo.
Artist Coreen Simpson wanted to explore this issue of representation by making her own American take on the cameo. In the 1990s, Simpson developed a cameo for modern Black consumers. In so doing, she built a successful company that subverted the negative historical narrative.
Her first foray into jewelry came as a product of necessity. When she tried to find the right pieces to accessorize her outfits in various stores in Paris, she was often disappointed. The jewelry just didn’t fit her aesthetic. Because of this lack of options, Simpson decided to create her own.
Simpson eventually opened a showroom in the Garment District, and she continued to experiment with “unique combinations of stones, metal, and unusual materials.” Simpson got her big break in the late 80s when, one day, as she was selling necklaces on 57th Street and Madison Avenue, close to the Henri Bendel department store, designer Carolina Herrera noticed her work and purchased 11 necklaces, which she featured in her 1988 resort collection. The journalist Renee White has also commented that publications such as Vogue described Simpson’s pieces as power necklaces, thereby cementing her position in fashion jewelry. The New York Times proclaimed her a “style maker.” Stars such as Diahann Carroll and Joan Collins were seen wearing her pieces publicly and privately.
In 1990, all of Simpson’s experimentation in jewelry culminated in the launch of the Black Cameo, her signature collection. Her first encounters with the cameo had started as she paged through fashion magazines. She saw pieces she found beautiful, but she also thought “no Black woman [was] going to wear” them. The cameos may have looked pretty, but they did not represent the cultural diversity of Black women in America.
6. Here’s a competition — A’Design Award — you might want to enter at some time in your jewelry design career.
A’ Design Award, recognizing the excellent and original design work from across the globe, is one of the highest achievements in design, a source of inspiration for award-winning designers, artists, architects, brands and design agencies. Entry and nomination is open to all from all countries.
The A’ Jewelry Design Award is open to entries by Jewelry Designers, Jewelry Brands, Jewelers, Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, Gemologists, Lapidarists, Accessory Designers, Metalworkers, Artisan Jewelers, Craftspeople, Contemporary Jewelry Artists, Custom Jewelry Designers, Fine Art Jewelers, Jewelry Manufacturing Enterprises, Jewelry Brand Managers, Fashion Designers, Fashion Brands, Industrial Designers, Luxury Good Manufacturers, Jewelry Innovation, Consultancy, Research and Development Companies worldwide. Enter your work today to highlight Jewelry Excellence.
Some recent 2025 winners:
7. In our jewelry designers’ hub, I post questions students and customers have related to jewelry design, either the techniques, the materials, or the business. Here’s one of the latest. Please share your responses on the hub.
8. Getting that grant application to a Yes!
💰 If you are submitting an application for a public or private art grant…
Keep in mind that these are highly competitive: for you to stand out, you’ll have to be specific about how your work aligns with their criteria.
For your next submission:
- Describe how audiences interact with your work — mention workshops, events, or participatory elements.
- Clarify your concept: Use vivid language to make your vision tangible. Explain how your art fits into the public or private space your proposal is targeting
- Titles and descriptions: Make them concise and impactful to quickly convey the project’s essence.
And don’t forget to use this 25% discount code
throughout February at Land of Odds!!
Use February’s Discount Code
For Extra 25% Off @Land of Odds:
FEBRUARY25
www.landofodds.com
SOME POSTS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:
Know Your Anatomy Of A Necklace
Mixing Media / Mixing Techniques In Jewelry Design
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