Saturday, December 27, 2008

Crafting Jewelry for Fun and Profit

By Ethan O. Tanner

An familiar proverb articulates that work isn't really work if you take pleasure in what you're doing. If one of your spare-time activities is jewelry making, why not modify this activity into a lucrative enterprise? You already enjoy it anyway, and it wouldn't take too much extra effort to share your jewelry creations with others who would respect them and be willing to pay for them. With a little extra work, time management and discipline, jewelry making is an excellent method to have fun and earn a bit of extra income on the side.

Whether you're a beginner about to enter the jewelry making line of business for the first time or whether you're already an expert, there are always various staple factors to deliberate. First, it's crucial to have a decent amount of space where you can work unbothered for a certain length of time each day and where you can stow your jewelry making materials and tools. It doesn't have to be an enormous space, just a corner or room where you can focus on bringing your ideas to life and be away from unwarranted distractions.

If you haven't already, decide on the kind of jewelry you are going to make. If you're just getting your feet wet in the jewelry making arena, start out with something simple. Think about what type of jewelry you'd enjoy and feel comfortable wearing and go on from there. Whatever materials you might need are readily available either on the Internet or in a physical retail store. Then, as you become more adept at what you're doing, you can start exploring other, more complex jewelry making techniques. Remember, there is a plethora of information resources to help you make money from your hobby: books, specialty magazines, the Internet, and other jewelry makers.

After you've fabricated a reasonable amount of jewelry, there are steps you can take to get other people fascinated about them. Be a walking ad for your jewelry making enterprise. Show off some of your art pieces whenever you go out: wear them to work, when you head to the store, or when you attend parties. In addition, the spoken word is an effective way to promote your jewelry making endeavor to other people. Display some of your finished artistry to family and friends, and encourage them to spread the word.

The important thing to remember is that you continue to enjoy making jewelry and to take pride in your creations. Your passion for this hobby and business will reward you mentally and financially. Your love for jewelry making will be the key factor in maintaining your creativity level and it will help you come up with the designs that appreciative customers will buy. Never forget the 'fun' factor in jewelry making, as this will be reflected in your work, and the 'profit' factor will follow. - 16650

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