Fashion Jewelry Style tips

Fashion accessories add that extra to your look but sometimes wrong choices can lead to mishaps. Here are few style tips?

1. Scale and balance. Yes! there is the right fit for jewelry just like shoes if the earrings and bangles are too large, too long or too small for the look, clothing or  person, then it doesn’t compliment.  

2. Pick one statement piece. Maybe a cocktail ring, a pair of chandelier earrings, shield or bib necklace. Everything else should be simple.

3. Being minimalist is in. Not every look needs to be seen from far. You could stand out with bare essentials. Tear drop earrings are a bare necessity.

4. Layering is hot. You can create a big statement piece by adding multiple necklaces. You can fuse chain, ribbon and beads…

 Whatever your style or look that you want to create, your accessories should work for you!

Enjoy making and wearing your accessories!

Tameika

Designer Feature

Bead Cafe’s  Featured Designer Segment

Each day we have the opportunity to meet artisans from across the country creating local craft with beads. Every two weeks we will be including a Designer Segment in our Newsletter, Bead Scoop and will be posting in our Bead Board Blog to showcase our talented customers.

This week’s designer is Olivia Fern Armour Noel. Olivia is as beautiful as she creates with a bright smile and outlook on design. This creative artist shared with us her passion, style and motivation. Olivia comes from Santa Cruz, Trinidad and aspires to complete a degree in Psychology and eventually open a clinic for troubled and abused children and Teens. Olivia loves nature and travel photography.

‘I particularly like working with wire. I find this the least limiting… I can create abstract pieces and still include beads and other materials, especially buttons. I Like buttons…’- Olivia Fern Amour Noel

Olivia when did you become interested in jewellery making?

 Since a very young age I’ve wanted to do so many things, creatively. Jewellery making is one of the many. I’ve always appreciated the makers of things, and i love making things. Jewellery and bag design are just my latest activities.

 How did you develop your skills?

 Trial, imagination, observation and practice. I’ve attempted a number of ideas but would often be unsatisfied with the results because they didn’t fully simulate what I had in mind. I’m my own worst critic, so I signed up for a course in Jewellery Design where I’m learning many different and helpful techniques. It’s enlightening!

 What is your specialty and favorite material?

 Though specializing in a particular area of jewellery-making could produce some amazing pieces, I prefer to create a variety of things. I particularly like working with wire. I find this the least limiting… I can create abstract pieces and still include beads and other materials, especially buttons. I like buttons!

 How would you define your style?

Curious or whimsical, maybe!

 What sparks your creativity and keeps you motivated?

Strange, interesting and aesthetic objects, artistic details and sensational colours.

 What are some of the challenges faced as an up and coming designer?

Unavailability of materials that is reliable and uncommon. There are only a few good suppliers, locally, so when buying local, we all shop in the same places. Sometimes I feel like I’m looking for something… I’ll know it when I see it… But I also know that I’ll never find it, bizarre!, Olivia exclaims.

 Could you share how Bead Cafe has opened up new opportunities for the local jewellery market?

Bead Cafe is one of the few places that local jewellery designers can source materials, locally. There’s a wide selection of tools, books, beautiful beads, quality findings, containers, even… But it’s not just a store! They deliver too and they go beyond “here’s your order, have a good day!” There is always a workshop or workshops in progress, in a number of areas of jewellery design and craft. Though I haven’t been free to join any, I love the fact that the suppliers of jewellery making materials also offer workshops! It’s brilliant! And you have to appreciate the friendliness and professionalism of the Bead Cafe Family. From their interest in creating so many avenues for connections with customers through Facebook, Twitter, their Bead Scoop newsletters, Blog, and user-friendly website, they clearly put so much thought in what they do and the service, or rather experience they give. I think they help local jewellery designers to be creative and express themselves in so many ways.

Are you working on any projects presently and if so, could you share some insight?

I’ve been regularly buying materials without the time to work with any. My duties as manager of Moksha Yoga Trinidad kept me busy. I only recently had time to work on pieces so I now have a number of disconnected pieces. I’m trying to create a collection of various categorical things; a series of earrings and bracelets using buttons, and other objects as well as handbags using ties and decorated with abstract shapes, paintings and peculiarities. On completion, I plan to go beyond sharing my work with just friends and affiliates; I’ll be introducing the public to “Aya Impression“; the name of my newly registered business. Aya (African) is an ancient Adinkra symbol for the ‘fern’ which is my middle name. I am as complex as my creations, so it is fitting… The symbol represents fearlessness, defiance, endurance, perseverance, independence and resourcefulness.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish as a Designer?

Generally, more promotion, appreciation and interest in locally made jewellery.

Do you think Jewellery Making can be a thriving business in Trinidad and Tobago?

Of course! It’s quite competitive. There is so much creativity. So much depends on one’s determination, the availability, marketing and distinctiveness of the product, an understanding of the individualistic tastes or preferences of the clientele, and in some cases an accommodation, if not appreciation, of trends.

What advice would you share with artisans now starting?

Practice, practice, practice. And dare to be different.

We thank Olivia for sharing and wish her success. We look forward to the launch of Aya by Olivia Fern Armour Noel!

Interview by

Tameika Fletcher-Birmingham, Bead Cafe

All photos courtesy Olivia Fern Armour Noel and may not be reproduced with the permission of the Artist.

Tough love, an artisans experience.

You love making craft but sometimes experience tough love? Your friends, family and customers love your work but they want more and sometimes for less. They critique your work as if they are using a magnifying glass to look at each detail . Then there are the comments or requests. If you make jewelry you would hear questions such as: ‘can I get purple instead of blue, can you make it shorter and add some more colour.’ Sometimes this can be frustrating and you even wonder why the fuss. When the average customer goes shopping they buy as is, no changes, no special requests and the deal is sealed but when it’s ‘hand-crafted as oppose to mass-produced, the demands are more. Why??

People who love and support handmade may demand more because they appreciate the following:

Flexibility
The ability to have a product adjusted to suit their needs, an opportunity not afforded when purchasing most ready-made products.

Participation
They enjoy seeing their ideas come to life and bragging to friends their contribution to the finished product. It could be as simple as selecting the colour but participation increases ‘ownership pride’.

Personal Touch
Customers appreciate that the designer may incorporate customer favourites, special surprises and designer’s creative design skill. All fusing together to create magic.

So sometimes you will be faced with the demanding customer but when you are able to satisfy your customers, you build relationships, repeat business and referral opportunities.

As a designer you can set limits. Before starting a project discuss these with your customer so they are clear, especially when there is a high cost for the customer (examples: price or deadline time) and the artisan (examples: manufacturing time and material cost). During the design process continue to engage the customer to ensure expectations are aligned. This will limit errors and misconceptions.

Hope these tips help, if you have any comments feel free to share.

Happy crafting!

Tameika

Pricing

 Introduction to Pricing!

One of the questions many of my workshop students ask is; How to price their handmade jewelry?

When you create a handmade product there is sometimes an emotional connection which makes it difficult for you in the first place to sell the piece and then when you are ready to sell, the question of pricing pops up.

 Questions such as the following:

• Would they like it?
• Would they pay?
• Is the price to high?

If, you start the pricing process with these questions it could create pricing fear and lead to inaccurate pricing.   When pricing your handmade goods try looking at it from a different standpoint, make an attempt to answer these costing questions:

• How much was the cost of the materials?
• What other variable expenses are related to production, packaging and promotion of your goods?
• What are the overhead costs we sometimes neglect such as rent and utilities?

 After thinking about costing, you need to make a few more decisions to create the best price. Questions such as the following should be considered:

• What is your aim; to cover your expenses or make a profit?
• What is your profit mark up?
• Is the piece one of a kind, or a mass product?
• What is the market value for similar products?

 By changing your approach to costing and by developing a pricing strategy, you will begin feeling more confident to stick that price tag because you would have developed a reasonable price. Remember too low or too high a price can result in loss of sales and profits, needed for growth.

In another post I would go into more detail about costing and pricing. I do hope this article inspires you to approach pricing as a valuable process not a choir.

 Happy Beading!

 Tameika Fletcher – Birmingham

Director, Bead Cafe

 

Beads tell a story

Beads tell a story

Oh la la new beads! All our beads from India have finally arrived.  The mailing of the order was split , so every week we waited with baited breaths to see what was packed neatly inside . I was pleasantly surprised to discover each new bead. My fingers rummaged through to look, touch, and imagine the tales of each bead; the designer, craftsman, exotic region, inspiration … the story.  Take a look at a few pictures of these beautiful beads and tell me what story each one tells to you..

 

 

 

Queen of Beads Cover Story

Each experience leads you to today,the battle is not over, it has just begun… the journey continues.

The Trinidad and Tobago’s Sunday Guardian (13th June 2010), Woman Wise Magazine, cover story by Laura Dowrich coined me as the Queen of beads. Delighted, shocked and grateful are some of the feelings experienced.

How  it began!

A few years ago my family thought I was crazy when I shared the idea of opening a bead store. I was designing jewelry successfully but always had challenges sourcing materials. However, last year my brother offered me a space to use. The first thing that came to mind was beads, beads and more beads. I weighed the risk, consulted my husband and with one month before returning to work I sourced materials and prepared the store. My son was three months old and here I was taking a risk.  The space was a good trial and error.  This year another opportunity came knocking; a larger space  with a potential loft studio became available and after much consideration I decided to move from my nest to the Bead Cafe’s new home. The new shop features a larger floor plan and an in-house studio. The Bead Cafe has an array of beads, findings, tools and supplies.

The Story

A Sunday evening Fashion Event, good conversation with writers, led to discovery, a meeting and a story. I am always excited to chit chat about beads, jewelry and craft. It was a wonderful opportunity.`

What is next for me

Many admirable women have graced the cover of the Woman Wise, so to now be one of them is a privilege and a challenge. But  I am always up for a good challenge. I hope to continue to develop the Bead Cafe to be a full service bead and craft store.  To continue sharing my creativity,  skills and knowledge to contribute to the development of craft and small businesses in Trinidad and Tobago. We need to support local businesses to sustain growth and development.

Thank you for your support!

Tameika

‘Be the change you want to see in the world,‘ – Mahatma Ghandi

To read the Queen of Beads article that appeared in the Trinidad and Tobago Sunday Guardian, 13th June 2010, click on the link: http://guardian.co.tt/features/woman-magazine/2010/06/13/queen-beads

DIY Designer

DIY Designers we want to feature you.

Do you love expressing  or creating your style with your own handmade accessories? 

You are a  DIY designer and we would love to blog about it. 

Send us the following details to beadcafett@gmail.com

• Picture of you wearing your jewelry
• Brief Description
• DIY Designer Name
• Country

Anyone from anywere that loves making and wearing their jewelry are invited to contribute. A maximum of 10 pictures will be featured in our first series.  Pictures must be sent by Saturday 5th May to be featured.

Until next time, thank you for visiting our blog.

Express, enjoy, explore… BEAD

Jewelry Classifications

Always wondering what is the difference between Fine Jewelry, Bridge Jewelry and Fashion Jewelry. A short synopsis of the 3 main types of jewelry classifications are:

Fine Jewelry

Diamonds, rubies and other precious gems with  14k gold, platinum or other precious metals is classified as Fine jewelry.

Bridge Jewelry

Opal, Topaz, Jasper and other semi precious stones or fresh water pearls with silver, vermeil or  gold filled is considered Bridge Jewelry. Hence Bridge jewelry is in the middle between Fine and Fashion jewelry.

Costume Jewelry

Costume jewelry on the other hand is jewelry made with base metals (copper, brass etc.), glass, plastic, wood and other types of beads. The materials may be synthetic or organic.

What about Artisan Jewelry? Any jewelry that is one of a kind or made in limited quantities and that is not mass produced are artisan made.

Happy Beading!

Creative Inspiration

Buzz Buzz

Isn’t it exciting when you are in that creative zone. You are energized, smiling, creating, working and enjoying. I love it! I get a sense of fulfilment.  There are three main things that keep me buzzing: Exploring, Innovating and Experiencing.

Explore – Travelling

Short trips abroad are ideal for me, a moment to getaway and experience.  The people, culture, landscape, language, music, colours, style and uniqueness of each destination entice my senses. The Caribbean is my home and I am set to explore as much as I can but sometimes my compass points to other destinations.  Some of the places I have visited are Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Curacao, Canada, Puerto Rico, USA and England.  I hope to someday walk the streets of the Harajuku district in Japan.

Although flying abroad is great, I love family trips to new places in my home country. We have beautiful flora and fauna to enjoy. My camera is always close at hand to capture our exotic beauty. My idea book is always packed just in case something sparks a thought worth jotting down.

It is relaxing and exhilarating to travel home or abroad. I know wherever the winds blow me next there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to gain.

Pinel Island, St. Martin Vacation 2008

Innovate – Craft

My main craft is designing fashion accessories. I love combining findings and beads together to create funky wearable jewelry.  There are so many options but with imagination you could make the ordinary spectacular.  I remember walking into a hardware store and was just looking around and saw some black curtain hooks and that became a funky anklet and chain set. How I stumbled across this skill is another story.  I also love decorating and I am a big DIYer, I guess it is the creative adventurer in me.

Earrings and handband made from iron curtain hooks found in the local hardware store

Experience – Events

I am an event junky. I would go to any type of event; corporate functions, parties, charity events, fashion shows, art displays and concerts. I observe the trends, critique, look for ideas and of course enjoy.  All these inspirations inspire the next event or project I coordinate. My taste in events is as diverse as my taste in food and music. I believe variety is the spice of life.

Continue to spark your creativity and Keep buzzing!

Tameika

Can I get it sold?

You love making jewelry, your friends are always commenting on how good your jewelry looks and your family members are always borrowing. Sounds familiar? Maybe it is time to start selling your jewelry. Starting out is never easy especially if your hobby is a personal passion. The fear of criticism looms.  Here is one strategy you can approach to getting it sold.

See what people have to say!

It is important to ascertain what people think about your work to help determine how well your product will do. There is no place like home to test your products.  So how do you get started?  You need to start spreading the word to family or close friends.  I do not mean just wait for them to say: ‘that’s nice’ and somehow you mange to slip in:  ‘I made this’. You have to get active by sharing and showing. Sharing and showing is an action I coined as informing others that you are designing jewelry and you have pieces for sale and presenting your work. You may receive support as well as criticism but remember it is about learning, improving and developing your craft.  Look out for a post on Key Messages to share with your customers.

What’s my product?

You have made the leap and started sharing and showing and the questions start rolling: people want to know what the materials are, where do the materials come from, can it break or tarnish and all sorts of other questions.  You need to know your product, so it is important if you do not have the knowledge to spend some time learning about the products you use. There is much to learn and share, for example: beads are available in different sizes, shapes, types, colours and are made in different regions.  You need to be able to speak with passion and conviction; this is to show your customers that you love what you do and you know what you are talking about.

Got to brand it!

After fighting the nerves you are able to sell a piece or two, excitement builds and you design a few more pieces.  Although you just got started it is important early in the game to brand your products because referrals come quick and you want to establish an image. Decide on a name for your accessories line.  It may sound foolish in the beginning and you may think but I just got started. Think about it, if someone is showcasing your jewelry what do you want them to say?  Another thing is packaging; you can make cards at home to display your earrings or other accessories as well as make or purchase little bags or boxes for your customers.  On the cards you can print basic information about your product.  Remember if you are not there your product has to sell itself.  Simple tip is to make it neat and make it stand out. In another post I will chat about DIY packaging and Brainstorming techniques to get those ideas rolling.

These are some of the things you can do to start flexing your entrepreneurial muscle. Starting a business is no easy road but you can make a good start now. Look out for subsequent posts on pricing, profit, small business development, marketing and more.

Thank you always for stopping by.

Tameika