Buying Jewelry Supplies In A Tight Economy

As you know our economy has been in a bit of a slump. Since making jewelry is not really a business for me, but more of a hobby side business, buying supplies can be tricky. I always want great products at an awesome price, as I am sure all jewelry makers do. Since I have been collecting gemstones for some time, I have quite a few of them. I mostly purchase supplies from certain sellers on Ebay, Jewelry Television, Etsy, Fire Mountain Gems, and Rio Grande. I have often wished Etsy sellers would offer some semi mounts and settings for me to buy. I don't do a lot of beading, but I do some.

When looking for settings and semi mounts, of course I prefer them to be the correct measurements the seller says they are. I have bought semi mounts that say they will fit such and such a stone, get it home and it is a mm or so smaller. This is disappointing because then the piece I envisioned is no longer. Some settings are frail with very thin prongs. This goes for both gold and silver, so you have to be extra careful setting the stones. Some settings also bend when you set the stones. You can't always tell from an image whether the setting or semi mount is good quality or not. I never buy from someone who does not offer a return option. Unless it is very affordable, then I don't mind. You can always save the settings if you break a prong or bend the setting, to sell as scrap to buyers who will melt it down.

I personally prefer silver over gold, mainly due to price. A lot of sellers are coming up with beautiful semi mounts in silver, due to the affordability of silver over gold. I also prefer ones that are rhodium plated, just because they shine better. However if you buy a silver ring with rhodium plating, or any plating, you can not have it resized, so be sure it is the size you want when you buy it. I am not sure most people know this.

If you really love a product but it is way too expensive, mark it and hopefully the seller will have a sale. JTV marks down their settings frequently, and if you check often you can get a great deal. Ebay sellers also do this. I have never seen Rio Grande do this. Fire Mountain Gems often has sales on jewelry making supplies, but I have never seen a sale for settings or castings. Etsy sellers also often have sales on jewelry making supplies, but as I stated I can not find a seller on there that sells castings, semi mounts, or settings.

One other option you can consider, and I have personally done, is to shop at online shopping sites such as HSN. If you find a piece on clearance that you love, buy it, pop the stone out and replace it with your stone. I would not recommend re selling these however, because they usually have a designer name associated with them. I keep these for my own personal collection.

Pricing and Supplies

Today I am going to discuss my pricing, and where I get a lot of my supplies.

First pricing, I have no magical method for pricing my items. I love jewelry, and I love gemstones. I started by collecting the stones, then I had so many I figured I better do something with them. So I started to learn to make my own jewelry. As anyone knows who does this, at first your work is not really worthy of selling. I kept those early pieces, and used them as learning tools. I have chipped and broke expensive stones, as well as scratched and broke prongs of settings. I would like to get a soldering device so maybe I can fix the ones I broke, and can learn to resize my own jewelry. Setting gemstones, is not an easy task. I thought oh this will not be that hard to learn. Boy was I wrong. Now almost 5 years later, I would not say I am perfect at it, but so much improved. I price my items according, to what it costs me to purchase the items. It is my goal to create, and make quality jewelry that is beautiful and affordable. I do not do this to make a ton of money. I make jewelry because I love it, and I think everyone should have lovely jewelry without the expense. Some people tell me my prices are too low. If my prices are too low, that is because I got an awesome deal on the stones, and or settings, and can offer it at an awesome price. If something costs me more, than I have to charge more, though I still try to keep my profit marginal so it is affordable to everyone. If an item has to be relisted several times, I do usually increase the price to cover fees.

I try to buy only the best products. I use three sellers on Ebay. They all make the settings themselves using silver or gold and the molds to create the settings. I set a limit on high to purchase something, so I can keep selling costs down, to my buyers. I also purchase gemstones, and settings from Rio Grande. They advertise their prices as wholesale, but they are on the higher end of pricing. I do love their synthetic gemstones, and they are affordable. They also sell Moissanite, and their CZ's are exceptional quality. I love Fire Mountain Gems for their gemstones, and beads. I have bought settings from them, but I find their prices to be high, and their settings to be just plain. Jewelry Television is another of my favorites for buying gemstones. I love to purchase their parcels, but then it can be difficult to identify what you have. I prefer to buy single stones, so I have them identified already. I have also purchased their semi mounts, and settings though their prices can be high, and the quality not always the greatest. You can always return your items to them, however for a full refund. I have bought jewelry from them, and removed the stones, and put in my own stones. This is actually very easy to do, and can save a bundle of money. Ebay is a huge resource for buying loose gemstones. Of course you have to be careful of scammers, and people selling fakes and fauxs. Be sure to examine their feedback. Remember just because a stone is selling for an affordable price does not necessarily mean it is fake. So much of the jewelry and gemstone business, is inflated for the maximum profit to be made.

So as you can see it is my ultimate goal to share the wonder, and beauty of gemstones, and jewelry.