Tips and tricks: Pre Planning
One of the biggest issues I help our customers with is how quickly they find themselves overwhelmed with the huge variety of colours, shapes, and sizes of our stones, pearls, and sterling silver components. They wander around in a daze and quickly become frustrated with the fact there are so many things to look at, they don’t know where to start or where to proceed. While we’re always here to help in the showroom, sometimes you might wish you were more prepared. There are a number of things you can do before placing your order that will help make shopping the easiest part of your designing.
The first tip I can offer you is to shop ahead of time. Explore our website, and create a list of the sterling silver or gold vermeille components you like so you can check them out in the showroom. If you’re ordering online, try to arrange a little time to shop around before you have to meet your deadline! Make note of the stones that would go well with the sterling silver chains you choose, write down which sterling silver components catch your eye, and sketch out any ideas that pop into your head. Decide if you’d like to make earrings, necklaces, or both. Coming in with a plan will make your shopping experience much more productive, and gives you a head start on your designing time.
I find a number of designers have great success with carrying around a small notebook or sketch pad, they’re great for quickly sketching out ideas, writing down any questions you have, or simply reminding yourself that you’re running out of staple products. I’m personally a big fan of using a Day-Timer or agenda to keep track of my design ideas, it allows me to have my sketches staring up at me from my desk. Jotting down your ideas saves a lot of time when you’re trying to recall that necklace design you thought up yesterday!
Whether you’re shopping online or in the showroom, remember that many of our sterling silver components can be used for more than one purpose. Connectors not only work well in necklaces, but many of them also make fantastic earrings. Bulky, fun sterling silver chain is great for necklaces and bracelets, but why not try cutting it into smaller lengths to make a set of chunky earrings? It’s not a bad thing to purchase more sterling silver components or chain than you intended because once you get started you’ll always find more uses for them than simply making that one jewellery item.
When trying to decide which stones or pearls to purchase, try choosing stones that make you happy, or appeal to your personal design sense. You’ll have a far easier time designing with components you actually like, rather than something you bought because you felt it was the ‘in’ thing. Don’t be afraid to buy a variety of stones from top drilled to side drilled, and to experiment with different shapes. If you can, pick up a variety of shades that work well together, as this increases your designing options. Don’t be afraid to mix pearls with crystals, or crystals with stones. Chances are, if you love the way it looks, a customer will too!
Don’t be afraid to ask. We’re more then happy to share ideas with you, let you know which designs are popular, and how to spice up a design you already have in mind. Working together, we aim to make your time with us enjoyable.
Stay tuned for more tips and tricks for designing, coming soon!
