Display Jewelry at Shows

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tom suter
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 8:12 pm
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Display Jewelry at Shows

Post by tom suter »

I got a chance to do a show at a nurses convention the 13th. I only get a 6 ft table so I am going to limit myself to mostly jewelry and some slumped vases. My old job for years kept me on the road so I never was able to go to shows. Shows I did years ago I had a lot of room and it was stained glass not fused. I need advise on how to display the jewelry. I have been search for acrylic cases. I found some but like some advise before I purchase. Do you leave your jewelry out where people can pick it up or in cases where you make them ask to see it. Jewelry is so small it makes it easy to disappear. I thought of just leaving a few out and most in a case. If its in a stacking shelf system how much space between shelves do you need so the bottom layers would be visible. I already have alot of standard 14" x 8" portable cases with lids on hinges that I keep pendants and earrings in but thought stacking system would allow me to show more.

Thanks for any ideas on what to do or not to do. :P
Tom
Head Fool @ Tom's Foolery
http://www.picturetrail.com/tomsfoolery
Dolores
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Post by Dolores »

I've been displaying my jewelry on acryllic riser sans display case for the last few shows. I haven't yet had anything disappear (knock on wood!) although the worst that happened was some lady dumping red wine on my new white tablecloth..arghhhh. I encourage my customers to pick up, feel, try on, etc. I tell browsers that it's a hands-on booth. I've attacted many a casual buyer this way and increased my sales tremendously! This is the advantage of small jewelry pieces and it encourages impulse purchases. I certainly wouldn't reccommend this to those of you with large plates or vases (unless you really NEED to utilize your insurance plan). I do my settings in either gold-fill or sterling so I suppose I'd be singing a different tune if I dealt in 14K or platinum! Anyway, good luck, Tom. You'll know when you've got the perfect presentation when you see people give you that double take! :lol:

DOLORES
PaulS
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Post by PaulS »

My wife gave me some of the fluffy filler she uses in quilting, it is about an inch thick and I glued it onto a backing board.

I put that in the display case, it looks like a cloud inside the case.

I made up some S-hooks from nichrome wire, stab the fluffy stuff with one end and hang the jewelry off the other end.

Looks good.
It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at!
kelly alge
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Post by kelly alge »

I do much of my jewelry on cards, which I then fit through the slats on sawn-in-half bifold doors. I either hang them from my canopy frame or set them directly on a table- if you're worried about theft, it's a good way to quickly be able to see if something's missing-just look for holes. I think that being locked up or under glass may make jewelry appear more valuable, (and your customer may assume it's out of their price range if they aren't allowed to access it themselves)- but I truly believe that if you can easily get your product into someone's hands (without them having to ask) it will increase your sales. I wouldn't want to haul those display cases around, or keep them clean, either :lol:
kelly alge

"An ordinary life is a crime" -eric schmider
Geri Comstock
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Post by Geri Comstock »

For years I showed my sterling/glass jewelry in these tacky cases meant for baseball cards...really awful. The tops are plastic and were constantly getting scratched no matter how carefully I handled them. But i was selling my jewelry.

Last year, I invested in a $1100 case...very classy and upscale to go with the jewelry image I wanted to project. And my jewelry stopped selling. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. So I asked a friend who's very successful at selling glass/sterling jewelry, who was kicking butt selling hers at a show we were both doing at the time whereas I sold none. She told me to put some, if not all of my work out where people could touch it. I was horrified at the idea, thinking I'd be robbed blind. So i asked another friend who also sells jewelry and she told me the same thing.

Well, since then, I've been putting the more expensive pieces in the case and the less expensive pieces out where people can see/touch them. Guess what? My jewelry sales went through the roof! The fancy case was scaring them off.

I've had one theft so far using this idea ...it was this past weekend. A young boy stole a sterling/glass bracelet from me at a show and was foolish enough to take it to another jewelry to ask him if it was really silver. The jeweler recognized my piece, asked enough questions to realize it was stolen and tried to convince the boy to bring it back to me. He refused, so the other jeweler brought it back to me himself.

I've had jewelry stolen in the past when I didn't put as much out. Both items were bracelets and were stolen by adults. The risk is there. You just have to decide if you want to take it or not.

Good luck at your show!

Geri
Claudia Whitten
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Post by Claudia Whitten »

When I set up for a show, I try to have the same look as a gallery. It takes me longer than other artist to set up. I feel its worth it. I display my jewelry in collected old wooden trays filled with black beans. Lots of commments on the black beans, mostly from men.I use acrylic stands for the earrings. I also use old drawers as risers and to give height to my display. I have both jewelry and larger pieces. I get good feed back on how professional the display looks. I keep improving on the display each show, so I think it's something you grow into........Claudia
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