Blogoforum - vivigirl's blog

GROW YOUR SUCCESSFUL JEWELRY BUSINESS BY SERVING A MARKET NICHE

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:37:29 GMT

There are literally thousands of niches in the jewelry marketplace that can provide a comfortable source of income if you choose to specialize in serving a particular need. You will have a lot more business if you become known as the jeweler who specializes in a particular type of jewelry (for example, plus-size jewelry, men?s jewelry, Victorian styles, wedding jewelry, etc.) than if you try to make all jewelry for all people. By creating jewelry for a specific market, you can usually command higher prices because you?re perceived as an expert in that niche. And a higher percentage of your customers will become buyers, since they come to you already looking for the specific jewelry you sell, compared to general jewelry browsers. Catering to a targeted market will also earn you more word-of-mouth referral business from your customers - 'The bridal jeweler who made my daughter?s tiara has some beautiful wedding jewelry sets too! Let me give you her phone number.' You?ll also be able to pick up a good volume of new customers from non-competing businesses that serve the same market you do. For example, if you specialize in larger sizes of women?s jewelry, you could cooperate with a plus-size women?s clothing boutique to promote each other?s products. This can be as easy as including a business card or introductory coupon from the clothing boutique along with your packaging, while they do the same for you. Your website is also likely to net more sales if you serve a targeted market. One reason is that you?ll have less competition for your products? niche-specific keywords than you would if you tried to serve a wider jewelry market that has more suppliers. And the shoppers who arrive at your niche jewelry website are more likely to buy than general jewelry browsers because they arrived there by searching for exactly what you offer. Here are a few more examples of jewelry niches that have a definite market: - religious jewelry incorporating symbols or elements of a particular faith - school spirit jewelry with school colors and/or school mascot charms - horse jewelry - butterfly jewelry - metaphysical or crystal jewelry - awareness jewelry (breast cancer awareness, AIDS awareness, etc.) - mothers?/grandmothers? bracelets with children?s names on them - allergy-free jewelry - birthstone jewelry - body jewelry - wedding jewelry and bridal tiaras - Renaissance fair jewelry. So go ahead - pick a jewelry niche to specialize in, and enjoy the rewards of becoming known as the guru of that niche! About the Author See how other jewelry-related small businesses fill specific niches in these inspiring jewelry business success stories by Rena Klingenberg.

BUY PEARL JEWELRIES WITHOUT BEING RIPPED OFF

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:50:03 GMT

Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you?re considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here?s some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you?re shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online. Pearls Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials. Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl?s value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated. Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler?s quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre. A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl?s make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin. About the Author Sam Serio is a Marketer and writer. For more on jewelry and gemstones, visit MORNINGLIGHTJEWELRY to get your FREE copy of "How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off." Get your FREE report at http://www.morninglightjewelry.com.

Freelance Profits - Your Skills Are Valuable

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:37:21 GMT

� Imagine getting up whenever you want � Working whenever you want � And doing it wherever you want You may have heard all this before...but the cold truth is that these are just dreams, until you take the necessary action to turn them into a reality. That action...signing on as a professional freelancer with Go Freelance. You see the trouble with doing business online or offline today is "overload". Most small business owners are absolutely crushed by the weight of the small tasks they must perform daily just to keep their sites and businesses alive and growing. You can earn an astonishing living by leveraging the skills you already possess into a lucrative business of your own by providing relief to these people with the chores they face. Copywriting, Programming, Web Design, or Graphics, whatever your skill, people will pay, and pay dearly for your talents. By becoming a Professional member of you'll have immediate access to thousands of projects up for bid, with new projects added daily! Here's what one of our Professional Providers had to say: "I took a chance one day when I was flush and sent a few bucks to gain access to Go Freelance Since then I've edited a sales letter, a follow-up letter, an 11 page website, and a brochure. I'm on call to do pinch-hit proofreading for a medical newsletter editor in Florida, and I've landed a gig editing a new Canadian magazine coming out this fall. All this from taking a chance on Go Freelance." Karyn Martyn Courtesy of the Go Freelance Team