Red Nymph Jewelry
Jewelry is one of the most popular things to make and sell online. Perhaps you’re DIY-challenged but have an incredible online business idea and an existing audience and are looking for a creative way to make money.
Determine your products
Whatever your motivation or skill level, understanding how to start a successful jewelry business at home or anywhere comes with its own set of considerations and complications.
One of the first questions to ask yourself is: fine or fashion? Or maybe your interest lies somewhere in between. Each category has its own materials, production process, price point, and customer profile:
Fine jewelry
Made with precious and semi-precious metals and gems
A higher price point
Made with excellent craftsmanship, usually not mass produced
For the luxury/wedding/special occasion customer
Fashion or costume jewelry
Usually trendy
Made of inexpensive or less expensive metals and materials (beads, wire, plated metal, plastic, synthetic gems, etc.)
A lower price point
Can be mass produced
For the everyday customer
Other/in between
This category covers everything else, from jewelry made with mid-range materials (textile, metals, semi-precious gems, wood, 3D printing, etc.) to jewelry defined as art (collectible, made to order, one of a kind) or highly skilled craftsmanship
Emphasis on design and uniqueness
Price point varies but usually mid-range
Occasion/statement, design-savvy/collector/gift-giving customer
Once you’ve narrowed down the broad category for your startup jewelry business, it’s time to carve out a niche for your products. Start by defining your ideal customer (classic, trendy, brides, socially conscious consumers, etc.) and decide whether your products are occasion specific (wedding, party, everyday, etc.). This will determine how you market them to your target audience.
Jewelry trends
Researching trends is one way to determine (and validate) your chosen direction, and it’s an important step when understanding how to start a jewelry business online. Read fashion and jewelry blogs and publications and follow influencers in the space to stay on top of trends for each upcoming season. Using Google Trends, you can also see broad global search volume for a particular term.
Alternatively, you might look into adjacent trends or consumer habits, such as the appetite for customizable experiences like engraving, or ethically sourced materials.
Somehow I felt like, just by fluke, I found a market for something new without meaning to, But it was just my taste. Nobody else was doing that, noting that shiny silver was the trend at the time.
Now, though her collections evolve with trends in the jewelry industry every year, the common thread is a recognizable look that defines her brand and secures repeat business.
Finding jewelry design inspiration
Success as a newbie in any facet of the fashion industry depends on strong aesthetic, unique design, and consistent branding. Before hiring a designer to develop branding and individual pieces, business owners should run through a few exercises to define your overall signature style.
Depending on how you like to get inspired, you may set up Pinterest boards, design your own digital mood boards, use a jewelry design mobile app, or even assemble inspiration physically on a bulletin board or in a sketchbook.
Collect images, colors, and textures from nature, architecture, fashion, or travel, and then identify themes that emerge. Never stop being inspired, I’m always drawing inspiration and collecting inspirational images, no matter where I am.
Define your brand
Remember, brand is different than branding. Brand is your voice, mission, vision, and your brand story. It tells your potential customers how to feel about your products. Fashion purchases are often emotional, and emerging brands can win customers by connecting on a personal level, even through something as simple as a business name. Tell your story through your About page, inject yourself into your social media posts, and share the process and inspiration behind your designs.
Packaging, logo, and website design for your jewelry brand
The next part of how to start a handmade jewelry business is branding. Branding refers to the more tactical elements that represent your brand visually—logo, packaging, business cards, and your website.
Once you’ve established your products’ aesthetic, chosen a business name that resonates with your audience, and nailed your customer profile, it should be easier to identify an overall look that will define your brand. This is an essential step, even for a small business, so don’t rush it.
You don’t need to make an expensive and complicated website if you want to know how to make jewelry a successful business venture. On the low-cost end, you can set up a Shopify store with a free theme and develop the logo yourself using a free online logo maker. We also have resources to help come up with domain name ideas should you need some inspiration too.
Keep in mind that you’ll still want to reserve some of your budget for professional product photos. We’ll discuss the importance of photography for jewelry later in this post. With these tools, it’s easy to see how to start a jewelry business at home.
For larger budgets, work with a designer to translate your vision into a full branding package for your business—from the logo and website to packaging and marketing materials. Peruse the portfolios of Wed site Design Experts to find a designer whose work resonates with your tastes.
Writing a business plan for your jewelry brand
A formal business plan may not be necessary if you don’t plan to pitch your idea to investors or seek other forms of outside funding at the start. However, checking out a few business plan templates may be a good exercise to help you understand your target customer, goals, business model, costs, and growth plan. It’s also helpful as you learn how to run a jewelry business.
Start production
Jewelry production: factory outsourced, Rather than making the jewelry with your own hands, you can have your designs manufactured by someone else. This isn’t ideal for fine, custom, or jewelry, but it can be cost-effective for fashion jewelry produced in larger quantities. There are two main options for outsourcing to wholesale providers, if you want to know how to start a jewelry business at home:
Local manufacturing
Benefits
“Made local” appeal
Possibly faster/more reliable shipping
Easier to verify reputation and build relationships
More opportunity for oversight (visit to factory)
Downsides
Higher cost
Less choice (fewer manufacturers, limited materials)
Possible limit in production volumes
Overseas manufacturing
Benefits
Lower cost
Usually more options regarding materials and process
Ability to scale to larger volumes
Downsides
Communication barriers (cultural, language, time zones)
Less oversight and control
Minimums may be high
Manufacturing and ethical standards may differ by country
Accurate sketches or 3D renderings of your designs are necessary if you’re outsourcing to a manufacturer. There are several options, depending on your skill level and budget:
Manual design tools:
1) pencils, sketch paper, jewelry design templates
2) 2D or 3D general design software: Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketchup
3) Jewelry-specific design software (best for fine jewelry): RhinoGold, MatrixGold,
4) Jewelry production: Print on demand
The most hands-off production method involves uploading your designs to a print-on-demand app. Your original designs are 3D printed or recreated in stainless steel, wood, plastic, gold, or silver and shipped directly to your customers.
Set up a jewelry business studio or workspace
If you elect to make the jewelry in-house, you’ll need a workshop space for you and your team. When setting up this space, consider the following:
Maneuverability. Consider the flow of the space, especially if the assembly has multiple steps—do you move from one station to the next in a logical sequence?
Safety. Some chemicals or tools involved in jewelry making require proper ventilation and safety precautions. Check with local laws governing use of these substances and processes.
Storage. Well-organized multi-compartment storage is essential for small parts.
A jeweler’s bench, a flex shaft, and your safety would be the most important considerations,” The flex shaft is a wonderful and versatile tool that you can use for drilling, finishing, and polishing your pieces. She also advises using a face mask and safety googles—and for those with long hair to pull it back so it doesn’t get caught.
If your production team is larger or your requirements are a little more complex—as with metal work or silversmithing workshops—consider commercial space outside of the home. If it’s out of your budget at launch, look into co-op studio space or share the costs of space and equipment with other creatives. Gillian splits her studio with two other businesses.
Space sharing also helps combat entrepreneur loneliness, something Corrine is familiar with herself. “After doing Biko full time for a while, I ended up working at a retail clothing store once a week just to not be lonely at home in my studio.
Jewelry equipment and tools
There are several online resources for how to make jewelry online, including wholesale jewelry making equipment, tools, and supplies, including precious gemstones and raw metals.
Gillian relies heavily on word of mouth when it comes to her wholesale suppliers. “Don’t be afraid to ask other designers where they find their supplies, she says.
She also attends trade shows and industry events to continue to expand her network and discover new materials. “My favorite place to source the newest stones and silver findings is the Tucson Gem and Jewelry Show, There are thousands of vendors from all over the world.
Take professional photos of your products
Don’t skimp on photograph, even if you’re on a budget. A professional photographer is skilled at making models feel comfortable and setting up complicated lighting. Other additions to your photoshoot team include stylists, makeup artists, and assistants.
Hiring models doesn’t have to break the bank. There are always people who are looking to build their book or willing to work for products, It’s not about taking advantage of people—you’re all new to the game. If you get a group together and join forces, you can create magic together.
When shooting your photos, it’s also important to offer several different views and angles of your products within these two categories:
Detail/product photos shot on a clean background minimize distraction and highlight the details and different angles of the piece. These photos can create a clutter-free, consistent look on collection pages.
Lifestyle photos shot on a model show scale on the body and suggest styling ideas to customers (often great for upselling—you can nudge customers to combine multiple pieces into one look). These shots can work on product pages or in a lookbook and are generally better for social media posts.
Looking for more ways to cut costs? Partner with complementary apparel brands to reduce photography expenses or lend your jewelry pieces to fashion editors for photoshoots in return for product photos and exposure.
Looking for more ways to cut costs? Partner with complementary apparel brands to reduce photography expenses or lend your jewelry pieces to fashion editors for photoshoots in return for product photos and exposure.
Build your online store
Now that you have your production, brand, and photography nailed down, let’s put it all together. In a matter of hours, you can set up a functioning online store.
There is a huge opportunity to make money selling jewelry online—the industry is expected to reach $58.9 billion by 2027. Here are the five steps you’ll need to know to start your jewelry business.
Choose your niche
To set yourself apart, you’ll need to pick a niche, which is the type of jewelry you plan to offer. Here are a few different options you can choose from:
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Costume jewelry: Costume jewelry tends to be trendy, made of inexpensive materials and affordably priced. It’s a good option for the everyday shopper and will usually have the broadest appeal.
Fine jewelry: Fine jewelry is made of high-quality materials like precious and semi-precious metals and gemstones. This type of jewelry won’t come with as much demand, but you can sell it at a higher price point.
Handmade jewelry: Handmade jewelry is unique and not something you’ll find in most stores. But there could be a limit to how much you’re able to earn with a handmade jewelry business.
Find a manufacturer
Unless you plan to make your own jewelry, you’ll need to find a reliable manufacturer. There are limits to how much jewelry you can design and sell on your own.
A manufacturer will allow you to grow and scale your business. And if you want more control over the design process, you can work with a smaller manufacturer to custom-make the jewelry based on your designs.
When you’re looking for a manufacturer, it’s important to find one that is trustworthy. You need to know that they will make jewelry out of the materials you asked for. It’s a good idea to ask for recommendations from other business owners and request samples before ordering any items in bulk.
Unless you plan to make your own jewelry, you’ll need to find a reliable manufacturer.
Decide on your pricing
Next, you’re going to need to decide on the pricing for your products. Pricing can be tricky because you want to be competitive. But if you price your products too low, it will hurt your ability to earn a profit.
It’s a good idea to spend some time doing market research to see what other jewelry companies charge. That will help you determine a realistic pricing range. You’ll also want to evaluate the value your jewelry brings to your customers.
For instance, do you offer unique, custom-made pieces that your customers can’t find anywhere else? If so, this may be worth a higher price point to your customers.
Set up your online store
Now that you’re clear on your product and pricing, it’s time to set up your online store. You can always start with a third-party seller like Etsy or Amazon, but this isn’t always the best option. It’s hard to get traffic on these sites and grow your business over the long-run.
Setting up an e-commerce store on Shopify, Squarespace or Wix is most likely the better way to go. These sites are relatively intuitive to use and make it easy to get started and quickly launch your website.
Outline a marketing strategy
Finally, you’ll need to come up with a plan for marketing and selling your jewelry. When you’re just getting started, there are plenty of free marketing strategies you can take advantage of.
For instance, blogging can help you improve your store’s SEO and drive more traffic to your website. You can also build your audience on social media. And don’t forget to take advantage of word-of-mouth marketing—your friends and family may be more than happy to promote your new business.
Once you’re generating some revenue and you have a better sense of who your customer is, you might consider investing in paid advertising strategies.
If you’re an entrepreneur, the first step to starting a business is to decide which industry you want to be in. Making jewellery gives you creative freedom and allows you to customise your audience to suit your interests. Better yet, the sector makes roughly $38 billion, so there is more than enough demand to help your brand succeed.
Fortunately, jewellery comes in all shapes, sizes, and styles, so you have total control over the types of pieces you want to make. Also, be sure to figure out the kind of jewellery you’ll craft, such as bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, and more. Although there are tons of options, some common styles include:
Fine Jewellery – You can make high-end pieces for wealthier clients if you have access to precious stones and metals.
Vintage Jewellery – You can create pieces that look and feel like bygone eras, such as the 50s or 60s.
Ceramic Jewellery – Clay is a cheap material to work with, so you can make a wide array of products without breaking the bank.
Indigenous Jewellery – Pieces that use cultural influences can make a powerful statement.
2) Make Sure There’s An Audience For It
While there is plenty of demand for handmade jewellery, you need to make sure that you can find enough people interested in what you’ll be making. There are a few ways to find an audience for your pieces, such as:
Social Media Groups – Join online clubs that discuss jewellery and see what people are interested in the most. You can also start your own group using pieces you’ve made already and gauge your audience’s interest.
Keyword Research – If you’re planning to sell online, you should know which terms people are searching for the most. You can use keyword tools to see what you audience are searching for and which words keywords get the most traffic. From there, you can determine how your style fits into that category.
Fashion Blogs – Bloggers and fashion writers are always looking for the next big thing, and they can give you insight into the top trends happening within the industry right now. Finding smaller blogs will also help you widen your audience once you’re ready to sell. Reach out to the blog owners, let them know what you’re up to, and see if they’re interested in promoting your work.