5 biggest blunders men make when buying jewelry for a gift

I love it when guys are buying jewelry for their ladies. It's such a sweet and thoughtful notion on their part. I LOVE to help them! Unfortunately, it doesn't always turn out well, so I wanted to share the top five mistakes guys make buying jewelry:

1. Not knowing the details. I have actually had men buy earrings for a gift and not know if the woman had pierced ears. Wow! Major gamble! Find out as much information about your lady as possible. A good start is to find out a ring size, bracelet size, preferred length of necklaces, color preferences, metal preferences and any allergies.

2. Getting her something she doesn't have. This is only a good thing if you have heard her say that she wants a ".....". For example, if she doesn't own any bracelets, there may be a good reason why. Maybe she has a job where it gets in the way or she would have to take it off frequently. Take a quick inventory of her jewelry and get an idea of what she prefers or take notes the next time you are window shopping together.

3. Not considering the "what ifs". Is your jewelry purchase sizable? Can you return or exchange it if she doesn't like it? What if she likes the pendant but wants a different chain? Understand the exchange and return policy on the jewelry BEFORE you purchase it.

4. Buying something that doesn't go with her body type. Believe it or not, how a piece of jewelry is shaped or formed impacts how it looks on a person. For example, round earrings do not look good on a woman with a round face. A small pendant on a short chain isn't particularly flattering to a curvaceous woman with a large bustline. When you're buying the piece, get the person helping you to give suggestions or even the model the jewelry if necessary to help with the decision making process.

5. Buying something that doesn't go with her style. Buy her something she will wear! If she doesn't go to a lot of fancy occasions, she may not get a lot of wear from a big, fancy cocktail ring. Inexpensive earrings may be a better fit for daily wear. If she does a lot of work with her hands, a ring may not hold up to her rough schedule, but a necklace might fit the bill

Mother's Day is coming up and I am happy to help the guys out there get a special gift for the moms in their lives. Contact me at the KMS Designs jewelry website for help getting your special gift.

Experimenting with new materials

I realize this looks like a jumbled up mess. (It really makes more sense when I'm sitting in front of it.) I had the chance yesterday to play with some new designs for acrylic jewelry. I worked with some handmade papers, colored pigments and clear acrylic sheet. All in all, I'm not sure I got a "winner" out of it, but I think I have a great idea to teach a handmade jewelry project to a class.






I'm a bit anal about what I sell to customers. I want to be sure that it is something unique, wearable and durable. The pigmented powders on the acrylic jewelry were neat looking, but I don't know how well they hold up after months to years of wear. The acrylic pendants I made will end up on the "let me think about it" table. As I have found out in the past, they sometimes can come back to be winners. :)

In the meantime, I will get the acrylic jewelry making class project idea together and will share with all once it's finished.

Is your jewelry protected?

With spring cleaning on everyone's mind, cleaning out a jewelry box might fall somewhere on your list. Did you know that many homeowner's insurance policies will not cover the full value of your jewelry if it's lost or stolen? I recently found an article, Appraising Fine Jewelry. It covers the basic details of what you should have appraised, who you should get to do it, and what you can expect it to cost.

So what do I read?

Jewelry books of course! I do read other books as well, mostly mystery/thriller type books, but I LOVE jewelry books. Any and all of them, whatever the topic. I love reading about different artists' techniques and inspirations. My latest book I am pouring through is 500 plastic jewelry designs. I would dare say it's a "coffee table" book. The picture on the cover says it all; it's creations from artists well known in their fields, no instructions, just gallery shots. I love looking at other people's work, not to copy, but to find inspiration. I love looking at color schemes, and wonder "how did they do that?" I've been through this book about a dozen times now and haven't gotten bored yet. And the glass of wine? That didn't come with the book, but certainly a prerequisite on my end. I love a good red wine!

Spending more time in the kitchen

I realize how strange the title of this blog post sounds. Who wants to spend more time in the kitchen? Actually, I do. I used to do a lot more cooking before my kids were born, but since then, it's a "How fast can I throw something together?" routine. My aunt gave me a subscription to Food Network magazine and I must say that I love it! (The latest issue is in the picture. It's a grilled cheese sandwich with ham, cheese, grilled onions and apple. Yum!) I can't gush enough about their recipes. I would say they are moderate on the complexity, but I love all the new ways to try the "same old foods". I have enjoyed almost every recipe I've made from the magazine and so has my hubby (who doesn't tend to like the "froo-froo" kind of cuisine. *grin* Does anyone have other food and recipe magazines you like?

So along that line, I started my herb garden in pots yesterday. I've only got the basil planted, but the oregano, cilantro, rosemary, and dill are coming. Any other suggestions for herbs? Maybe some mint or tarragon?

Teaching jewelry making classes

I love teaching jewelry classes. It's a great chance for me to meet new people and "get back to basics." I mostly teach classes that don't use a torch (yes, there is a lot of fun stuff you can do without a torch). One of the things I like about teaching is that students look at things with a fresh set of eyes (or "virgin" eyes for the newbies). I will get questions about why you do something a particular way, or why can't you do something a particular way. It actually makes me wonder, "well, why can't we do it this way??" Their perspective is great and I enjoy the listen and learning opportunity.

My class was almost done the other night before I remembered to take pictures. I teach at Gifts of Avalon, which is a bead and metalsmithing shop here in Gainesville. I've known Trude and Rhonda (the shop owners) a long time and they have a great place for anyone crafty! Their staff is helpful and even if you have never done any beading or metal work before, you'll have a new piece of jewelry to wear in no time.





One of the nice things about teaching at Gifts of Avalon is that their student teaching area has ample space. We're not bumping elbows and it's actually a separate part of the store, so we can hammer metal and not disturb the rest of the people in the store. They also have a lot of the jewelry making equipment so I can teach people on the equipment they can buy there in the store to take home and use. I also make myself available to students by email for followup questions and such. (I know I'm guilty of trying to read notes later and thinking, "Now what did she say again???")

Meet Suzanne. She has been one of my jewelry customers for a long time (she's wearing a pair of my earrings -- *smile*) She made a very nice pair that evening that she finished at home with some beads. (I can't wait to see how they turned out.) She also helped me to realize that my house would be cleaner if I didn't spend so much time making jewelry. (big laugh!) Eh, a few dust bunnies never killed anyone.

If you're interested hearing about upcoming classes I'm teaching, you can sign up for my mailing list (right column of this blog) and select the "class and teaching schedule" list.

Photographing Jewelry

It is a beautiful day in Florida. Lots of bright sun and clear skies. This is the perfect day for me to take jewelry pictures outside. I love the natural light for taking pictures. It captures the colors the best and I only have to crop the pictures once I take them (versus using a photoeditor to adjust brightness, contrast and such).

I find a nice place to set up outside to get a good photograph. I always try to take pictures as close to 12 noon as possible in order to minimize shadows. My setup is a Fuji FinePix S7000 camera attached to a Benbo mini-trekker tripod. My backgrounds vary, depending on what I'm photographing. Today, I used a piece of ceramic tile.







So apparently, no jewelry work would be complete without help from my cat Karma. I hadn't seen her for hours and wouldn't you know it, here she comes to help.

So the ironic part in all this? I didn't like how they looked on the white tile. It was too much contrast between the tile and the jewelry. I dug out a piece of stained plywood I had and took pictures of the same jewelry on it instead.

Today's pictures were of my new acrylic and sterling silver jewelry line on the KMS Designs website. The pictures from today can also be seen on the KMS Designs Flickr page.

A change in the way I do business

I love making jewelry. It's a great outlet for me. I also love visiting with my collectors. It's how I get to know what everyone likes and doesn't like. It also gives me valuable feedback on what and where to go next with my art. That leads me to a few announcements:

I am moving towards selling more directly from my studio. What does this mean to my typical customer? If you're local, there are a couple of things:

I am going to be selling my jewelry at more home shows and events directly to customers. I really enjoy the relaxed setting of getting to know people. I will not be doing the Santa Fe Community College Spring Arts Festival in Gainesville next month. I will instead, be booking events at homes and businesses. Anyone interested in hosting an event can email me at kmsdesigns@hotmail.com. By selling my jewelry this way, I can offer discounts and incentives to party hosters and attendees. It's a better situation for me because I don't have to be away from my family for extended hours and be concerned with finding childcare.

I will also be reducing the number of Gainesville, Florida area galleries that I show my work in. Effective March 16, my work will no longer be at the Artisans' Guild Gallery. For those of you not familiar with how the gallery operates, the artist members staff and maintain all the business aspects of the gallery. With three small children at home, I cannot honor my 10 to 15 hour monthly commitment to the organization and must resign at this time.

I am excited that I will be able to teach classes monthly at Gifts of Avalon. It is a wonderful opportunity for me to interact with jewelry and crafting enthusiasts on a personal level. My next class is March 29. Details are on the Gifts of Avalon classes page.

For those of you who are not local to Gainesville, not much should change for you. You will continue to receive top quality jewelry in a timely fashion upon purchase. I have more jewelry to photograph and post, so be looking for new work over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you to everyone for understanding this change. I'm looking forward to offering you more of what you're looking for.

Both pairs of earrings shown are available for $65. Go to the KMS Designs resin and sterling silver earring page to purchase securely through Paypal.

Don't hate it.....just yet anyway

A lot of time, effort and planning go into a piece and/or a line of jewelry. I say that because I think it's hard to people to realize that, as much as I would like to, I can't go "Poof" and produce jewelry. Sometimes I have to plan, design and experiment for years to get the jewelry to a point where I like it AND like to make it. (Case in point, the resin jewelry was a three year process of experiments and prototypes.)

I tell you this here because sometimes ideas pop into my head and I have to work on them right away. I had an idea of combine acrylic and handmade papers. I had the idea in mind that it would be similar to a line of sterling silver jewelry I did a few years back, but this time it would be with paper. (The point of all this is coming, I promise.) Anyway, I made the prototype and I didn't like it (brown one on the far left). I decided I didn't like the width, so I improved on the next version (pair in the middle). This time, I didn't like the second pair either, but I couldn't decide what I didn't like. Was it the paper, the texture, the size?? I set them aside, thinking they would end up in the prototype file. I really didn't want to hate them, but I certainly didn't like them. (The pair on the end is the finished "likable" pair.)

I sometimes charge my sub conscious mind with the duty of "fixing a few things" while I'm sleeping, and this design was one of them. I was lucky enough to wake up the next morning with the design improvement I was looking for! I just needed to round the edges a bit. It still gives the same shape, but just "softens" them up a bit. I felt better and love the look. (These are the same two earrings from above, just a closer shot.) At least for me, the earrings don't have that rigid, "geometric" feeling.

This makes me wonder. What else have a thrown in the scrap pile that deserves another look?

The earrings shown here are acrylic with handmade paper adhered to the back. They have sterling silver french ear wires and have a protective coating to make them water resistant. The retail price is $10. Wholesale inquiries are welcome.

No, I don't sleep much

I get asked a lot how I manage to get everything done. The answer is, "I don't sleep much."

I have three small children. They pretty much run "wide open" during the day. The only way I can get any amount of uninterrupted work done is to work while they're sleeping. This might be during a early afternoon nap, but I would say 50 percent of the time, I only get about 45 minutes of time. I usually prioritize phone calls and emails then since most people aren't in the office at 10 PM. So, I'm usually up before 5:30 AM and up until about 11 PM "taking care of business." (I suppose the first thing I will do when they eventually move out is to sleep for a weekend or something.)

Oh yeah, my house is also a mess and my husband works at the grocery store, so he does all my shopping. That leaves me more time to make jewelry.

Buying jewelry for a gift

With the holidays upon us, I know people are considering buying jewelry for a gift. I am happy to say that a lot of my jewelry gets bought for gifts. I wanted to share some of my thoughts and experiences with the blog readers to help them make the best decisions for purchasing jewelry for someone else.

1. Get to know as much about your recipient as possible (discreetly if you can).

• Does the wearer have any allergies? The one I see most often is to "nickel silver" (which isn't really silver at all).
• What does your gift recipient normally wear? If she normally only wears earrings, now is not the time to get her a bracelet.
• Can you find out appropriate sizes of her current jewelry collection? Is there a particular chain length she likes? Find a ruler and measure the length of her pieces in her jewelry box.
• Does she actually have pierced ears? I've seen people get wire/post earrings for women that they're not even sure have pierced ears!
  

2. Earrings and necklaces are generally better choices than rings and bracelets if you don't much about your recipient.

• Earrings and necklaces are generally closer to a "one size fits all" types of pieces. Bracelets and rings require knowing more about the recipient's exact size.

3. What color (if applicable) would the recipient like?

• People make the mistake of "Well, she always wears blue, so I'm going to get her something red." Wrong! She wears blue because she LIKES blue. It's always a good choice to get someone more of what they like.

4. Is my recipient going to care for her jewelry completely or would something easier to care for be in order?

• Does your jewelry gift recipient have the time and knowledge on how to care for their jewelry?
  
• Can she keep the piece clean and maintained properly? Sterling silver pieces in humid climates (Florida especially!) will tarnish very quickly if not cared for and stored properly.
  
• Are you considering an "everyday wear" type piece or is this something that is considered a "special occasion" piece?
  

5. Always ask the person or store you are buying from what their return and exchange policy is.

• Can the recipient return or exchange the piece if she doesn't like it? I typically offer a 14 day return policy and a 30 day exchange policy on my pieces.
  
• Can you get a gift receipt? I am happy to offer a gift receipt. This is important in cases such as Christmas where the purchaser may be buying the piece several weeks in advance of the holiday.
• If you have questions or concerns about the returns or exchange policy, always ask! I am always happy to work with customers if they let me know up front what the concerns are. For example, if some is buying a Valentine's Day gift in mid January, I am happy to extend the return period until after February 14 to let the recipient have time to decide if she likes the piece.
  

6. Ask what the warranty is on the jewelry considered for purchase.

• Ask for instructions on how to care for the piece. I cannot stress how important this is! Unfortunately, I have had to repair several pieces I have made for customers because they weren't careful with wearing and cleaning the piece. If you aren't sure about your piece, have a professional give advice on how to clean and care for your jewelry.
  
• Ask for directions on how to return the piece to the artist/store for repair if necessary. Any good store should have the ability to repair your jewelry or recommend you to a reliable person for repair.

I hope this helps everyone this month. I will be posting more information over the next couple of weeks on how to purchase individual styles of pieces and such. Happy shopping!

Thornebrook Art Festival wrap up

I had a great time at the Thornebrook Art Festival in Gainesville this past weekend. I got a chance to catch up with customers and friends and enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people. I shared a preview of my new work with resin and recycled glass, (which was given away in a drawing --- watch for the next blog post to see the winner) and had some of my remaining sterling silver and 14k gold work on sale. For those of you who expressed sadness that I wouldn't be making the semi-precious stone jewelry again, don't despair! You never know when it might show up again. :)

I've included a few pictures from the Thornebrook Art Festival show.


In the meantime, I am working on my new line of resin jewelry in the studio. I will be posting pictures on this blog. I welcome comments and encourage everyone to ask questions. I am happy to share my processes. I am also redesigning the KMS Designs website to correspond with the new jewelry line. I hope everyone finds it a bit more user friendly.

The new resin and acrylic jewelry will be shown for the first time at the Downtown Festival and Art Show, downtown Gainesville, November 14 and 15, 2009. If you would like a reminder of the event, please register for my mailing list (link found at the right side of this page).