Commissions

[jazzactivist]

Ooh! I'm so excited. This morning I received three emails enquiring about commissioning items of my jewellery. All are from people who came to my stall at PromArt, but didn't buy then. One will be really good fun, as it is to be a secret birthday present for the man's new wife and will involve some jiggery pokery. I also received a phone call yesterday asking if I can do a repair on a church candelabra, which is a bit scary. I'm going to look at it to see what is needed and if I think I can do it, and another silversmith that I know has kindly said that she will help me by supervising my work on it if I need some moral support. Gosh, it seems that my new life might be taking off, and I am not sure whether to be really happy or really terrified!

[franbee]

That's excellent news Jazz! you should be very happy, commissions can be very rewarding.

[buecherwurm]

Congratulations Jazz. It seems you made the right decision when you stayed with silversmithing instead of looking for a new job. I would be scared about repairing the candelabra as well, but if you have your friend advising you it should be alright, I think.

[Crocus]

Be very happy of course! ...with perhaps a tiny, teeny bit of fear which is good.... You've worked so hard for this and congratulations by the dozen!x

[cindy]

That's excellent news, Jazz. Hopefully these commissions will lead to more and you will become a full time silversmith

[Oola]

Hi Jazz, fantastic news. Of course it's scary because you're taking yourself out of your comfort zone. But give yourself a chance and you'll find that you're more than capable, I'm sure. Well done!!!

[Oola]

PS Is there any way we can see any of your creations? Have you got something like an Etsy shop yet?

[jazzactivist]

Thank-you all for your continuing encouragement. Not yet, Oola. I have been going full steam at just making enough items for my stall. It is a lot of work to set it up from scratch. Once I have enough of a general stock (about 100 pieces) then I can change my focus to setting up a website, etsy / folksy, and organising a seasonal e-newsletter etc. Here's a photo of three rings from my stall to keep you going, and I am just getting stuck into making some more dressy ones using large smoky quartz stones. My next project is a long chain with some of the links in the architectural style of church windows from around this area, as there are some really nice ones around. Thanks again everyone, and thanks too for the instructions on how to make a home made light box for photography, Oola. OH and I are going to get stuck into it this weekend so, hopefully, I'll have some better photos of my work soon.

[dragonfly]

I'm pleased it is going well for you Jazz. Don't forget us when you are rich and famous will you. I love the rings, they are really different. I have seen the work of a few silversmiths recently. I would normally pass them by but because of the interest you have generated I stop and have a look. There were some really nice pieces at the Malvern show last week but they were very pricey. I suppose they have to pay a lot for the stall at such a large show.

[Crocus]

Those rings are lovely Jazz! I agree with DF, don't forget about poor us when you're famous! X

[jazzactivist]

I don't think that's going to happen in a hurry, DF and crocus. I am just a small scale silversmith, and at 48 years old am unlikely to win any big awards etc for my work and get famous! I will just be very happy to bump along making a living at it, if I can, as I love doing it and also chatting to people who come to my stall for a look or contact me about it. I am trying to keep my work as affordable as possible, based on the feedback from Musers and what I am attracted to, so most of my items are in the £20 - £40 price range, and nothing is over £100, but there is a huge range in price for handcrafted jewellery and I'll just have to judge the most sensible prices as I go along. I'll stick to the cheaper stalls most of the time, as I think I might be in contact with a steadier stream of people that way. I have been to lots of big craft fairs where everyone is looking and not many buying, and know that stalls at ones like Malvern can cost £1000 per day, but then I suppose there are more people and you only need to sell a few items at £500 each!

I'm glad that you have started to look more closely at silver items since my postings, DF, as it can be a really fascinating interest just as a buyer. I could have kicked myself the other week as I spotted a lovely silver cruet set in the window of a charity shop for £65. It said that it was made in 1920 by one of the famous Birmingham silversmiths (the home of UK metalsmithing and jewellery-making). I didn't buy it, as I thought it was a bit expensive for my purse, but when I went back for another look it was gone...

[Crocus]

That happens quite a lot Jazz to me too Jazz - I'm not an impulsive buyer, and when I see something I like, I will give it a think, (especially when it's something I don't really need), just to go back and find it's sold!