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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> If you buy jewelry, please read this...
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06/08/2003 11:01:28 PM · #1
I hope this won't seem like spam, because I'm not trying to sell anything here. I apologise if I annoy anyone!

Currently, one of the reasons why I don't have the time or creative energy to take photos is that I'm doing a course to develop a small business. For anyone who remembers a bit of discussion I had here about jewelry that Annida and I are making together, it's that :). If all goes well, I'll be given income support and mentoring for a year, and I can work on this full time, with Annida's help in providing me with designs and ideas (for which she gets a share of the profits, of course :)).

For my course, I need to do some market research to determine whether there is a demand for my product. I have to go out and survey people on the street, which is tough for someone like me :(. But I'd also like to get some responses to my survey online, since I would like to sell a lot of jewelry from my website. So...

Anyone who has the time, and who buys jewelry, please help me and Annida out by filling this in:

//www.lisa3d.org/misc/Market%20Research.txt

Just right click on it and save it to your computer, then open it in notepad (or word, or whatever). You may have to turn "word wrap" on in notepad. After you've filled it in, copy and paste it into a private message and send it back to me :).

Thank you so much, to anyone who feels like helping me out.

Message edited by author 2003-06-09 02:34:44.
06/08/2003 11:08:55 PM · #2
The only jewelry I wear is my wedding band, and don't ever wear any other jewelry so I don't think I'll be of much help, but I'll mention that you spelled jewelry wrong in your survey. Also, in question 5, personalized.
I'm in no way a spelling master, lol, but something I noticed.
06/08/2003 11:25:15 PM · #3
Hehe. I used Australian/UK spelling of both those words. I usually use the US spelling of jewelry online, but since I'm using this survey more at home than with Americans, I left it with what I consider to be the correct spelling :P.
06/09/2003 12:32:38 AM · #4
Just going to bump this once today, and then again tomorrow, and after that I won't bug you anymore!

(Thanks for the response I got from cameo :)).
06/09/2003 12:33:10 AM · #5
Originally posted by lisae:

Hehe. I used Australian/UK spelling of both those words. I usually use the US spelling of jewelry online, but since I'm using this survey more at home than with Americans, I left it with what I consider to be the correct spelling :P.


Ah, what do I know. lol My apologies. My ignorance at work here.
06/09/2003 12:49:17 AM · #6
Lisae~you know what I would buy, is some jewelry that fit my daughter. I buy stuff for her but it is always to big. Like the braclets and anklets. They are sizes that fit me. I want sizes that fit a little 4 year old. And the rings....they always have rings for little girls but they also fit me. What is up with that? For myself I don't wear much jewelry, just my wedding ring and mothers day ring.
06/09/2003 12:56:52 AM · #7
Sonifo! That's a brilliant idea :).

Annida wanted us to offer plus size rings, but tiny jewellery for children would be a great niche market too :). I suppose it would have to be adjustable, though, so it can be made larger as the child grows...

Thanks for your input!
06/09/2003 01:04:19 AM · #8
If you make it adustable don't make it to big because I have tried those rings to and they tend to pinch her tiny finger. I would rather buy a ring that fits her a little big then buy an adjustable ring. I can always buy another as she grows. And maybe not use to exspensive stones in it. They loss things so easily.
06/09/2003 01:10:40 AM · #9
How about instead of a stone, we could make a design with some coloured enamel? That would be less expensive, I think.

I'm suddenly thinking of all kinds of neat little designs we could do for children, for pendants and charm bracelets and rings :). Little animals, clowns, balloons, flowers.... Hehehe, Annida will probably kill me, because it's all too cute :P.
06/09/2003 01:14:43 AM · #10
I love the idea of the charm bracelet. I bought her a silver one for like 25.00 and it is so big she can't wear it till she gets 15. grrr...I think the paint is a good idea...she has some necklaces that are silver with pink painted flowers. She just loves them. Good luck!!
06/09/2003 01:18:03 AM · #11
Why don't you use their photographic skills to enamel their picture onto it (modern version of a cameo). Or their initials ... kids really go for stuff with their name or picture on it.

Make stuff for the little boys too.

Message edited by author 2003-06-09 01:18:35.
06/09/2003 01:25:17 AM · #12
Interesting idea GeneralE. I'll have to look into how that could be done! We had ideas of making personalised jewelry with people's names in English, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek, and other languages... but the methods we thought of turned out to be pretty expensive to manufacture, so I don't know if people would pay that much for it. Enameling could be a much more affordable way to go.

What kind of jewelry do little boys wear?

Edit: Actually, when I think about it, enameling isn't going to be much cheaper in personalised jewelry for various reasons... Oh well, I'll keep working on ideas :).

Message edited by author 2003-06-09 01:28:17.
06/09/2003 01:41:00 AM · #13
What are your most-used materials and manufacturing methods? (In general, not the secret valuable part.)

Little boys sometimes have rings, maybe ear cuffs? ... You could make tie clasps and cufflinks to go with that one suit they all seem to get at some point. Bolo ties (string ties) are good for little boys in a less formal dress-up setting.

I suppose the ultimate little-boy item these days would be a personalized money clip ....
06/09/2003 02:09:40 AM · #14
Originally posted by GeneralE:

What are your most-used materials and manufacturing methods? (In general, not the secret valuable part.)


Well there's nothing secret about it! Our comparative advantage is just talent and skill :).

All we're doing is using some very new technology that allows you to design jewelry via 3D modeling on a computer. I have the skills to make 3D models of any design, and Annida has brilliant design ideas, so we've been working together.

I send the 3D models to a place in Melbourne (Australia, not the one in Florida :P) that has one of the new 3D printing/rapid prototyping machines that can turn a 3D model into a real replica, in plastic or wax. They then make a mould of it and cast it in silver (or it could be gold or platinum, etc.). The people who do this can also do enameling, oxidising, and other finishing techniques. Right now we're specialising in silver jewelry aimed at young adults with weird or alternative tastes, mostly because that's who we are :).

So far we only have 3 designs ready to be mass produced, and we've done one custom design for PhotosByAyme from this site :). I can't actually sell anything in a proper, commercial way until I've finished the course I'm on, though, because it's a government thing aimed at helping out businesses that are being developed and aren't operating commercially. Everything we've done so far has been a "feasibility study" ;).
06/09/2003 02:20:32 AM · #15
That's even cooler than I thought--I remember now I want to send you a story related to those machines.

If the one-off production is reasonable, I was envisioning something like an old-fashioned oval cameo, which you "carve" on the computer from their photo. You could put them on rings, as bracelet "charms" or as pendants, either open/flat or clasped/clamshell type.

Should be easy enough to put initials on as well.
06/09/2003 02:27:40 AM · #16
I could do that fairly easily, but it would definitely cost a lot of money. For the experiment we did with Amy's logo, she paid $200 US, and that only just covered the manufacturing. To cover labour costs, we would have to charge even more!

I'm thinking that custom made pieces would be something we could target at business or corporate customers who wanted tie pins for all their employees, or something like that... but if anyone wants to pay for something completely unique, eg. like the technique you described, then we will happily do that for them :).
06/09/2003 02:28:07 AM · #17
First Lisa I want to wish you good luck in your venture. After looking at your survey best I can answer is 10 kt gold or sterling sliver. I wear RINGS RINGS and more RINGS. I have larger fingers and finding rings is a pain but when i find one i wear it and wear it. I also wear an anklet and toe ring during the summer months, and toe rings are hard to find that don't dig into the toe but when you do you don't want to take it off...I have one that is sterling that was handcrafted and was made to fit, I wear it all the time now. When I wear a necklace it is usually 10 or 14kt gold chain occassional a sterling chain. Earrings for me have to have either 10kt gold or sterling posts.
06/09/2003 02:31:44 AM · #18
Thanks :). It would help me if you could fill in the whole survey and send it back to me, but if you can't answer any of the other questions, I'll just include your info in my results.
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