Making jewellery in the traditional way using practical bench skills should ideally be learned by hands-on practical tuition. Although online videos can be helpful for trade tips, you won’t get a feel for how tools should be held or applied, which is absolutely essential for beginners. And you may not be fully aware of workshop safety practises. I recommend undertaking a local Jewellery Making class to start with. This will help you understand the making process and give you an idea if you have a natural aptitude for working in metals. Projects set by the tutor will be designed to build confid ..read more

Choosing a name for a Jewellery design, range or project is much more important than you think if you want it to helpfully benefit the outcome you require, whether that be sales, exposure or credibility. Making a project name work for you Personal Research or Design Project A name has no importance other than to you in the moment - but what about the future? Your Exhibition pieces could be used in future to promote your skill and credibility as a maker. Peer or Exhibition related project A name should reflect the ethos of a particular project, a collection narrative and you as a jewellery Des ..read more

What next? This is an overwhelming question for many Jewellers and Creatives at the beginning of a New Year. Taking a small step into learning a new practical or business skill can have a big impact on your motivation and be a great non-scary jump start for you and your Jewellery business. Lots of exciting aspirations, can lead to procrastination, hesitation or anxiety, in this situation ask yourself; " What do I need or would I love to learn? " - New skills are definitely a pathway towards new designs. - Getting new techniques provides motivation and skills essential for business development ..read more

The rise of online jewellery sales has magnified the issue of remotely obtaining accurate ring sizes from customers. There are various methods employed to obtain a ring size, such as customer templates, sizing Apps or High Street Jeweller sizing, however with no recognised calibration for ring sizers and international sizing differences, relying on a customer to provide you with their ring size can be beset by inaccuracies, potentially leading to a re-sizing once a purchase is delivered. All of which has the potential to impact on your time, profit and customer experience. Paul Gilfillan from ..read more

Because branding is a snapshot that immediately informs customers about your creative business it's impact cannot be underestimated. These essential tips will help designers or makers build a successful positive brand to use as a foundation to promote their business from. About branding Branding is a collective way for you to describe your work practise that is easily identifiable by your customers or clients. Used consistently it is also a way for you to prove your expertise, credibility and authority in what you do. 1. Why is branding important? Positive professional visual branding is a pow ..read more

Selling what you create is very important and research is key. This is called finding your route to market. You are more likely to be successful in your approach to a retailer of any kind if your work fits in with the type of products they sell. This will mean their ideal customer is likely to be your ideal customer. Finding a good retail match is critical because a retailer already has loyal clients who buy from their store. And they might be interested in your work. Important factors to get right before you begin 1. Ideal clients vs financial implications Decide who your ideal customer shoul ..read more

Jack Row's exquisite luxury writing instruments are prized by those who recognise and celebrate the best of British Craftsmanship. Read more about how and why a Fountain Pen influenced his future in this interview with me at The Bespoke Jewellery Training Company. About Jack Row Jack is an award winning British Artisan and Goldsmith who specialises in design & creation of the use of luxury writing instruments, fine Jewellery and objets d'art. Why did you decide to make writing instruments the main emphasis of your work? This important choice was influenced by my experience of a tradition ..read more

Soldering adjacent jewellery components together and directly onto a curved surface can be very tricky particularly when absolute precision is required. Jeweller Alexis Sanghera from Bonnie Magpie Jewellery has created the video below to demonstrate her effective solution. In this instance 18k gold and silver components needed to be soldered onto the curved surface of a ring shank. This video below demonstrates a clever technique that reduces the risk of movement during soldering that can happen using traditional support tools such as clamps, binding wire or soldering block pegs. This method a ..read more

If you are an Ethical Jewellery Business, having a dedicated page on your website that has a statement supporting what your ethical commitments are is incredibly important for offering proof to customers. This will help them decide why it’s the right choice to choose to buy from your Ethical Jewellery Brand. You just need a few paragraphs setting out which ethical practises your business is committed to undertaking to the best of your ability. Set out how you tackle your supply of raw materials; environmental and sustainability practices as you go about your Jewellery business. · Transparency ..read more

What is Intellectual Property (IP)? This term refers to anything created from your thoughts, any kind of artistic or literary work, in real terms your creative work, designs or ideas. The Intellectual Property (IP) Act dated 1st October 2014 (UK only), added more power to enable creatives in the UK to legally defend their exclusive right to own the intangible assets of their creative work, ie their valuable designs. In simple terms it is designed to help you protect your registered designs from copying (theft). - It should be noted although protection is automatic it is NOT for an unlimited ti ..read more