Repairing Handcrafted Jewelry uses your jewelry making talents and will usually present some unique challenges. Instead of making a Fashion Cuffs from scratch, you usually need to take someone else’s jewelry pattern and find beads to replace missing or broken jewelry pieces that either look similar to the rest of the jewelry piece or at least compliment it. Repairing jewelry requires a slightly different approach to purchasing jewelry supplies because you’ll want to have lots of clasps, seed beads and stringing materials available. You’ll also need think about using a nice technique to track what jewelry pieces you have on hand, what you’ll need to order soon and where you can get them for the lowest price. Here are some other tricks to remember when you start repairing jewelry for you and for others:
- Remember to get a bit creative, especially if you have to fill in missing beads, but check with the customer first. Some people demand that their jewelry to be fixed to the exact condition it had before, some don’t mind small bead or clasp changes.
- Watch out for structural aging in older jewelry pieces. Even though a clasp is not broken, you may want to recommend replacing it before it does break.
- Remember to price yourself in line with the going rates. Often times you will be fixing a jewelry piece that holds a sentimental meaning or is particularly liked by your customer. You’re providing a service of not just fixing a piece of jewelry, but often you’re helping restore a memory or feeling!
Lastly, you can often charge just as much to fix a piece of jewelry as you would to create it. But because are often working with existing jewelry supplies repairing a piece of jewelry can be a lot more profitable. Don’t forget to have fun with it! Both repairing handcrafted jewelry and creating your own jewelry are creative ways to earn some extra money, but it’s up to you to find the right balance to keep you smiling and profitable at the same time.
Source: Arts and Craft World
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