Designing Jewelry for Teenagers - A
Profitable Market Niche.
by
Rena Klingenberg
Teenage
jewelry is an important and lucrative market niche.
Today’s 12- to 19-year-old crowd shops for fashions
more than any other age group.
Fashion market analysts say that American teens
currently spend $33 billion a year on fashion and
beauty, with over 90% of them shopping for clothes and
accessories at least once a month.
For many teenagers, fashion is an important part of
establishing their identity. Jewelry, clothes, shoes,
and hairstyles can set young adults apart or make them
fit in. In this age group more than any other, what
you wear symbolizes what you believe, who you are (or
want to be), and what group you belong to. Teens also
have fun experimenting with fashion and color as their
own personal style evolves.
You may want to consider having at least a small
section of your jewelry business cater to the teenage
market. A considerable amount of jewelry is bought by
and for teenagers - both girls and boys - for four
main reasons:
1. This age group is always looking for something new;
a typical teenage fashion trend lasts only six to
twelve months. In my own experience, it's very rare
for a teen to pass my booth at a show without stopping
to look carefully at nearly everything in my display.
2. Jewelry is a popular gift for adults to give to
teens. Especially around gift-giving occasions, I
often have adult customers asking me, "Do you have any
jewelry for teenagers?"
3. Many teens love to shop, and many also have a
sizeable amount of spending money. Their income tends
to be stable since it comes from multiple sources
(parents, part-time jobs, babysitting, gifts) - and
most of their income is disposable.
4. The teenage population is growing, and this
demographic is expected to continue for several years.
That means that spending among this group will most
likely increase.
Tips for Designing Jewelry for the Teenage Market:
* The entertainment industry is the most significant
influence on teen fashion and beauty trends. Watch
what's being worn by young celebrities, pop stars,
alternative bands, etc. Check in on MTV occasionally,
and thumb through teen-oriented magazines.
* Ask a few teenagers you know for jewelry ideas and
feedback. You may be surprised by their insights.
* Visit a Hot Topic store, if your local mall has one.
* Keep in mind that teenagers generally don't want to
wear anything their parents would wear - so whether
*you* would wear a particular piece of jewelry is not
the best barometer of its marketability to teenagers
(unless you're a teenager yourself, of course).
* Spirituality is an important issue for teenagers.
Young adults are exploring their beliefs and tend to
like symbols of philosophies they want to be
identified with. Spiritual jewelry tends to appeal to
a significant portion of teens.
(Examples of spiritual elements that can be
incorporated into teen jewelry include crystals and
healing stones, crosses / fish / WWJD, star of David,
and other symbols of major religions. And don't forget
about the appeal of alternative spirituality,
symbolized by elements such as Buddhas, chakra-rainbow
jewelry, ankhs, Quan Yin, etc. You might want to
choose just one or two religious directions to
represent in your teen jewelry line.)
* Stock some tempting impulse-purchase items. Teens
have a low resistance to impulse buys, and a price
point of $15 or less can make a tempting piece of
jewelry irresistible.
* Body jewelry is hugely popular among teens. Remember
it doesn't always have to be pierced styles -
nonpierced body jewelry is widely worn among this
deomgraphic. In warm weather, teens will be
susceptible to tempting displays of affordable ankle
bracelets, toe rings, barefoot sandals, and other
styles that can't be seen under winter clothes.
* Young ladies aren't the only ones who wear jewelry.
Young men are wearing more of it now than ever before.
In general, masculine teen jewelry has a rugged look,
with materials such as leather, hemp, rubber, pewter
or silver, and beads.
* The majority of teenagers shy away from jewelry
styles that are too far over the top. Teen designs
need to balance "cool" with "wearable".
Writer
and jewelry artist Rena Klingenberg shares thousands
of tips for selling your handcrafted jewelry in her
www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com
website. She also publishes jewelry marketing secrets
several times a week in
www.jewelry-business-blog.com.
How to Care For Silver Jewelry.
by
Alice Stacy
Silver
jewelry has a lovely patina, but the sad fact is that
the patina darkens with age, turning from the original
brilliant silver, to a light gold, and if left long
enough it will become bronzed and then a black/blue.
This is
due to the chemical reaction of the silver, with
sulfides present in the environment. This is usually
due to airborne pollutants, but can also be
transferred to the jewelry on your hands.
One of
the first rules of keeping your silver jewelry
shining, is to store it properly in acid-free paper,
or cloth especially for that purpose. Put them in a
drawer or other safe place, that is away from exposure
to wood or other types of smoke.
It is
best to keep jewelry polished, instead of trying to
play "catch up" when it has become heavily tarnished.
But there are a number of ways to deal with the
darkening color.
There
are many home solutions, such as using white
toothpaste and a soft brush. However, some jewelers
point out that silver is not tooth enamel, and cant
withstand the abrasive content. Although on things
like chains, its unlikely you would see any resulting
scratches.
Commercial solutions do work, but depending on the
nature of your jewelry (e.g. whether it contains
gemstones or pearls), you may not be able to submerge
it completely, and the cleaning will be uneven.
One
basis of both commercial and home cleaning solutions,
is the creation of an electrochemical cell, where
there is a metal ingredient that is anodic to silver.
This means that it will help turn the silver in the
sulphide tarnish, back to silver.
A
favorite home treatment is to line a pot with aluminum
foil, one of the metals anodic to silver, put your
jewelry in, and cover it with water, then add several
tablespoons of baking soda. Boil gently until you see
that the discoloration is gone. Your jewelry may be
completely clean, or may have a white powder on its
surface from the oxidization. This can be removed
easily with a baking soda paste. Remember to exercise
caution in cleaning silver jewelry. If it is not
purely silver, like a chain or bracelet, the treatment
you use can damage soft stone or pearls.
If you
love jewelry, why not make a career out of it? Visit
http://www.jewelrysalesbusiness.com for company
profiles and connect with representatives.
Changes in silver jewellery fashion.
by
Robert Kelly
Silver
seems to be in with a capital I. More and more
people are turning away from the expensive spectrum of
jewellery like gold & platinum set with diamonds or
other precious stones in favour of rhodium plated
silver set with cubic zirconias or other semi precious
stones. The process of rhodium plating has given
silver a whole new look, but most people do not even
know what rhodium is. Rhodium is from the platinum
family of precious metals and is one of the rarest
elements on earth! Rhodium is bright white in colour
and extremely hard making it ideal for jewellery
plating as its very scratch resistant. Rhodium has
been used for the last few years to plate silver
jewellery as it is very resistant to corrosion, so
will protect your silver from tarnishing. The rhodium
gives silver a shine that looks like white gold or
platinum and with it still being a precious metal it
means that you are not compromising with quality, just
saving money. Rhodium plating or "platinum enhanced
sterling silver" as its sometimes known, means that
your silver will not go dull and grey like silver
items from previous generations, but instead will
sparkle brightly like platinum.
Major fashion houses like Tiffany are producing some
stunning lines in rhodium plated silver, along with
other major designers like Gucci and Christian Dior.
When rhodium plated jewellery is combined with semi
precious stones, you get a very desirable look at a
very affordable price. This allows people to change
their jewellery much more frequently than before due
to the affordability and wear it without the great
fear of loss that we all have when wearing an
expensive piece of jewellery. This also makes great
common sense as more and more of the countries police
authorities advise against the wearing of any
expensive jewellery when out in a busy place at night
like London etc.
The semi precious stones for next season have to be
peridot and bright cubic zirconia, there is still a
strong influence of men and women wearing cubic
zirconia instead of diamonds. The quality of cubic
zirconia are so good now it is very difficult to tell
the difference between a CZ and a good quality
diamond. For a fashion item why spend hundreds on a
diamond when a CZ will cost a fraction of the price,
look very much the same and do the same job?
The future of jewellery and in particular silver is
rosy. Women will always want jewellery, and no woman
will ever have enough earrings or rings in her
jewellery box. Silver is becoming a more precious and
scarce material. With modern manufacturing and high
standards of machine jewellery rather than hand made
items the versatility is not only promising but also a
method to be watched intently.
Robert Kelly is a director of
www.iluvm.co.uk
and a keen writer of jewellery related articles. He
can be contacted through the
www.iluvm.co.uk
web site.
Antique Silver.
by
Sarah Manners
The
History of Silver
Centurys ago when silversmiths first started working
with silver they discovered that it was far too soft
to work with and had to be assimilated with other,
more resilient, base metals before it could be moulded.
It is due to this discovery that from 1300 BC all
silver metals had to be tested to show that they
contained more than 92.5% silver.
This hallmarking system has survived to present day
without much change. It is these hallmarks that
provide silver collectors with their most important
identification tool. Hallmarks are stamped by the
Official Assay Offices, together with the markers own
mark, so you can identify where, when and who made the
pieces of silver. You can also learn to tell if the
style of the piece is consistent with the date
indicated by its markings. Although this hallmarking
system of marking was most rigorously applied in
England, most countries have some form of identifying
marking system. For example Mexico use numbers that
signify the quality of a piece.
Antique Appreciation
An antique is described as being an object which has
reached a certain age and has become a witness of a
previous era in human society. Antiques are usually
objects that show a high degree of craftsmanship and
attention to detail and design. In a todays society an
antique is above all an object whose atypical
construction and age give it a market value superior
to similar objects of recent manufacture. Silver is a
valuable commodity amongst those on the antique scene
and despite changing fashions, old silver pieces
remain collectable.
Antique collecting is becoming more popular amongst
society as a whole, where as in the past collecting
was thought to be a hobby enjoyed only by those who
enjoyed wealth and a certain social standing. More and
more people are becoming educated in antiques and are
beginning to see pieces of value in their own homes.
Television programming such as BBCs "Cash in the
attic", "Antiques road show" and "Bargain Hunt" have
done wonders in educating society about all things
antique.
Researching Antique Silver
Determining whether your items of silver are valuable
or not is not as hard as it may sound, you could have
it professionally appraised or you could take the time
to do some research at your local library or on the
Internet. There are a number of facts that make your
research easier, particularly the official hallmark
and the stamp indicating the craftsmans name. They
immediately disclose the item in which the item was
made and by whom. There are a few key items of
information that will make your research easier: what
is the markers mark, the decade in which the item was
crafted and so on. There are many websites dedicated
to antique silver online and you could even enter into
a web discussion with its members who may be able to
offer you some valuable information about your silver
collection.
Silver Plating
Silver plated articles also have considerable
antiquarian value. Good pieces can have up to 40
microns of pure silver electro-plated onto a base
metal, usually copper or nickel. Years of abrasive
cleaning may often have worn away some of the silver
plating, but this is looked upon as proof of age and
such items should not be re-plated or they will lose
considerable value. Silver service cutlery is all
silver plated, with traditional patterns like Kings or
Queens being very collectable. Whilst silver plated
pieces have obviously less value than solid silver,
they are often much sort after by collectors.
Silver Collectors
Some silver collectors devote their attention to a
specific pattern while others collect a particular
maker, era or item. The silver you chose to collect
does not need to adhere to any of these specifications
- dont be afraid to mix and match. When purchasing
silver, signs of use do not always detract from value
and damage may or may not. In fact slight damage on a
rare piece will not significantly reduce value, if at
all. Be wary of buying tarnished pieces as it can
easily be hiding wear, damage or repair. Ask yourself
why someone selling such items has not cleaned them to
show them at their best. So inspect tarnished items
with particular care. Having a monogram on an item
will often detract from its price. This is much more
common on silver plated rather than solid silver
pieces. Sometimes attempts have been made to remove
monograms, damaging them as well as lowering their
value. Make sure that you are educated enough to be
able to spot repairs that have been made to items as
well as forgeries that do crop up at less reputable
markets or websites.
Caring for your Silver
Looking after antiques is the most important part in
owning them. They need to be taken care of properly to
ensure that they remain valuable, attractive and
collectable. Whether your silver is modern or antique
it is very important to take proper care of it as its
value and beauty are prized. Always maintain your
silver with a non-abrasive cleaner. Every time you
buff and polish you remove a fine layer. Over the
years such treatment removes hallmarks and eventually
removes the silver plated surface. Museums use an
electrolytic process which is quite harmless. These
are available for domestic use and remove tarnish in
seconds.
Tarnishing (oxidisation) occurs when silver is exposed
to the air. Items that are not for display like
cutlery can be kept airtight in a drawer wrapped in a
cloth - otherwise they will need cleaning each time
you use them.
Storing Silver
When storing silver the best way to keep it safe from
harmful sulphur in the air is to seal it in an air
tight container. This said it is not always practical
to store your pieces in such containers. In cases like
this a sachet containing activated charcoal can help
to reduce tarnishing significantly. Activated charcoal
is effectively an air scrubber which removes
pollutants like sulphur from the air around your
silver. It is also a good idea to keep a bag of
activated charcoal in your display cases or jewelry
box. Charcoal can only absorb a certain amount of
sulphur before it becomes ineffective so sachets must
be replaced at least once a year. After prolonged
storage, your silver will need to be cleaned, but if
stored correctly it will be a far less daunting task.
Dont use ordinary newspaper to wrap the silver or use
elastic bands to bind several pieces together. After a
while the rubber will bond to the silver as the band
deteriorates and rots, leaving a stain, as will
newspaper. Instead, use acid-free paper to wrap items
and store where its not damp.
Appreciating your Silver
To ensure that your items of silver remain in the best
possible condition whether they are antique or modern
pieces it is imperative that they are cleaned and
stored correctly. Silver crafts are valued works of
art that should be treasured. Hold on to pieces of
silver and treat them well, it will only add to their
value in later years.
Caring
for your antiques is the most important part in owning
them but this doesnt need to be as hard as it sounds.
The
Qwicksilver company have patented a non-abrasive
electrolytic cleaning plate that quickly removes
tarnish under water in your sink. They also offer
advice on proper care of your antiques.
|
