It is my pleasure to have invited Adelin from
http://mytreasurestoyou.blogspot.com/ to join Handmade Jewelry Club. She specializes in polymer clay beads and would be good source for you if you are looking for clay beads. The following is the interview with her.
Tell us about yourself such as where you are base, other than jewelry making, what is your full time job?Hello to all the artists! I am Adelin and I'm born in the sunny island, Singapore. I used to work full time in a local airfreight company and switched to making jewelry for friends and then start out an online site to showcase my works. Then by a chance, I worked with polymer clay and realized that it was much more fun churning out beads to let other jewelry artists to use in their works! And of course, I am still maintaining my jewelry site as well!
Do you intend to make jewelry making your full time profession? Yes, I finally found passion in a career, why should I give up? ;)
How did you start doing jewelry (or beadmaking) as a business? Do you specialise in specific Why?I wanted to hand make something for a friend back then and I figured that jewelry making was the way to go. And once I started making one piece, I just could not let go of the tools... And so, an online site was born and now I have merged with the works of a Canadian jewelry artist at
http://niko-ad.blogspot.com/ !
I started with ear rings and explored the possibilities of making pretty bracelets and necklaces. I just make whatever comes to mind, whether it is a pair of ear rings, a long necklace or a bracelet.
And as for bead making, I prefer making unusually shaped beads and charms. I found it uninteresting to just make lentil or pillow beads. I diversify the kind of bead shapes that I can make. It is a fun process in brainstorming. At times I also get inspiration from close friends and my husband.
When people start doing jewelry, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them, tell us how has your jewelry work changed since you began?
Oh dear... this is so embarrassing! I must say that my first few attempts at making jewelry was awful! You know, ear ring hooks break, beads break, dents here and everywhere... I'm sure you can imagine the mess that I've made!
And it was only through some painful process then did I manage to polish my skills up a bit... no more broken beads!
My earlier works were simple and now I have incorporated them with wire wrapping. I also included my own hand made clay beads! Swarovski crystals and semi precious are used more often and I make stuff with *bling* (shine). My works can be extravagant or just simple casual looking. I do not have a fixed style.
What would you like to work with/or what skill would you like to learn that you haven't yet?
Hmmm, how about glass bead making?
How many hours a week do you spend in the creative side of your business vs… the business side?
I make beads and jewelry as and when I like. Though I try to make at least one set of beads per week and one jewelry piece every fortnightly.
And as for the thinking process, it normally happens throughout the day! I just can't keep my mind off my beadworks and jewelry.
What inspires you creatively?Photographs. The rich vibrant colors in them stirs the creativity in me. The feeling I get from each photograph was poured into my bead sets. I also gather some ideas from my husband's photography.
Where do you sell at primarily-website, brick & mortar stores, shows, etc. Based on your experience, where is the best place to sell jewelries?
I sell my beads online at
http://mytreasurestoyou.blogspot.com/ and my jewelry with Nicole (a very friendly Canadian jewelry artist) at
http://niko-ad.blogspot.com/ . Both sites accept PayPal for international orders.
I've also tried renting of stalls in my area but they didn't wield much results. Maybe the target audience was not right back then. But I managed to give out my namecards to whoever looks interested walks by. So people, do a check and take a look at the type of people walking by the area where you want your stall to be! Prepare namecards too. Always remember to put a smile on your face. =)
Do you sell mostly to customers of your local market? What are the main issues you face in selling to international market?
For a start, most artists' selling market is based locally. It's much easier (and faster) to receive payment when you're in the same area. Then when things settled down in the local market, I add in an additional mode of payment for international orders.
One of the issues that I faced for overseas orders is that, payment normally takes a long time (do not forget the different time zones!). And there's also this currency conversion that we have to pay when using PayPal. But, I'm sure that jewelry artists who sees a potential in using my beads for their work won't find this cubbersome.
Can you tell us about some important goals you have achieved with your jewelry work?
I have my own 2 online sites that feature all my works and have found more friends through them. And I have also learnt more different styles in designing my beads and jewelry. Goals are never ending, realization matters.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested doing jewelry as a business?
Passion! It's always passion and sincere customer service for me!
Do you have any big/exciting news or different directions for your business this year or year 2009?
Late this year, I managed to set up a site with a friend who lives overseas. It was not easy as we live in different time zones and we have to re-categorize our works for easier reference. This is a great step as we can get to show our local friends and customers what the other can do!
For the year 2009, I wish to bring our jewelry site to greater heights and may even get my bead site to be a registered company!
Who are some of your favorite artists and crafters?
Lilian Chen and Nicole Mohoruk.
Adelin, I wish you all the best for your business venture. Cheers!
