Necklace Displays S and T Creations

First we tried the now dreaded string tags! While it seems they stay out of the way, these things will tangle, so unless you love the challenge or want to seel items in miscellaneous lots, I'd probably suggest using something else.

For now, the "sharkskin dumbells" are our tag of choice. Sharkskin means it's difficult to tear, and realistically has to be cut off, so they aren't easily removed or traded. On a traditional earring card, you can write the price on one circle, put that on the front of the card, then merely fold it over and hide the other side on the back. These will go around your necklace, bracelet, or pin easily. The back circle can also contain a marking, as long as it's short---initials, the year the design was created (or I'd recommend a code for that myself so it's never obvious to a customer that something was designed long ago). If you price things by color, it's also very easy to grab some hi-liters and mark the $5 items blue, $10 items yellow, $20 items red, and so one.

If you use cardstock, you can of course write directly on the card. If you then wish to change the price, you can simply put a sticker tag over that and write the new price down.

INFORMATION While I have not added these yet, I have always wanted to develop a small hangtag that would describe the pieces, the gemstones, its name, perhaps our logo and contact information, and maybe a "handcrafted" notation. One of the wonderful things about making artisan jewelry is being able to tell the client a little of the designs "story." Besides the components, you might mention the inspiration for the piece or an interesting story about how those beads are made. If you know the lampworker tell a bit about ordering the beads. If you found these on a distant trip, or they were imported that can be added. If you made the clasps yourself, or wire wrapped the pendant, mention that. If you used a kiln or a tumbler, that is interesting. Perhaps the owner needs to know something about how to care or clean this piece. All these add value to your design, by make the piece of jewelry "alive."

OK, yes, we do have many black velvet display busts that we drape necklaces on and then we can hang matching earrings on the top. But there are lots of other options besides these traditional displays.

VASE or POTTERY I personally use these for my pictures in my etsy store, you will see photos of that here. I found one with the correct shape. Here are a few ideas. If you can, take a 20 inch necklace with you and see how it looks. You need something with a neutral color (you can drape material over it if you need it darker, such as crystals or white/cream designs). Be sure the design of the vase itself is neutral too or your jewelry design will get "lost". However, besides photos, these can be wonderful to display those center piece designs on, so they get a main focus at your booth or table. Check the dimensions AND the angles of your piece. This one almost resembled shoulders (my pieces won't fall off) and it has a bit of a larger "chest" so pendants will hang.

BUST or DRESSMAKER DUMMY I think these are the coolest yet! Stand one of these in your booth and show off that special design. These work very well for longer necklaces or those you want to wrap and drape to show them off. If you are in a boutique ask them to dress the dummy and pick out a coordinating piece of your jewelry. By changing that up every few weeks, they create a combination sale possibility. A head bust, on the other hand, looks better of course, with a choker-length piece. Some of these even have holes for pierced earrings in the earlobes.

SEASHELLS BY THE SEASHORE: This can actually be used to display earrings and bracelets too, so I may repeat this in other hubs. Using natural display items that complement the gemstones and beads in your design makes a lovely display "theme" for your work. For instance, if you design pieces with pearls and shells, find some large half clamshells and drape your piece across it. Or use a shallow tray, fill it with sand and drape some shell necklaces across it, like you'd find shells on the beach.

T-BARS These are easy to make yourself. See my description in my bracelet display hubpage at: http://hubpages.com/hub/Bracelet-Displays-S-and-T-Creations

Across Quilt/Blanket/Material You can display a neutral color fiber piece on a wall or across the side of your booth, or even draped from above one of your display tables. With small hooks you can hang the necklaces in rows. This, too, I think works best with necklaces that are generally the same size and weight, without pendants (IMHO). You can have these at a slight curve so they look quite natural. They can easily be removed from the hooks and re-attached as needed.