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How To Make Jewelry From "Household Treasures"

Almost everyone has a box of sparkling old buttons from Grandma's sewing chest to marvel at, or set of dominoes, checkers or mahjongg pieces rescued from a flea market. Maybe they have a partial Scrabble game and perhaps even a collection of colorful, fifty-one-to-a-deck playing cards purchased at an antique store tucked away in a drawer. Gather your treasures together and start earning extra income now!

Strap those buttons on a piece of elastic to create eye-catching bangle bracelets. Glue the dominoes, checkers, and Scrabble pieces onto earrings or pin backs for guys and gals. Whatever the material, mount your artwork on one-of-a-kind playing cards for good money in a rewarding home jewelry business. In addition to having the satisfaction of creating fun gifts for family and friends out of "heirloom" materials, once the word is out, relatives will often send along their extra buttons and collectibles. This helps build your inventory, resulting in a minimal investment for supplies.

The season for successful jewelry selling is year-round, since the pieces make wonderful birthday and Christmas gifts, as well as fun wardrobe accessories anytime. Men, women, and children can wear these buttons, domino, and checker pins and earrings, so the sky is the limit for profits. You can embellish bags, purses etc. with buttons. And this business can be worked out of your home part or full-time.

Bev Rice is one designer who not only models what she sells, but delights in the pleasure others have in purchasing her sporty art. Like most business entrepreneurs, Bev started out "needing to make a living," and she wanted to combine her love of going to flea markets with creative, artistic urges. She took her first product, a "rigger" domino with a tell-tale crack, to her husband, who polished the domino to sheen and bolted it to a pin back. Earrings and pins can be made without drilling, however. Just purchase an inexpensive glue gun from the neighborhood hardware store, or sturdy "glue dot" stickers, as well as earring and pin backs, available wholesale. "What's more, anyone can do this," says Bev. INVESTMENT. Bev estimates start-up costs can be less than $500 because of "miracles and mitzvahs."

While Bev did read a couple of start-up books, such as Working From Home, and Small-Time Operator, (similar books can be obtained from the library) she advocates getting a business license from City Hall (if your area requires one) and an invoice book from a stationery store. Then just start-up. The jewelry maker recommends that once you are in business, get a sales tax resale number from your state's taxation bureau to make quantity purchases at jewelry supply stores giving wholesale discounts. You will also be able to legitimately write off business expenses at tax time. To record money earned and money spent, and to keep track of what pieces are on consignment or out for a jewelry party, Bev recommends keeping an inventory sales book.

Anybody can do it who has a set of buttons." Most people have "secret stashes" of buttons, according to Bev, and should be encouraged to be creative. She recalls that her mother had a beautiful set of buttons and her grandmother had lovely pieces of mahjongg set. And jewelry making "is a nice way to keep those collections alive." But if one is not ready to part with treasures, then items can be purchased at flea markets. Buttons of quality range form a penny to $8 or $10. The old glass and semi-precious stone buttons can be considered a study in texture from a jeweler's point of view. But ordinary plastic buttons, which comes in all shapes and sizes, make perfectly creative and whimsical materials, too.

 Jewelry prices depend on time, materials, and what the market will bear. Simple Scrabble pins make great holiday stocking stuffers or children's birthday party favors and sell for $1.50. Antique button pins that look wonderful on a blazer lapel can start at $25 and well-made button bracelets can retail for between $25 and $50, depending on quality. Domino earrings and pins can run from $16 to $26. Vintage collectible mahjongg and bamboo bracelets may wholesale from $88 to $250.

Another method is to network with a friend to find trustworthy places that will take a chance on your work. This includes consignment at clothing or gift boutiques and possibly museums or art gallery gift stores, where a percentage of the profits are kept by the store upon sale. "Most rewarding," says Bev, "is when stores buy outright, because it keeps your cash flow going." She has refined her product line to where she can market it almost exclusively at the high-end retail level.

But Bev avoids the large chain stores because, she says, "it can be heaven or hell." Mostly it takes a long time to get paid and a big store buyers can cancel on a whim an order that has been rushed into production.

Craft fair profits are tied into the costs of entry fees, booth space rental, and transportation to the fair. Some fairs require the artist to be present to sell their work. Depending on regulations, this can pose problems for the jewelry maker who has hired a sales representative. Sales generally depend on the ability of the individual seller and the quality of the neighborhood crafts to help draw customers. Sometimes a percentage of sales goes for a worthy fund-raiser. Also, many artists really enjoy displaying their wares in a festival atmosphere where they get a chance to meet and learn from each other. FESTIVALS. "Game pieces make people smile," says Bev, "and are made to be touched."

Bev is occasionally invited to display her jewelry as part of vintage fashion shows where a friend is already selling and the artists dress up in appropriate period costumes. Or she might do a weekend show where she is given space to set up in a clothing boutique where a sale has been advertised. The store often sends out postcards notifying customers of the sale and perhaps a flyer noting an artist appearance. Bev says that she enjoys these, but points out that the store claims 30 percent of her sales. Also, selling all weekend can be very demanding.

Since Bev has been in business ten years and knows her market, she understands how her pieces sell best, and certainly what is cost-effective for her business. Personal referrals now account for 30 to 50 percent of Sport in Life sales, and 30 percent in repeat business. Someone starting out may need to try all avenues to see what kind of customers are attracted to a particular jewelry style.. Besides word-of-mouth referrals by friends, and boosting sales by wearing the jewelry, a jewelry representative can bring up the bottom line of profit. Bev estimates that referrals from a rep who worked for her several years ago added another 10 percent to sales. "If you can find one who likes you and you like them - they can be a buffer zone between you and the public," says Bev. "That individual becomes the Mary Kay of jewelry." Because Bev now handles the business herself, she advises taking it "one step at a time." She would like to teach people to gain self-esteem from their work and says she feels it is important for people not to underprice or undersell themselves. "Otherwise," she says, "they could just go get a job!" Because people are always buying.