Ways to Promote Your Jewelry

As you've read in this blog, we've been selling our sea glass jewelry at art fairs and festivals. We've also been selling them on the web at Etsy. Etsy is a large website that hosts stores for artisans, suppliers and vintage sellers. Etsy is an easy way to get your product for sale on the web as they provide the website, simple steps to get started and also a check out/buying cart. I would recommend Etsy to artisans just getting started on the web. You a can see our Etsy store at http://sistersjewelrydesign.etsy.com/

Okay, so we are on the internet, but how do people hear about us? Find us? Well, at festivals, we give out our cards which list our Etsy site. We list our site on all our emails underneath our names. This is advertising and a way to promote our sea glass jewelry, but it isn't enough to just be on the internet. The internet is HUGE, so we have to do things to promote our site. First, we joined liked minded sites to promote our Etsy store like Facebook - you can see my Facebook page of Sisters Jewelry Design at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sisters-Jewelry-Design/328818121698 there you can like our page and tell others about us. Also I joined a site that promotes Etsy artists called "We Love Etsy," http://etsylove.ning.com/ This ning site gives you a home page where you can talk to other artists and/or advertise your work with pictures and comments - like - "hey, look what I just created." We also pay for a small site on Handmade Spark which is a marketing service for people on Etsy. What I like about Handmade Spark is you can find everything we are doing in one place, ie., blogging, shop, twitter etc. You can click on this following url to go see my site on Handmade spark -http://www.handmadespark.com/myspark/SistersJewelryDesign

Here is a badge they give to you to put on your sites then you click on the sign and off you go to my advertising site. There are other sites to promote your website/store on the web and just a few are Linkedin, Stumbleupon, Handmade Artist Hangout and more. You can twitter about your jewelry - promote your work! There are so many ways to promote your art on the web even this blog is a way for me to share and PROMOTE our sea glass jewelry.

You can spend hours promoting your work on the web or you can hire other people to do it for you. You can spend money on Google ads, we haven't done the ads yets because I want to have a website first. Hours and money can be spent on advertising.

We've also tried a few unconventional ways to promote our sea glass jewelry. My sister Shirley belongs to several charities and is often called to help decorate or set up an auction, a dinner, a lunch. Recently, she was involved in a charity where you buy a table and invite friends. Well, often when you buy a table at an event you can decorate it the way you want! Shirley decided to do a center piece of sea shells and our sea glass jewelry. Here are a couple of pictures of the table (sorry about dimness of photo).

Note how the sea glass necklace on a card lays over the napkin or is tied around a star fish.

One man at the table did take a necklace home by mistake - his wife called Shirley the next day to say they had her necklace. Our jewelry wasn't for sale at the event, but everyone at the table got a good look at some of our pieces. You never know when someone needs a gift and will remember something they saw recently - like our sea glass jewelry. You can also contribute a piece of your art to a charity for auction which is a great way to promote your product.

Another way, we advertise our jewelry is by having it in a case at Shirley's Travel agency. The case filled with jewelry sits on a side table and above the case hangs a picture of sea glass jewelry. Sometimes, someone takes a look and/or even buys a piece. Here are a couple photos of Shirley's set up -

The above ideas are just a few ways we are trying to promote our sea glass jewelry. It is an ongoing learning process. We'd love to hear from you readers if you have any suggestions.

Stay tuned as next we tackle creating our own website!

Santa Cruz Sea Glass Festival 2011

Krista Hammond's Booth Santa Cruz Sea Glass

Krista Hammond's collection of Sea Glass

The first weekend of November 2011, found Steve and I heading up to Santa Cruz, California, for the Santa Cruz Sea Glass Festival hosted by Krista Hammond at the Cocoanut Grove on the boardwalk.  This would be our second time attending the festival.  We were excited and the long drive didn't really bother us.  After checking into our hotel, we headed to the Cocoanut Grove - www.cocoanutgrovesantacruz.com .  

At the Grove, we found our space and quickly set up displays.  We would keep the jewelry with us and set it the following morning.  We strolled the room and met up with some other sea glass artists that we'd met at other shows like Joan the Surfer and Don The Beachcomber.  Here's a picture of Joan setting up their booth.

Joan setting up Don The Beachcomber Booth

Joan is a really fun person and I'd met her up at the Fort Bragg Festival earlier in the year.  At Santa Cruz she gave me a sea glass marble which I cherish as I've yet to find one myself.  


The next morning we arrived early and started laying out our sea glass jewelry.  The room was a buzz with artists setting up.  Here are a few pictures of vendors getting ready for the day.

Beach Glass Bingo Artists 

Lewis Jewelry

Kira and a friend

Kira and Gary Ruvo have been sea glass friends for awhile and we love seeing them.  You can find Gary's work at  www.theglasscrafter.com    Gary is a very talented silversmith and both Steve and I are in awe of his work.   Kira is a talented graphic artist and sea glass beachcomber.  She has found wonderful sea glass including vaseline glass which you use a black light to see the colors.  This year, Kira created a beachcombing kit which sold well.  She also had her sea glass puzzles which are really fun.  


There were 35 amazing sea glass artists at the festival this year.  And here are a few pictures of some of the artists with their displays -

Joyce of Jewelry By Joyce Chadderdon

Victoria Roberts' Angels

We met Victoria up in Fort Bragg earlier in the year.  I love her sea glass angels.  So pretty.  You can find Victoria's creations on Etsy.  


On one side of our booth was Mary Jessen who sold handmade soaps.  We talked a lot between customers and I found out that she owns her own farm and raises many of the herbs and flowers used in her soaps.  Here is a link to Mary's site where she sells her soaps, and much more - www.Deerhavensoap.com .  

Victoria Roberts at Mary's booth

Now for a few shots of our booth - Sisters Jewelry Design -

Earring Board and necklaces

The other side of booth with pendants and necklaces

Closeup of Shirley's Crochet Necklaces

It was a fun weekend.  We sold a lot of sea glass jewelry, saw some old friends and made some new ones.  We had planned to eat out every night with some other sea glass vendors, but both Friday and Saturday nights everyone, including us, were too tired to make a party.  Krista Hammond who put on the festival treated everyone to appetizers on Saturday night which everyone enjoyed.  Steve and I ended up alone for dinner all weekend, but hey, that was good too.  Twice we ate at the FireFish Restaurant on the pier.  The seafood was excellent - try them if you are in Santa Cruz - firefishgrill.net    Monday, we were back on the road heading to Palm Springs.  

Next we decide to create a web page of our own.  Will we hire someone?  Or try to create a website on our own?  Come back to find out what we learn and what we do.  

Click on side with pictures of our sea glass to go to our Etsy website.