Chinese Sterling Silver Findings

Sterling silver findings from China vary a great deal in terms of price and quality. You really end up getting what you paid for. In general, quality has improved dramatically in the past 5 years and many sterling silver findings made in China are now world-class.

There are ISO 9000 certified companies, many of which house Italian and German machinery to make their findings. The prices from these companies are not cheap, but they run about 15% less than Italian and Israeli companies for comparable items. The intricacy and precision in many sterling silver pieces will often be higher from these Chinese factories. I have found them willing to make difficult to make sterling silver findings which the Italian, Israeli and Indian factories are not willing or able to make. Many Chinese factories use the latest CAD machinery in their model making. Asians like precision designs, and appreciate machine made perfection, much like the Germans do. However, Asians like either a cutesier or more elegant look, whereas Germans appreciate a more minimalist industrial look. And because of this, Chinese factories have been willing to invest in machinery to achieve this look in their sterling silver components, and they have large talent pool of fine craftsmen, whose art has been passed down from generation to generation from which to draw. You can find some of the sterling silver findings which I've designed and got made in China: Double Hollow Pears, Circle Pendant with Leaf Filigree, Leaf Pedants , Circle Filigree Pedants and more.

I have also dealt with some Chinese factories that just can't make good sterling silver findings, no matter how hard they try. And generally, these are the common characteristics that are visible at tradeshows: their designs are thick and chunky, their samples have visible solder marks, they don't understand North American taste (and thus, generally its quality expectations). You can spot, and should stay miles away from these sterling silver suppliers. These factories tend to be much more labour intensive, and for sterling silver findings, there are some designs which you can't make by hand, let alone cost-effectively. Especially with the labour shortage of late, many factories rely on unskilled labour from northern provinces in order to maintain competitive prices for sterling silver findings. Price of sterling silver has risen, so raw material cost has exacerbated the situation. Always do a small test order, if you must import yourself. Try using a buying agent whenever possible. They have much more business leverage and the factories are much more eager to satisfy their demands than a small independent. The agent will charge you 10 -15% for their services, but it is well worth it. However, wholesale prices for sterling silver components has been driven so low by competition that quite often, the margin is only 3% to 7%. So, it is much better to just order from your local suppliers than to venture and risk getting burned and working extra hard. And we haven't started talking about travel costs.

Chinese factories in the past, in keeping with common Asian custom, will never embarrass a customer by saying no to an order. However, they just don't deliver or respond when you enquire. This is no different for sterling silver findings factories, which predominantly serve the western market (Asians still prefer gold, or if costume jewellery, they like base metal). However, this annoying custom is changing as the markets have opened up more. Nonetheless, it is up to the customer to push for things, be it better quality, or more timely delivery.

I've become increasingly happy with Chinese sterling silver findings suppliers. Some of the best quality sterling silver findings I've had made come from the 3 factories I work with. They've bettered some of the best Italian and Israeli sterling silver findings companies we work with.

To see some of the sterling silver components that Stones and Findings carries (that we import from all over the world), click here!

Communicating the Right Message

FINDING THE RIGHT HOME FOR OUR STERLING SILVER CHAINS



I wanted to buy a safe to house our sterling silver chains. We have a lot of finished chains that we keep in 16" and 18" lengths [link for figure 8 or satellite]. And we wanted to move the chains away and create more room for our sterling silver findings. On the recommendation of the building management, I drove out to see a company selling and delivering large safes. I want to share this story with you because it punctuates my thoughts on proper marketing message.

I spoke to a man named Gabe. He gave me the directions and I was to drive 40 minutes to Scarborough to see a man named Phil. I know lot about sterling silver chains, nothing about safes, and even less about Scarborough. I wasn't impressed driving past a temporary garbage transfer dumpsite they've put on a beautiful park. So, this wasn't starting off very well. I get to the bottom of the bridge over railroad tracks and turn off to a seedy industrial road. It's been raining and the potholes are shiny with muddy water. I take note of the peeling paint on all of the little squat cement and sheet metal buildings and I'm rethinking why I need a discount on the safe. I'm looking for number 61 and I can't find it. I see 57 and 63, with a building in between. There is a truck that reads Scarborough Waste Disposal. The windows of the building are all boarded up. I hear a guard dog barking and I wonder if it is a German shepherd or a Doberman. I can't outrun either one and I still can't find any sign of the company name anywhere. I call the owner again. He insists that I am at the right place and I need to walk down a lane and find the side door. Remembering that I am a mother of 2 and all of the lessons I've learned from the CSI television show, I call my own office to leave a message of my whereabouts, and to leave a trail of evidence wherever I can. I walk down the lane, under barbed wire, and approach a pile of old lumber and broken locks. A man with tattoos up to his ears opens the door. I ask for Phil, and without a word, he thumbs the door behind him. I pass the rusty door and enter a room full of debris and old lumber. There was not a safe in sight. I am as far away from my world of sterling silver chains as possible at this moment. A very large man with a buzz cut approaches. He looks more like a Bud than a Phil, but I'm too nervous to think about it quickly utter my name and who sent me, all the while trying not to stutter or seem nervous. The Doberman is in the back of my mind, or is it a German shepherd. "What size are you looking for?" He asked as he walked past me without any formalities. I reply "Big,....like my height." He turned around and, with a straight face, said "you're not very big." I laughed and admitted out loud that he was the wrong person to say that to. At that time, another tattooed and baldly shaven man walks by. I see more broken lumber on the floor and not a decent safe in sight. I am now seriously wondering if I've made a horrible mistake that will cost me more than just lost time. It felt like a room from Silence of the Lambs, only with more hardware, and all I wanted was a cheap safe for our sterling silver chains.

I am writing this in the safety of home, so the story ends nicely. The guys turn out to be very nice, though I must have been as foreign to them as they were to me. However, the situation did not leave me feeling confident, even though we will likely buy a safe from him since he furnishes most of the safes of high security neighbours of our building. I am certain that I would have a lot more after sale satisfaction and confidence, and was willing to pay a lot more, if they had made a bigger effort on the marketing message. A proper showroom, fewer tattoos, more working models, proper lighting, and less refuse would have gone a long way. However, the guys are good people and this was perhaps totally oblivious to them.

You should always know who your customers are, what they want to know about the product and service you provide, what is of value to them, and what would signal to them that you're going to stand behind your product. From that, you can create the proper marketing message.

All of this said, I am sure I am not communicating the high quality and great designs of our sterling silver chains properly. Perhaps we are as incongruent to you as the tattooed big boys selling safes were to me. I'm thinking I should tell them what I think. You should certainly tell me what you think.

To Look through some of our great selection on Sterling silver chains, click here!

Jewellery Moms and Parenting Coach

I work full time in designing sterling silver jewellery components, and making jewellery. I also have 2 small children. Although I have a nanny to help care for my sometimes sweet, but often challenging, children, I know I need more reinforcement. I use a Parenting Coach and I highly recommend this support service to every parent, working or staying at home. Unlike a life coach or therapist, a Parenting Coach specializes in giving advice to parents on parenting and helping parents understand the family dynamics that are taking place around them.

Before my first child was born, I read What To Expect When You Are Expecting. And after she was born, and I had a glimpse of her strong characteristics, I read Raise Your Kids Without Raising Your Voice by Sarah Radcliffe, and Giving Your Child The Gift Of Inner Discipline by Barbara Coloroso, and many other books on child rearing that I could find at the local and airport bookstores. They are all very good books, with a few novel tips from each, particularly Parent Talk by Shapiro and Skinulis. However, neither books nor parenting magazine articles were able to address some of the more specific obstacles that I had with my child's behaviour. This is inherently true of all such media, they must be fairly general and cannot take into consideration of one's specific circumstances. I have yet to read any article about a mom who has to put sterling silver jewellery components way up high, after she's finished designing late at night so that her 2 year old won't eat it for breakfast, at their condo that is not much bigger than a walk-in closet, and the mom has to travel to jewellery trade shows. If you have read such an article, please send it to me so that I can compare notes.

By fate, I bumped into a long time customer of my jewellery business, Patricia Lee. I've been raising money for charity for many years and twice a year we're open to the public for a few days where the proceeds of the sale are donated. At each event Patricia and I would chat about children, and it all started with my comment that her children are unusually well behaved and polite. We see many at our events and often I think mothers shouldn't bring their children. They are bored and displays get knocked. Sometimes they'd pull things apart because they like the shiny sterling silver jewellery components . It's just not fun for them, or at least it shouldn't be. I was not yet pregnant with my first child but I was curious about hers and they inspired me to think that it is possible to have wonderful and well behaved children of my own one day. She would always have great advice and clear insight. I never asked her what she did for a living and just assumed she was an accountant because of her thick glasses and tidy appearance. I assumed she was just a skilled mom , and there are many far better than me at the job. Last year by a chance meeting, I found out that she is a professional life and Parenting Coach and happened to be meeting a client in my area.

The time was ripe and our meeting was serendipitous. My husband and I were struggling with a bunch of behavioural problems with my older child and more disturbingly, a serious problem with one of her friends for which we were at a loss for a solution. I'll tell you about the problems and her advice another time. I became a client of hers. I already knew that her advice and views would resonate with me. I also like the fact that we could choose to work over the phone, and this convenience factor is very important to me. Parenting Coach fees are similar to those of any therapist, but she does give preferred rates based on what the parents can afford, and she often works pro bono and has volunteered working with native families on reserves. I received a preferred rate of $85 per 45 minute session. She said it's because we're friends, but I think secretly she knows I don't make much money from selling sterling silver jewellery components because the margins on silver is so low.

Our Parenting Coach session began with a series of broad ranging questions, including what do I hope to gain from our sessions, and what do I hope to see in my children. This was followed with more specific questions to help her fill the picture. And very quickly I was able to start addressing some concerns I had. Her advice have always been very specific and practical, and thus far has really helped us improve our communication with our daughters, helped give them age appropriate tools with which to express and channel their emotions. It has also given us insight into our own expectations as parents and has allowed us to adjust them appropriately. More importantly for me, her advice has helped me better cope with busy parenting and allow time for designing sterling silver jewellery components, and be a cheerleader for my husband.

I have since shared the lessons learned from my sessions with our child's kindergarten teacher, whose teaching skills and passion for teaching I also greatly respect. She is very keen on other parents also receiving this service and has expressed this to the school's principal. We plan on creating group sessions for parents who cannot afford the time or expense of private sessions or who just want to sample some of the advice.

I greatly advise Parenting Coach services to all parents. Like athletes, many parents can be great and naturally talented, but a coach can help take you to a higher level and allow you to perform far better than you would otherwise with just effort and practice. I am a talented jewellery components designer, as are many of our Stones And Findings customers are talented jewellery designers, but parenting requires much more time, effort and clarity for a great job to be done. Unlike a gold medal, the reward of well adjusted children who go on to be productive members of society keeps giving back. It is worth so much more and is never ending.

Sterling Silver Components Trunk Show

Recently I've been approached by a bead store to see about doing a trunk show of sterling silver components at her bead store. Stones And Findings has some of, if not outright, the best sterling silver components in Canada. We design many of our own findings and carry unique designs from European jewellery component designers. So, it came as no surprise that she would want us to do this at her store. She's certain of its success and was willing to do all of the preparation and tagging work. My surprise is that we do not do hold more trunk shows, especially given the current economic times and given how prolific our line of designs is. This goes not only for jewellery components, but also for finished jewellery and other design goods.

The model for her "bonanza show" is this: we ship her unusual goods unmarked for retail, and whatever she does not return to us, she pays for. Her show was just 1 day, held at 8pm until mid-night. She had recently completed a similar show for stone beads and it went phenomenally well. She sends out regular newsletters to a large audience of customers.

This trunk show, as with many other forms of trunk shows, provides a unique opportunity for the designer to showcase his or her range of designs, many pieces of which are not carried by the store regularly because of high unit cost and or the uniqueness of certain pieces that will not speak to the mass market. After all, every business survives on turnover, and selling sterling silver jewellery components is no different. The boutique owners, the bead store in this case, wants to test the market for certain price points and looks. And this is the best way to do it. I've already written an article on how jewellery trunk shows How to Put on your First Trunk Show work. It is mutually beneficial to store and the designer.

There are a few things that are vital for a sterling silver jewellery components show, like any trunk show, to be successful. The bead store must already have a large customer list that they can contact about the event. Otherwise, the store must buy a great deal of advertising. Press is usually very difficult to get, even if the event would be of interest to many people. The designer must have a variety of designs from which to choose. Otherwise, you don't get the maximum results out of the captive audience. They don't all want the same thing, and most of them come to shows if they know there will be unique items that would not be available any other time. I think I'm going to being more of items like this large leaf and some of this heavier chain. They are more exclusive and luxury items that speak to more than just the pedestrian consumer. The customer who values quality craftsmanship will understand our jewellery component designs. And I hope the show will give a stronger indication of the bead store's customer tastes. It is best if the show has a theme. If it is jewellery, then it must be designs of a certain designer. If this is a prolific designer, then the lines must be edited for a clearer theme. You may choose to do more than 1 show, each with a different theme. It must be easy for the consumer to understand. Otherwise, they'll be going to a bazaar. We will be focusing the show as a sterling silver jewellery components show.

All this said such shows are a lot of work and perhaps this is why there are so few of them. However, they are a lot of fun and offer unique opportunities for business growth. I will let you know how it goes with our sterling silver jewellery components show.

For more articles: Click Here!

Sterling Silver Informational Organization

Organizing Sterling Silver Findings
I really can't say enough about the importance of organizing one's supplies, like sterling silver findings. There are two different categories of organization: physical organization, and informational organization. And I'd like to touch on both and tell you a bit from personal experience, and invite you to send me your thoughts, personal solutions that you'd like to share with others, and tips on how to improve our system at Stones And Findings. In this article, I will talk about the informational organization of sterling silver components and jewellery.
Informational Organization
Informational organization is different from physical organization , and it's an area that many creative people tend to neglect. As the jewellery business grows, this part becomes more important and can be one of the biggest bottlenecks for growth. Supplier and cost information must be kept in a complete and easy to find manner. Without knowing the cost, you run the risk of pricing too low, especially if you are dealing with larger quantity orders or more reorders. Without knowing who the supplier is, it becomes time consuming to trace back and approach all of the likely sources if you need to reorder. You'd be surprised at how many customers email us to find out if we were the ones who sold them certain sterling silver findings , and usually they’re in a desperate hurry to know. Sometimes people call in to reorder some sterling silver findings that are "roundish and kind of shiny" . Well, that doesn't help much. Thankfully, we have all of their past orders, with pictures, on our computer screen. However, we'd still have to go over 10 or 15 things that fit the description before ascertaining the desired roundish shiny thing.

The most inexcusable disorganized people are the suppliers. When I bought from local sources for my jewellery making business quite often they would ask me to send the actual sample because they had no codes to begin with. And even if I give them codes that we agreed on before, they've forgotten. I resorted to creating a file in their office, and with each item I bought, I made sure they kept the sample in that file, with a code we agree on. I was buying large quantities, so I could do this and they wanted to make the effort. Even still, I'd they would prefer I bring a sample in because they couldn't figure things out and was not confident in their file. Well, by the time I send them the sample, and they receive it, it could be several days. It's just so unproductive. And I vowed that we would not be like that at Stones and Findings.

There are some very simple things that you can do to help yourselves keep organized:

keep set of actual sample of sterling silver findings in Ziploc bag with code info

Photocopy the component if can’t or don’t want do above

Use a binder and some slide holder sheets to keep samples and pictures of sterling silver components organized

Create folders in your email Outlook for suppliers, different folders for each supplier. Ditto with document, hard or soft copy

Ask suppliers to email you copy of your invoice, in Excel format. Use this to cut and paste into a Master order form for the supplier. Enter reorder quantity and save as another PO. While you are doing this, you can also look through to see what else you've bought from them on that list that might be running low.

Create a shopping list of staples that you use regularly. Keep it in a place that you'll look at as you create orders. The staples list is a reminder so you don't have to pay extra shipping just because you forgot some sterling silver findings that you use all the time.

Stones and Findings will be switching to our alphanumeric codes, which will be only 5 digits/letters long. This is will be more efficient. However, it will not affect your records or reorders as both codes can be used. We're always trying to be more organized, and with ever an increasing selection of sterling silver findings, it will be necessary.
If you have any tips or ideas, please email them to us at Lucy@stonesandfindings.com
If you would like to read about Physical Organization of Sterling Silver Findings and Jewellery Components please click here .

Create Brushed Finish on Sterling Silver

The third is very similar to the satin finish , however you will use more aggressive means to obtain your new look. To create the brushed look, the finish will have more distinctive lines. You can use many things to create look. By hand you could use, and emery board or a file. Or you can use a course steel wool pad, a ball of aluminum foil or any other course metal or abrasive material.



With all of the above methods, I suggest either working at your bench, where you can clean up any metal shavings that may come off your piece. Otherwise working on a table with some newspaper down to catch the shavings is perfect. Take each piece you'd like to brush, and be sure to brush all sides, if it tends to slide, feel free to put a small amount of tape on your surface, in a loop, so it will stick to the surface and to the other side of your piece and stay still the entire time you’re brushing your component.




**Be careful with gold vermeille, as gold vermielle is sterling silver that is been plated with 14kt gold, so be wary of putting any aggressive finishing techniques as the gold may come off.

When creating your own brushed finish, it can be used in many different ways. If you're looking for a more defined look than satin, but not as rough as a hard brush with an emery board. You can complete a piece in full, and then run it through a steel wool pad, or a 3M pad. This will give it slight more edge than your regular satin finish. Or you can brush each individual piece and then put them all together. But, be sure to think of the small things, which will really bring the whole design together. Pieces that are often forgotten are components like jump rings , the clasp or the bail . These are parts that, if brushed, will complete the look. And remember, mix it up, and have fun with it!

Create a High Polish Finish on Sterling Silver

The high polish finish is often a standard finish, the reasoning is, is that this finish can be done a few different ways. A high polish finish can be used using a tumbling machine, be done by hand, or be done by a polishing wheel. A quick way to finish, and this is why it’s often a standard in so many components is that you are able to tumble these piece and in a few short A standard in jewellery components, they have often been tumbled to achieve this finish. You can use a rotary tumbler to polish jewelry and to remove burrs from jump rings or other metal components.

Materials List

• Small rotary tumbler and barrel.
  
• Soap (not detergent). Ivory soap flakes are recommended.
  
• Polished steel shot. You want enough to fill the barrel about halfway.

Procedure

• Pour the shot into a clean barrel to about the halfway mark.
  
• Add enough water to cover the shot plus about 3/4 inch.
  
• Add a tablespoon of soap flakes.
  
• Load the jewelry and/or components into the barrel. You want them to be able to tumble, so pack them loosely.
  
• Seal the barrel and let the tumbler rotate for 6-8 hours.
  
• When the pieces are sufficiently polished, remove them from the tumbler and rinse them well with water.
  
  
  

Helpful Tips*

Keep your steel shot covered with soap and water. All it takes is a few hours exposed to air for the shot to develop rust.

Don't polish more than one chain at a time unless you derive pleasure from untangling some serious knots. You can add other jewelry in with a chain (earrings, rings, components), just don't polish chains together.

If you use the same barrel for jewelry as you use to polish rocks, make certain that the barrel is absolutely clean. Otherwise, you may find yourself scratching your jewelry rather than polishing it!

Remove chemical 'antiquing' before polishing. Otherwise, a chemical reaction can cause green deposits to coat nooks and crannies.

Use extreme care if you are polishing plated or filled components (e.g., silver-plated or gold-filled). You run the risk of wearing or chipping the outer layer of metal.

Don't tumble components with stones, as they can become scratched or dislodged from their settings.

However you can take this to the next level, so it will be free of knick and scratches. If you have three different grades of emery or sand paper, and a rouge cloth you will be able to reach this yourself. A Rouge Polishing Cloth and it will really bring out that shine for your components.


When deciding on what finish to use, there's no need to only use just one. Be sure to mix up the finishes. Placing a high polish finish next to a brushed finish or even a satin finish can have a very beautiful effect and create a stunning and dynamic one of a kind piece.


*Credit to About.com for information about tumbling jewellery

Organizing Sterling Silver Findings

I really can't say enough about the importance of organizing one's supplies, like sterling silver findings. There are two different categories of organization: physical organization, and informational organization. And I'd like to touch on both and tell you a bit from personal experience, and invite you to send me your thoughts, personal solutions that you'd like to share with others, and tips on how to improve our system at Stones and Findings . Perhaps I'll write an update on our progress and some of your comments later on.


Sterling Silver Findings - Physical Organization

Physical organization mantra: a place for everything, and everything in its place . This is especially tricky with you have hundreds of different sterling silver findings, and some as small as 2mm. I'm not tidy by nature, but I will make the effort and when it takes me more than 3 minutes to find something on my desk, I take it as a higher sign that I need to do some cleaning. The worst organizer I met was a jewellery designer I had hired fresh from OCA (the prestigious Ontario College of Art). On her first full day of design work after orientation, she took jewellery findings out of bins and spread them all out on the large table. As I walked past many times throughout that day, I become increasingly alarmed by the build up of beads and sterling silver findings. When it came time for cleanup, company rule of 30 minutes before leaving for home, she had built up at least 2 litres in volume of tiny beads and pearls , all completely mixed. She asked if it was okay to leave it. The answer was a curt no, of course. She told me that one of her professors at the College was like this and that was how he functioned. She was young and so, I thought I'd do her the favour of not softening the edges of truth. I looked at her work for the day and I told her that she should try to emulate the professor's creative artistry and not just the mess. It wasn't long before I had to let her go. Jewellery really wasn't her forte, and her messiness was dragging everyone else down. Artistic talent is never a valid excuse for sloppy inefficiency.

On the other end of the mess meter was my experience on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship last Christmas. Occupancy was at its maximum, however, I never felt crowded, except in our cabin, with my kids' toys and clothes strewn everywhere. On the ship, every single wall panel had shallow shelving behind it, it seemed. These places held things like extra tea bags to napkins. Everything had a built-in place for it and the staff did a great job putting things back. I was really inspired and realized we have a long way to go and there are many exciting opportunities for improvement. Just remember that the time spent searching for things is money.

There are many simple things you can do to improve physical organization of your sterling silver components or jewellery business:

- For those designing with fewer sterling silver components , and jewellery beads or with lower budget, simple tackle boxes and food jars can go a long way. Food jars are bulky and you lose some room because they're round, but it's better than nothing and they usually come free. Canadian Tire has the best selection of tackle or sewing kit boxes

- Use Avery labels to label everything, including cost and supplier, if you don't mind others knowing

- If you're taking things out of their places to design, pour them out onto little saucers instead of building up a massive pool

- We've since made many strides in improving the organization of sterling silver findings in our shelves, with proper labelling and location. More can be done and I invite you to let us know how.

Feel free to click here and read on about Informational Organization of Sterling Silver Findings and Jewellery Supplies .

Rhodium

Discovered in 1803 by English chemist William Hyde Wollaston, Rhodium was named by its finder after the Greek word rhodon, meaning 'rose.' It is mainly found in South Africa and the Ural mountain range. Rhodium is the world's de facto #1 most expensive precious metal, and discovered in such scarce quantity that the planet sees only 3 tonnes of annual production. Amidst market fluctuations Rhodium steadily maintains a price roughly 500 times that of silver and 5 times that of platinum. In 1979, Paul McCartney's success as the best-selling songwriter of all time was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records with the presentation of none other than a rhodium-plated record, thus demonstrating the great cultural superiority of rhodium to all other precious metals up to and including platinum.

With an unmatchable character, it's easy to see why it's so sought after: rhodium will not tarnish or oxidize when exposed to normal levels of heat and light, and it is even immune to common corrosive substances like chlorine and fluorine that threaten other precious metals. It is also wonderfully reflective, and is frequently used as a component in optical instruments in the medical field. For all of these reasons, on top of its amazing structural rigidity, Rhodium is truly the 'rose' of the precious metal family. In the jewelry world it is commonly electroplated onto gold, copper, or silver objects to imbue them with some of its fantastic properties. The result of rhodium plated copper, for example, is a piece that combines all the durability and brilliance of pure rhodium with the common availability and low price of copper. This kind of electroplating in chains and findings puts the world's most expensive precious metal in the hands of up-and-coming designers, and around the necks and wrists of all. As an added bonus, Rhodium is hypoallergenic, and as plating it provides a protective layer for anyone sensitive to gold, nickel, or silver.

Click here to browse Rodium Plated Silver Chains at Stones and Findings

Click here to browse Rodium Plated Silver Findings at Stones and Findings

Sterling Silver Chains Buying Decision Making

There are many things to consider when buying sterling silver chains , or any chains for that matter: unit cost, estimated possible uses, conduciveness to either short or long designs, my total budget, where we are in the season sales cycle, ease of reorder.

Unit cost of the Sterling Silver Chain

This is pretty basic. If the sterling silver chain is inexpensive, I can afford to buy more. Chances are, shipping or travel cost to get more will cost more than the sterling silver chain itself. I buy more just in case. If it is more expensive, then I defer the decision to other considerations.

Estimated Possible Uses

The more possible designs you can think of on the spot for the sterling silver chain , the more you should buy. However, as we all know, design ideas come to you after you've worked with bits of it. Sometimes ideas evolve. Some people say they can create designs in their head and then go back to buy the component. This ability, if it really exists to the extent some give themselves credit for, is rare. Most designers, like me, are tactile. They need to handle the sterling silver chain , and even link it up in different places. There is no perfect estimate. You don't want to go overboard, but there are some guidelines. If it is a staple like a sterling silver cable extension chain , you know you’ll use it up. Buy more. If the sterling silver chain can be used for obviously many things, like the sterling silver beading chain , buy more. If thesterling silver chain is more expensive, but you think you can cut it into sections for earrings, blend with cheaper chain for something long, works well as bracelet, like the hammered link buy more. You should always estimate your possible uses and then multiply with some rule of thumb, which I'll share later.

Short Chain or Long Chain

If the sterling silver chain looks like it would best be, or can be, used for a long necklace, I always buy more. One metre of sterling silver chain will just be long enough for one long necklace. There are some sterling silver chains that are obvious candidates for long designs such as this long oval sterling silver chain. Others aren't as obvious. If the sterling silver chain selection is in the grey area, buy slightly more you would otherwise.

Total Budget Considerations

I always have to think about this, though I don't always follow it when I am at a show or if I find some very exciting things. However, if I'm tight on budget, I defer this to the following two considerations below.

Position in the Season Sales Cycle

If it is at the beginning, I use up my budget on variety, but keeping in mind the number of samples and designs I will need to make. Also, I have to see if I am willing to take reorders for my work, and the lead time. So, if you have sale representatives or are sending samples out to boutiques, you will have to see how many simultaneous sets you need at the beginning of the season. If the lead time is small, you have to take into consideration of possible orders and accommodate. At the beginning of the season, buy more to accommodate the above and also note what possible designs you can make left over sterling silver chains into if your initial designs don't fly off the shelves. If it is at the end of the cycle and you are just filling in orders, buy less, keeping in mind how fast your delivery needs to be for your customers and from suppliers. If it is short for customers, but your supplier is far away or has a long lead time, you will have to buy more and hold stock.

Ease of Reorder

credit: http://www.tradeeasy.com/supplier/526636/selling-leads/1014557/ball-chain-on-spool-colored-ball-chain-brass-ball-chain.html

I always ask the supplier if they are carrying certain components forward. If yes, I can buy less. If no, or it is a close-out item, I buy a lot more, or will buy everything and if the quantity is high, I will see if I can get further discount if I buy everything. If you like something and it is being discontinued, you can shift your budget a little. The item can be used later. If it is being carried forward by the supplier, but they are far, hold more stock. Again, sometimes shipping is more costly than the merchandise.

Some Rules of Thumb

There are some things you should keep in mind:

Short necklaces are about 18" (can make 2/m of chain), bracelets are about 7", long necklaces that you can wrap 2x around the neck are at least 34", if you want to wrap 3x you need min of 44"

If you’re a small designer, remember you need to make and wear pieces yourself. Some customers don’t like to buy items worn by someone else, or you might become attached to it. Always buy enough for make, at the very least, 2 sets.

A good designer knows colour variations are a great way to increase sales. Ideal colour selection is 3 to 4 colours. This is usually the case for clothing designers.

I bought components for samples in 6's when I was a smaller designer. This gives you 3 pairs of earrings or 2 complete necklace and earring sets. I’ve graduated to 48's when I started doing other colours. For single colour items, I buy 24 if the lead time is less than 3 weeks for delivery to my customers. For chains, I buy expensive samples in 5 metres, and inexpensive in 10 metres. If it is less than $5/m, much cheaper just to do 25m spools.

For items that go to my sales representatives, I take the above and multiply each by 1.5.