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Click to Enlarge 		Anne
From Bradenton, Florida


Tell us your story.
I invested in the beginning wire worker package back in May and began practicing, especially on the wire wrapped cabochons. My sense of geometry is very poor so it took some doing before I could get the hang of which way the wires were supposed to go, but it became easier after awhile.

Where do you sell your jewelry? Do you have any tips on selling there?
The majority of my sales have been from people seeing me wear my jewelry and wanting to buy it. I've probably sold about $800. worth that way. One of my coworkers was my biggest early fan and ordered several pieces for herself and family members. I now have a jewelry store owner who buys pieces wholesale. There are lots of fairs down here this time of year, which I've done one so far. An outdoor restaurant I frequent will let me set up a table whenever I want to. I am also renting a small jewelry display counter in an art gallery in the Village of the Arts.

What's your biggest selling piece and why?
Recently my biggest seller has been filigree rings. I do a variation of the love knot ring that you teach on your Introduction to Rings dvd. I add small gemstones and Swarovski crystals to it, and this has attracted a lot of attention.

What one piece of advice can you give to other aspiring jewelry makers?
Just get in there and keep working at if if you love it. Explore different avenues for marketing until you find the ones that work for you. Also if a piece is not going well, keep on with it and let the wire tell you what to do. Sometime this works out better than what you thought you were going to do.

Have you quit your day job yet? Can you give us any idea how much income your jewelry is making?
I did quit the 3 day a week job i had held for several years. This was something I had planned to do for some time but I was having trouble finding something that I could work at home that would be enjoyable and hopefully profitable. I've probably sold about $1000. worth of jewelry at this point. Because I keep investing in the business, with buying more dvd's, beads, wire and renting studio space, I have not shown a profit as yet, but believe this should happen in the coming year. I work one day a week for the jewelry shop owner who buys some of my jewelry wholesale so this has been a beneficial relationship.

What would you say to someone that might be hesitant to invest in Preston's course?
I know that it has been for me one of the most rewarding things for the amount of the investment; as I said, I only bought the beginners package, but have also invested in additional dvd's.

Has jewelry making changed your life in any way?
I feel it has helped give me an identity as an artist. This has been a lifelong interest of mine and I've taken quite a few art classes over the years but never worked at it. I find I have much more patience for making jewelry than I did for painting, drawing, etc, maybe because of the three dimensional aspects of it.

Do you sell any of your work on line or on Ebay? Do you do well there?
I am developing a website, creationsbyanne.org, but only have a introductory page at this point. Internet sales is something I have been approaching in a very cautious way. I would much rather have someone actually see what it is and try on the jewelry so that I know they are satisfied with it. I will put some of my designs online though and try it out to some extent.

What's your plan for the future?
I definitely plan to keep on with making the jewelry. Not sure if I will keep on with the gallery space or not. Will explore the internet option on a limited basis, and will try to explore more high end events where there might be a market for "artistic" jewelry.