Decided to do an Arts and Crafts show this November - - First Time - - -
Ill be a ‘Tag-a-long’ with a person that has the booth … ill have a small
area…Ideas???Thought???
---- Need to get displays for … Pendants, Necklaces, Rings
specifically… WOW, are they high it the ususal supplie catalogs …
ANY suggestions as to where they might be a bit more reasonable. much
appreciated,
Jim C
Low cost clear shallow cases may be made by buying clear plastic box
frames and bottoming them with fabric covered plywood, hinged to the
frame.
Janet Kofoed
Fine Handcrafted Jewelry- Gems and Dragons
http://www.voicenet.com/~kkofoed/jewelry.html
Depending on how much space you’ll have in the booth and how secure you
need the cases to be, my feeling is that you can’t go wrong with a glass
cube setup. 12 x 12 glass can be set up in a variety of configurations,
open backed, or with locking doors. Your local fixture stores should have
new glass and connectors, and many will also have used glass and
connectors for about half price.
My first setup was for 3 tables - enough glass to make 3 units that were a
12 x 42 inch long section, flanked on each end by 12 x 24 high sections. I
bought all that glass used with connectors for under $200 in Denver. A
real bargain, that I still use for some indoor shows!
Karen in rainy Boulder, CO -
Hello, I’ve bought some decent display on eBay. Look under
Jewelry/Gemstones/Display You can do a seller search for mtctulsa . I’ve
bought several sets of black flocked displays from them for a good price (3
necks,6rings,2 earrings for $25). You can contact them directly at
bstiles@ix.netcom.com The other alternative is to get creative! I’ve made
some really nice displays from brass sheet and silver wire. I also buy the
small black flocked shapes from display catalogs and build brass wire bases
for them. You can drill tiles, or use dense foam to show earrings. I
recently started cutting stones and using the larger pieces of rough to
display the work on. You could also get a nice minimalistic effect with
rice paper and wood. Lots of options! You just want to make sure your work
is not too crowded and is easy to see. You don’t want the displays to take
over, you want them to compliment your work. Making your own can act as a
natural extension of the work. Look at the shapes, materials, and colors
you use and go from there…
Amy O’Connell
Amy O’Connell Jewelry
http://www.ezmo.com/amy
Hi Jim…since it’ll be your first show, why don’t you try some
alternatives? Hit the flea markets and look for bottles, vases,
etc.–spray paint them flat black. Pick up some inexpensive velvet
remnants at the local fabric store, or a yard of velveteen, stick down in
the bottle necks or vase tops, drape artistically down the sides. Put
bracelets around the bottles, necklaces around, draped over/off the bases.
Take some paint cans and/or buckets–full, partly full, empty, doesn’t
matter–stack, and cover with the velvet draped over them to cover, then
display your pieces on the different levels. Use pretty rocks to lay
necklaces across, or use pieces of gemstone rough, or coral if you have
access to any. Use artificial greenery or flowers-lay them out on the
table, then drape pieces across them. Use your imagination and found
objects to build a display rather than putting a lot of money into display
stands you may find you don’t like or want to use again! One of the best
show displays I ever saw consisted of stream boulders, scrubbed clean and
stacked, with chains, necklaces, pendants, bracelets and rings laid across
the stones and tucked into crevices between them. Good luck with your
show.
Sharon Holt aka @bootsie
ATTEND some shows/festivals and look around. do not limit yourself to
jewelry displays. go to a county fair and look at the commercial
displays. ideas are where you steal 'em.
we make our own and sell a few along. if you are any place near southern
OH labor day weekend, we will be set up and we are willing to discuss
construction techniques
good ideas. glass comes in various weights. strengths. check your
options on this also. don’t get tempered until you are sure of what you
want. a sheet of 18 X 24 [inch] will run about $40 here with a 2 week
lead time. extra strength or 1/4 inch thick is usually a good buy.
we have a bunch of tempered in stock obtained by buying a used greenhouse
select some old blankets for padding in transport.
if you carry your displays flat for space, make sure you have any needed
tools for assembly. [very easy to overlook]
i have said this before, but try not to get discouraged if you don’t make
money the first few times out. this is your tuition. [how good did your
first solder joint look?]
Hi Jim - In larger cities (I’m in Seattle), there are companies that sell
display components to retail stores. We have one here called “Best
Displays” that even sells used display items. Not everything you find in
the jewelry supply catalogs will be available, but you may get some good
ideas, if not cheaper displays.
Also, go shopping! Preferrably to places that are higher-end, or at least
creative. Decide what you like and don’t like about the product displays
you see. You can make a lot of things if you take the time to look around,
determine the style of setups you like and then come up with creative ways
to make them happen.
Personally, I don’t like the standard displays offered in most of the
catalogs - they’ve all been done, and they don’t do much for my jewelry,
except make it look like it’s competing with large chain stores that buy
lower-end merchandise.
Oh! One more thing… I assume you are selling at a retail show, so if
it’s going to be crowded, and you won’t always be able to keep an eye on
all of your merchandise or all of your customers, consider displays where
the jewelry is somewhat “attached” - easy enough to get off and show
people, but hard to steal. (It’s better to be safe than sorry)…
Good luck and have fun!!!
Lori
Oh! One more thing... I assume you are selling at a retail show, so if it's going to be crowded, and you won't always be able to keep an eye on all of your merchandise or all of your customers, consider displays where the jewelry is somewhat "attached" - easy enough to get off and show people, but hard to steal. (It's better to be safe than sorry)...
Any suggestions on how to accomplish "somewhat attached" displays? I will
be doing my first show in a large, busy outdoor setting. I agree that I
don’t want to look like a mall store who lost its mall. I have been able to
come up with creative ideas for display, but nothing that I feel adequitly
addresses my security concernes.
Thank you all again. I feel very lucky to be starting in this business at
a time when I have access to such an unbelievable tool like Orchid.
Epaul Fischer
GRYPHON SONG CREATIONS
Fine Custom Jewelry
“The gryphon sings of gold & silver, gems & jewels”
jim c - if you can get some driftwood you can make eye-catching displays. i
collected bunches from barrier islands in the gulf of mexico on canoe
camping trips (& yes, the sea level has risen in 10 yrs). drill lots of
small holes on back of pieces (more than you think you night need) to
drape jewelry & use the clear pushpins - drilling is necessary or you’ll
be arrested for public profanity by waiting to push in the pins when you
get to the show. the bases are easiest to make from plexiglas (or any
material you want): cut to shape & size, drill hole in plexi (don’t forget
to ‘flare’ on bottom to countersink screwhead) & driftwood. attach with
phillips flathead screws - drywall screws are super. they can be taken
apart for travel; the ‘arms’ can be changed to fit your space. pick up
some larger shells on eBay, etc. at a knoxville show, some woman told me
to ‘‘jazz up the driftwood by drillin’ holes & gluin’ in some rhanstones’’
Hi Epaul -
By “somewhat attached”, I mean wrapped/looped around a stand (for
pendants); ring holders where you have to lift off the top (for
vertical/stacked display), or open the side (for horizontal display) to get
the piece off; earring holders where you attached post earrings or wire
earrings through a hole in the display… Just making it more difficult
for someone to easily walk away with your stuff.
I’ve put my most expensive items in a tempered glass cube or a display
case with an opening only in the back (closest to me), but I always like to
have some jewelry displayed where people feel free to touch the pieces -
when they can easily touch something, it makes it easier for them to talk
to you and ask to see the items they can’t touch. Just be sure that someone
who can touch your jewelry, can’t easily walk away with it with just a
light tug…
Lori
I found a nice solution while assisting BH Longhi at a show. I have used
it and it works extremely well. Using different sizes and shapes of wood
blocks, cover them with the fabric of your choice which is stapled to the
bottom side of them. The wood blocks are free at building sites, etc.
You can also find different shapes at Michaels or other crafts supply
places (they sell them for decoupage or something). You can drill holes
in them to hold earrings. Also, a piece of nice paper (pretty stiff)
folded in half with holes in the place you need them makes an inexpensive
and serviceable earring or pin display. Hope this helps. Wendy