Hi,
Does anyone have favorite stores or supply houses for jeweler’s
supplies in and around the Los Angeles, California area? Tools,
metals, cabs, beads anything really good and maybe a bargain too!!!
Thanks!
Marjie
Hi Marjie,
Why do you need Los Angeles suppliers? I live in the Boston area and
I purchase from San Francisco, New Orleans, Rhode Island, NM, CT and
Maine, all via the internet. Everything ships well packed. My
photographs of my jewelry are made in northern Maine. I ship my
jewelry and it is photographed and shipped back. Maybe once or twice
a year I see the real thing before purchase. As long as someone on
Orchid can recommend the item I will buy from the 'net. The world is
changing.
Beset regards,
Mary A
I love A-Z tools on 6th in downtown. They are small, but good prices
and really helpful.
If you head downtown, that whole area has tons of shops to check
out. Everything from beads to findings- Bella on Hill (not on 7th) is
great. Diamonds, cabs, etc… Not sure what you’ll find that is a
“bargain”.
Amery Carriere Designs
www.amerycarriere.com
Hi Marjie,
I like Farrin O’Connor Design in Pasadena. Nice place, classes and
supply store, beads, cabs, and metal working supplies. 146 W
Bellevue, between Fairoaks and Pasadena Ave. (626) 796-5300
Happy making,
Vicki in SoCal
Why do you need Los Angeles suppliers? I live in the Boston area and I purchase from San Francisco, New Orleans, Rhode Island, NM, CT and Maine, all via the internet. Everything ships well packed. My photographs of my jewelry are made in northern Maine. I ship my jewelry and it is photographed and shipped back. Maybe once or twice a year I see the real thing before purchase. As long as someone on Orchid can recommend the item I will buy from the 'net. The world is changing.
I also buy from all over the U.S. and there is one well stocked
jewelry supply store in the town I live in. I don’t want to see them
go out of business, but I can’t always justify the increased cost of
their prices. But I still use them when I want something yesterday,
or they are competitively priced. So what’s wrong with wanting to
shop locally?
Ray Brown
Hi Ray,
In the Los Angeles area I would avoid driving because of the traffic
delays that impact the cost of gas. When I have to drive around
Boston to reach a supplier it often is less expensive to order by
phone and request the U.S. Post Office flat rate shipping. I
absolutely support buying locally in the immediate area but when I
know the driving is an hour each way and I need 20 flat pieces of
copper or one-half pound of Superior No. 6 Flux I prefer to have
these things mailed so I can have the two hours in the studio or the
garden or reading Orchid. Best regards,
Mary
is Farrin O’Connor wholesale or retail? I’ve taken some classes
there, they’ve got some great ones. But I remember their pricing to
be a little on the high side.
Amery Carriere Designs
www.amerycarriere.com
Amery,
is Farrin O'Connor wholesale or retail? I've taken some classes there, they've got some great ones. But I remember their pricing to be a little on the high side.
They are retail and I agree with you that their prices are somewhat
high. Also their stock is limited and, yes, they have some good
classes. I actually like going to the jewelry district in Los
Angeles but if I had to drive there - not so much. Luckily, I live
near the Gold Line, part of our light rail system, also limited but
useful. Someone else mentioned Bella Findings downtown. Their prices
are quite good for findings.
Beverly Jones
Farrin O’Connor is retail, I believe. I have taken several classes
there, and enjoyed the experience.
Vicki K, SoCal
What's wrong with wanting to shop locally?
Absolutely nothing!
We sell both locally in our brick and mortar shop and worldwide via
the Internet. Frankly, we wouldn’t make it on sales to locals alone.
That is perfectly understandable considering the number of jewelry
supply stores in our area. (I counted 29 bead businesses in our city
a while back.)
I can tell you I prefer selling via Internet, as I don’t get the
shoplifting that I get in the store.
You will find some brick and mortar stores are more expensive than
Internet shopping. There are a couple reasons, the number one being
the cost of rent. The other being the immediacy of the competition
online - it’s just one click away. We have found that we must price
our items as low as we possibly can in order to compete online. We
have the same prices in our shop. However, we wouldn’t be able to do
that if we had our shop on the first floor (we’re in an upstairs
location where the rent is lower.)
Many of our customers say they prefer seeing the beads and other
items in person - being able to touch and feel them, take them out
into the sunlight, etc. I don’t blame them. Then there is the cost of
shipping, although that is sometimes less than parking (depending on
the location.) We ship for free, if the customer chooses to use the
lowest cost mail service. That is a significant cost to us, but we
figure it to be a form of advertising.
Personally, I think a business that doesn’t have an online side to
it is not going to do as well as one that does. However, there are
ways to compensate, such as offering classes and other forms of
entertainment or education in the shop.
One thing I can say that the shop offers to the seller (unlike the
Internet) is customer feedback. So, an Internet-only business may not
be as in touch with customer desires as a shop.
I think a smart buyer will shop online first, to get an idea of
pricing and availability, then if a local supplier has the item at a
competitive price go there in person to make sure they are getting
what they want. There is nothing like in-person shopping to assure
happiness with a purchase.
Susan
Sun Country Gems
http://www.suncountrygems.com
Farrin O’Connor is a retail store, offering half day and full day
metalsmith classes that accommodate up to 14 students with one
instructor. I have taken many classes at Farrin O’Connor, which is
where I learned all my basic metalsmith techniques. They are a good
source for metal and supplies if one needs something immediately and
doesn’t want to wait for delivery. I find their tools to be within a
fair price (they sell mostly Euro tools.) Their supply is limited to
the very basic tools needed by beginners. Their metals are much
higher priced than the online stores, so I simply plan out my
projects and order enough metal (normally through Rio Grande) to keep
me going for a couple of months. Their beads and beading supplies are
limited, however I do find the prices for these items to be very
reasonable, so use them as my bead source whenever I can. They have a
web site farrinoconnordesign.com but they do not sell tools, metal or
supplies online; something I think they need to seriously consider
for the future.
Karen de Vries