Jewelry Industry Pricing Controversy

This is a written editorial on the controversy surrounding pricing within the jewelry industry.

There are several new groups emerging on the scene in the Jewelry Industry who are trying to regulate the whole jewelry industry, including how you as a business price your products. I believe in the structure and foundation of sound business models, however, I don't believe in forced business practices. Be aware that these groups are stating they are ‘speaking for the whole industry of jewelry businesses’.

The groups voices are demanding that jewelry people immediately terminate discount and sales pricing of jewelry. Their message is that every business, craftsman, artesian, or hobbyist needs to stop lowering their prices as it causes distrust, non-confidence and confusion to the customers, translating into poor quality and inferior products, and that doing so is ‘trashing the gem and jewelry industry, especially at Gem and Jewelry Shows and worst case scenario, these types of concerns cause customers to never recommend you to their friends and family and will only come back to you if no other alternative exists.’

The groups contend, that when someone lowers their prices it is done so without asking the customer to give up something in return. Which in and of itself is very confusing, because if the products have never changed and is of the same quality it was at 600% profit margin, then why would the product be less valuable or demining in quality if it is sold at a discounted/sale price with only say a 50-60% profit margin; which is a little secret the jewelry, especially the precious gemstone jewelers, don’t want known of the very significant profit margin. Marketing and Business Degrees will teach that that is not only a ludicrous statement but is also a factless statement; the only thing that changed is the profit margin and the market pricing structure; which is what keeps the green flowing among any industry and mostly into the deep pockets of people who have enjoyed such large profit margins. Unless the business has changed the materials, quality and structure of the sales/discounted items, then nothing has changed other than the pricing structure.

The strict policy that many are trying to impose is if you want loyal customers and referrals, make sure you never adjust your prices and set pricing levels that supports the customer’s experience and their desires; hinging entirely on customer loyalty of paying inflated prices with exorbitant profit margins. Yet this thinking claims that customers need to feel good about their purchases and feeling confident about their informed choices and decisions. While the businesses marketing/sales messages and prices reflect that of a united jewelry industry standard. More over the groups are encouraging customers to stay away from businesses that have sales/discount pricing and those that supposedly undercut the competition; any business must, to stay within the industry and according to any of the new groups, keep your wholesale pricing at 2-3 times cost and never sell anything retail less than 6 times the cost. Doing so is causing a tremendous black eye upon the gem and jewelry industry and hurts those who maintain their quality and higher pricing.

Bottom line, these types of people have endured many years of huge profits and luxury lifestyles; hinging on every customer blindly continuing to pay sky-high prices for the same product that can be obtained from another quality source at lower prices. Any business is in it for money, but also should be for customer service and satisfaction; if they are so concerned about undercutting pricing, it’s time they got out of the game, because that is what it is all about in business. Business is cut-throat and it’s time that we as small business owners, hobbyist, artesian and the like stand against these types of groups. Should they continue their belligerence it will only lead to the next big down fall of this country; behind Enron, WorldCom, Wall Street, and Real Estate and Mortgage.


If it's good enough for Macys, Dillards, JCPenny's, Barns & Noble, grocery store chains and the like, then should be good enough for anyone...why do you think these companies do such huge sales?

Year Ends – What Do We Do Now?

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not an expert in owning a Business. This series is meant to solely provide information to the reader.

Business Series: Business Plan or Road Map
Ok, so now that you’ve paid your annual (or quartely depending on how you pay) Sales Tax, Business Tax, Use Tax, and any other ‘Tax” that Uncle Sam can come up with. What to do next with your business? There’s the budgets, strategies, new booth look or displays, website updates or what about more marketing? All these questions and not many answers. It’s this first part of the year where we all breath a little ‘sigh’ of relief and just ‘vacation’ until it’s too late. It’s all enough to make one’s head spin and decide to quit while you’re ahead.

The first question I’d ask, is when was the last time you looked at your business plan? (Right about now, you’re scratching your head and thinking ‘what business plan??’) Since the day you opened your doors (or internet site), you should have had some ‘plan’ to determine where you’re going, how you’re going to get there and what are your goals? Without some type of a ‘map or plan’ to get the answers, one’s business probably will grow at a much slower pace than anticiapted.

A really good business plan allows you to look at all of the big issues facing your business in a balanced analytical way. A good business plan helps you take full advantage of your strengths and helps you to discover your weaknesses. A good business plan (whatever type you choose) directs all your business activities in a solid cohesive direction.

Here’s a list of a few basic things to include in any business plan or roadmap:


*Vision/Mission Statement: List why you started your business and what your business means.
*Market Analysis: Look at your competitors; Brick & Morter, Internet, and Catalog (direct mail). Research their weaknesses and strengths so you know how your business stacks up against them.
*Financial Analysis: Startup money needed, budget for Marketing, Profit, Vendors, Materials, and Equpiment. Look at what type of profit and pricing structure you want to have in your business. List your finanical goals for the next year and then build on them year after year.
*Business Goals & Milestones: What are your business goals? What do you want to accomplish in the first few years? Where do you expect to be with your business in five years? Then set milestones to accomplish these goals; even if they are marketing goals, product goals, or even goals you have set for yourself. Small goals help us to achieve the larger goals that look to big to ever accomplish.



Whatever you do, put some things down in writing and then dig them out from time to time to review. Change as your business changes and you will see your successes and challenges much clearer. Don’t short-circuit your success by cheating yourself out of the roadmap to get there!

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not an expert in owning a Business. This series is meant to solely provide information to the reader.

THE RULE OF 3

I come across a lot of information – from people to books to the internet; it’s all about getting the information and learning from it to be a success in the business world today. The following article I found in some of my “Business Stuff” while contemplating my next blog post. It brought about some really great questions about marketing and advertising in the world of Internet and Email. Just something to think about this Holiday Season as we are all running “Sales” on Etsy, Ebay and Websites.

Those of you familiar with advertising may be familiar with the Rule of 3. This rule states that in order for a consumer to actively think about purchasing your product or service you have to hit them with the advertisement 3 different times. For example if a company wants to sell you something they should send you an email, a direct mail letter and give you a phone call. This is just an example, but you get the point. This “rule” has been around quite some time and I think we need to re-examine its effectiveness.

The Rule of 3 has been in existence pre-internet but I question its modern day utility. Let’s think about this for a moment. The overall attention span of humans is decreasing, meaning we are all getting a more and more ADD with how we perceive and interact with information. We don’t have the time to sit and watch ads anymore, we want things instantly and we want it our way, and we don’t get it, we hit the “back” or the “delete” button. So knowing this, do you think that marketers should spend their time trying to show you MORE ads? There has been a large backlash against telemarketers, spammers, blog pitchers, etc. for precisely this reason, people do not want to be spammed and people do not want to see more ads.

There are a couple of things that can happen. Either the Rule of 3 will turn into the rule of 33, meaning that marketers are really going to have to bombard and spam the hell out of people in order to get their attention (and really irritate them). OR instead, the Rule of 3 will switch from a metric of quantity to a metric of quality and relevancy. Instead of concentrating on how many times marketers need to advertise to someone to get their attention, marketers need to focus on the relevancy and the quality of those ads.

We can all see that our attention is diminishing we don’t want to be bombarded with ads and we don’t want to be spammed, so what is the solution? Focus on relevancy, it is far more effective to show someone a relevant ad than it is to show non-relevant ads in larger quantity. Of course we could combine the concepts and show more relevant ads, but remember over time marketers will reach a point of diminishing return, meaning that just because you show more relevant ads doesn’t mean you are going to get more purchases. There is a balance between relevancy and respecting your consumers. Show consumers relevant ads, but don’t bombard them. If you are tired of seeing ads, so are your consumers.

The above article is from various business marketing books and internet materials.

Business Series - Marketing

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not an expert in owning a Business. This series is meant to solely provide information to the reader.

Business’s today face major challenges and opportunities in marketing, such as globalization and advances in technology. These both play major parts in the marketing strategy of a business. Marketing is not only a social process of how to get your products and services to the consumer, but it is also the process of planning and executing the concepts, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals.

To look at marketing strategies for your business, ask yourself the following questions, keeping in mind the 4 major pieces of marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion.

1) How can you spot and chose the right target markets?
2) How can you differentiate your products and services from the competition?
3) How far do you go to customize your products and services for each customer?
4) What are the major ways you can grow your business or company?
5) How can you build stronger brands in order to continue to grow your business or company?
6) How do you keep your customers loyal to you, just beyond the first few purchases?
7) How do you measure the payback from advertising, sales promotions, and public relations?

Just thinking about these questions gets the ball rolling about your businesses marketing strategy. It is one of the main reasons a company will ‘make or brake’ it in their industry. Most businesses, unless they are very large, don’t usually consider marketing. But it is one of the most important ‘hats’ a business person will wear. Marketing your products or services just right will bring back customers and keep your business in front of the consumer. Keep in mind though; too much exposure could ruin your business or product, so try to keep an even marketing plan. Learn about your competition, their target markets and pricing strategies and capitalize on feeding what works into your business.
Develop a marketing plan that works for you; set marketing objectives, determine what avenues and how you are going to market your product or service, set marketing budgets, check the competition and then develop and deliver your marketing message to your target market.

Marketing is a challenging concept in any business…from print ads, to internet, to direct-mailings. Just keep in mind the 4 major pieces of marketing: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.

Thoughts of a Starving Business Artist

I was an Artist vendor at a very well known and established craft show over the weekend. I saw new faces and reconnected with good friends. My overall experience was less than mediocre, unsuccessful and leaves me questioning whether to give it all up or continue for the ‘long haul’ to weather the current economic storm. Many of the returning vendors stated that attendance was down about 20%, with sales down some 20-35% compared to previous years, including last year. As I go from show to show this season, I’m seeing some emerging trends and common threads.

Some of the new vendors that are appearing in shows are not always ‘new hobbyists/crafters looking for a quick buck’, but are well established gallery artists coming back to the craft show and festivals because ‘times are tough and they need to make ends meet’. I myself have turned down many shows recently due to the overwhelming number of jewelry vendors. While I’m all for challenging competition, I’m also a business person and know the buying public will be turned off by craft shows and festivals who dominate their shows with one particular industry vendor. In a lot of cases, this has turned off not only the consumer, but also the loyal returning vendors. Many of whom are replaced by hobbyists/crafters and mass producing overseas industry vendors. Time will only tell if this type of constant vendor turn-over will ruin and tarnish the reputation of good-standing, long running shows or not.

The most common comments at shows have ranged from ‘I’m just looking’; ‘Your work is so original and unique’; ‘I’ll come back, I want to see what everyone has’ to ‘Is this the best price you can give me’. Times are tough for the business person just as much as it is for the customer. But asking a business artist “Is this the best price you can give me?” right after stating, “This is such unique and original work” is telling me, the artist and business person, how worthless and ignorant I am. Maybe next to my business sign and cards I need to post my Bachelor’s degree in Business & resume of 20 years experience, the book I’ve been published in and class certifications. Is this enough ‘Creditability’ to the buying public to be taken seriously as a business person and artist?

Handcrafted original work is not cheap by any standard; there are raw materials, tools, time & labor, insurance, taxes, and many other aspects of overhead, too many to list in one post, which goes into the pricing of each and every piece produced. The buying public fails to consider these factors; and has left me with the impression they are more interested in getting the cheapest price they can get on quality handcrafted jewelry pieces. They want the over-seas cheap labor & materials price; not a high quality uniquely handcrafted American made price. So the question is, has the state of the economy caused this ill-mannered effect or has the true nature of the buying public gone unnoticed and overlooked until ‘times got tough’ for everyone? The economy is definitely pinching everyone, including the small business person and enough that many will not weather the storm of the current economic state of this country.

So, back to my original thoughts….do I passionately continue perfecting my craft; get certifications in silversmith, jewelry, teaching and continue to attend advanced classes, conferences and symposiums to better myself and my craft; building the business and artist OR do I try to have faith in the consumer and continue to build that relationship OR do I just give it all up, cut my losses and get out before it’s too late. Again…time will only tell.

Business Series: Some Rules to Success

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not an expert in owning a Business. This series is meant to solely provide information to the reader.

We all want to be a success in our business. After all, that’s why we spend so many hours building and promoting our business. To energize you, here are some rules of success that I’ve found in business books I have read.

1)You define success: Pick a profession that you are comfortable with and know something about.
2)Listen to your instincts, whether you like the answer or not: Listen to that ‘bad feeling’ in the pit of your stomach, it’s there for a reason.
3)Do research, research and more research: You are going to make some very big decisions during the course of owning your business. Before jumping in and making decisions that could have negative consequences, do your research.
4)Love to learn: Learn new things everyday, even the smallest of things means you are making progress.
5)Know what you are getting into: Before going into business, know the rules, regulations, and understand what you are about to get yourself into. If you prepare yourself for the commitment of a business (successes and failures), it will make the time that you devote to it that much more enjoyable.
6)Have the support of your friends and family. Times will get tough and you will need your friends and family to lean on. Share successes and failures with them too, good advice from them never hurt.

Business Series: A Business Plan

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not an expert in owning a Business. This series is meant to solely provide information to the reader.



Statistically between 55 to 60 percent of all new businesses fail within the first five years and about 95 percent of these failures are due to poor management of the business. If you think about it, you wouldn’t want to purchase a home from a contractor who didn’t have a blueprint and skill as a builder. And yet thousands of people with little or no business sense try to build a business without any kind of plan. Typically, home-based businesses will start out as a dream, a way to make quick extra cash, believing that the home-based business is a good idea and with hard work it will become a big profiting business. Don’t let the statistics scare you, but the statistics stand as a reminder that there is a certain amount of business and management skill, knowledge and experience and hard work needed to be successful enough to profit and grow into a business.

That is where a business plan comes in for the new business owner. This is like a road map of knowing what you need to do, how much it’s all going to cost, and where you can go wrong. It forces the business owner to think specifically about their goals and the path they would like to take to reach those goals. But don’t just write your business plan and walk away from it; review it regularly to make sure you are on the right track, answer questions you may have, and to spark new ideas that you never thought of or forgot about. And by no means does your business plan have to be written in stone, it is recommend that you change it as your business grows and develops. This helps planning for the future of your business a little easier as you can see how past experiences have affected your business.

There is no set type of business plan; it can be as short as one page or as long as several hundred pages. Ultimately, it is up to you to determine how long your road map needs to be to grow your business.

Here are a few elements of a typical business plan to get you started……

1)Business History: How, why, and when the business was started.
2)Business Summary/Mission Statement: A definition of your business. Include a description of your business goals, products, and services and include unique features or customer benefits.
3)Management Information: List who is behind the business; their experience, education, background, qualifications and discuss the legal form of the business.
4)Manufacturing Plan: Here you will describe the required equipment and facilities needed for your business. Make a list of raw materials needed to start the business; how and where to obtain them, their estimated costs, how/where to store/inventory the materials, and include labor and overhead costs involved in the manufacturing process.
5)Production Plan: Define and list how the work will get done; by whom and at what labor cost, if you are using labor other than your own.
6)Financial Plan: List your expected sales projections and expense figures, cash flow figures, and a balance sheet showing the business assets and any owner investments all for one year; with projections for the next two to five years. This section of your business plan should be visited on a regular basis, as it will change quickly and is often dependant upon all these figures within the balance sheet to begin showing your road map of successful or failure within your business.
7)Market Research: Make a list of your target market, your customers, and your competition. When listing your competition, include their pricing structure (if known) and method of distribution as these will also affect how you market to your customers.
8)Marketing Plan: List how you are going to reach your customers, the distribution method, and the anticipated costs of your marketing efforts. You will also include any advertising campaigns, such as web sites, online selling venues, business cards, brochures, and any craft shows or festivals you will participate in.

It is not hard to get started with a business plan, just remember to visit it often to see your business evolve and grown into something big. Use your business plan to mark your successes and learn from your failures. Start with a small business plan and let it grow with your business; this is one way to watch and see how your business and goals are achieved.

Festival & Craft Show Check List

You made it into the local Craft Show or Festival and now you’re wondering “What do I take?” You’re first show will always be the ‘testing ground’ for the next and where you learn ‘what works and what doesn’t’. No matter how many shows I do, I always learn something new or how to do it differently. I’m always ‘testing the waters’ for new ideas, displays and setups. But first, getting to the show is the most important part of the whole experience. Below I’ve put together a Basic Show List of what I take (and I’m always adding to it).

Show Check List
1.Dolly – I found that this makes moving from car to booth much easier and quicker.
2.Cash Box & Cash; suggest getting to the bank a day or two before the show for your cash. Make sure to have a good mix of bills and plenty of coins.
3.Invoice/Receipt Book (suggest double copy and carbonless)
4.Credit Card machine, slips, clipboard & CC Signage
5.Business Signage (If you have one), Business Cards & card holder
6.Camera – I always try to take several pictures of my booth, from different angles, showing the different displays and then a couple of the over-all booth. This gives me pictures of what it looks like, what worked and what didn’t. I also use them to send in for juried shows.
7.Extra writing tablets (Taking notes, ideas from customers or for taking custom orders)
8.5-6 pens (no matter how many you have, you’ll always come home with less)
9.Show Kit:
oTape
oMarkers
oScissors
oCalculator (try to have 2 on hand if more than one person is working the booth)
oColored dot stickers (for mark-downs or special pricing)
10.Sales Tax sheet & copy of State Sales Tax Certificate
11.Bags (small, medium, large),
12.Tissues (cut several squares so you have plenty on hand to wrap your items)
13.Boxes (Jewelry boxes because that is what I sell)
14.4-6 mini customer browsing baskets (I give these to customers for them to ‘hold’ their selections)
15.1-2 Mirrors (If you are selling jewelry)
16.Tables & Chairs (If you are not renting from the show promoter)
17.Displays
oFloor & table display racks
oWire racks & risers
oJewelry busts & Earring holders
oBaskets, or anything else you use as a prop
18.Table cloths, scarves & drapes
19.Lighting or lamps you use for lighting
20.Several heavy duty 200’ extension cord, tri plugs, & electrical tape
21.Kleenex, alcohol wipes, extra paper towels
22.Jewelry Tool Kit
oPliers: round & flat nose
oCutters & snipers
oCrimp bead pliers
oExtra findings in both gold & silver: ear posts & wires, crimp beads, hoops, jumprings, headpins, & clasps
oBeading wire
oArtistic & Sterling wire
23.Your Product
24. Several hammers, drills, screwdrivers, & pliers
25.Water, snacks and lunch if you’re not going to leave your booth
26. Your cell phone


And always pack your car/truck the night before and go through everything to make sure you have it all. Murphy’s Law applies…no matter how much you anticipate and plan, you’re always going to forget something!

Customer Service in a Fast Paced World

In just a few short weeks many cities will be inundated with Fall Craft Shows and Fall/Holiday Festivals. Patrons will scurry from place to place, looking for just the right gifts and packages; checking their lists and marking thru names. Halls and shops will be filled with floral designs, jewelry, food vendors, wood workers, potpourri and candles, embroidery and crocheted items ….all these artists and craftsmen have worked hard over the summer building a Fall/Holiday inventory for the buying public. It occurred to me yesterday at the first show of the season, that Custom Service is the ‘Brake or Make’ of a business. So, here are a few tips for great customer service.

·Always have a smile and pleasant attitude, Grumpy never sold anything. Greet customers with a “Hello and Welcome to ‘X’ and a warm smile. Don’t rush or push the customer or make them feel ‘boxed in’, allow them to move among your tables and through your booth. Be enthusiastic and Love what you do, it will show through to your customers!
·Let them know of any discounts or specials you might be offering for that show. Customers like to know where to get the best deals, especially in today’s economy.
·Be knowledgeable about your products. Tell a story of how you came to have a particular item, (especially if it is humorous). I have gemstones, so if a customer is looking at a particular piece I’ll let them know what stone it is, where it’s mined (if I know) or how I got it, and how the piece was designed. The last thing a customer wants to hear is ‘I don’t know, just something I thought was cute and picked up.’
·If I don’t carry a particular item, but I know of a fellow artist that does, I’ll refer the customer to that person. I want my customers to be happy and my fellow artists to be successful too!
·Chat with your customers, get to know them, give them the personal touch....find out what they like, what they don’t like, what they prefer and what they look for in gifts. Know them and the people they buy for. I’ll often ask a repeat customer “how did so-and-so like the gift you bought last time?” This also gives me feedback on how I’m doing as a business, how my jewelry is accepted and what I need to do differently or better.
·Lastly, always, always include your business card. I always add and mention my business card to every customer. I let them know about my websites and not just a ‘buying site’ either. I tell them on my blog there is useful information such as industry news, calendar dates and show discounts, and a spotlight on a new gem or jewelry design.

Find your ‘Nitch’, go with it and enjoy what you do and it will show to everyone!

Business Series

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not an expert in owning a Business. This series is meant to solely provide information to the reader.

Your hobby has been turning a profit lately and you’re wondering, “Could I really make a living at this??” I wouldn’t go out and quit your day job just yet, however keeping records and looking at the future could prove interesting. Depending on what business you have chosen, some people beat the odds and become thriving, growing companies; while others remain that time to time interesting hobby.

One of the first things I did when I made the decision to start my own company, was to determine what industry I wanted go into. My passion of customer service and working with my hands has always led me to some type of ‘craft’. I love jewelry and decided that maybe, just maybe I could really make a living at this craft. First, I looked at the industry; what did it have to offer, who is the competition, what are the trends, could I compete with those who’d been here for 10 – 20 years. How would I market my company and where to sell my wears? Could I learn to ‘master the art’ well enough to sell my goods to the public?

I spend about 6-8 months searching these and many other questions. After much research, I started writing things down, and begun my Business Plan, which was about another 2-3 months. This is an ongoing document that provides an ‘outline’ of my business, where I want to go, what I want to achieve and spans the first 1-5 years of my business. Next, I got my licenses; both sales tax and city business license. Then I breathed and thought “What am I doing?”!

Here are some sites that I highly recommend you start with to research the beginning of your business.

State Government Website – Find out what licenses you will need and how to register your business.
State Comptrollers Office – This is where you will get your state sales tax license.
SCORE – This organization offers free and confidential business advice from the experts in business.
SBA – Small Business Administration has a wealth of information on their website. Find services, tools, small business planners, and how to find local services for your business.
IRS – Get information on your business tax questions

This is just the beginning! In future posts of the Business Series I’ll go into more details about some of these and many other subjects. If there is a particular subject you would like to read about, please email me!

Featured Artist from Etsy

Wondering through Etsy I came across a great artist, Craftsbycarer, or Carrie from WI. She started crafting after an accident left her with little use of her hands and in a lot of pain. It helped with her rehab and she doesn’t think about the pain when she is busy crafting. She uses her 5 senses because it helps her to compensate for some nerve damage and loss; Carrie really relies on all her 5 senses on a daily basis.

Her need to create things is because it makes people happy when they see her finished items and it makes them smile. She loves working with cotton and the color dark blue, but her favorite word is hunny, because it drives her husband crazy!
Her most ambitious project at the moment is to complete more hooded scarves for her etsy shop. However, when not crafting she can be found reading; a big passion, she reads every chance she gets.
Visit her Etsy shop for a great selection of Fall Aprons, totes and toys!

Starting & Managing a Business

“How do you manage your business?” “What do I need to start my business?” “Where do you get all the show information?” “Do I really need to be licensed?” “Should I be doing inventory control and how do I do it?” “Where do I find vendors, wholesale or retail?”

These are just a few of the questions that people ask me about my jewelry business. This prompted me to open many of my college books, dig through business information and websites, and rummage around in boxes for vendors, shows, and inventory, marketing and business strategies. I’m no expert by any means, but I’ve always been one to share information with whoever asked. This gave me the idea to share my experiences and knowledge with those of you out there that have been asking these and many other questions. So watch, book mark, or subscribe to posts, because over the course of the next several months I’m going to do posting about my business knowledge and experiences. These articles will be based on the experiences I gained from my first business, which I owned almost 10 years, my current jewelry business, knowledge learned while getting my BS in Business Management and research to find out answers to questions I encountered. If you have certain topics you would like to see, please email me and I’ll do my best research!

Shallow or Deep End of the Pool……

I’m not one to just wade around in the shallow end; no, no…I’m more of a jump in with both feet, head first into the deep end of the pool kind of person! I’ve never done anything ‘half-way’, always the first on the block to make her mark, and that is the same way with my jewelry business, Timeless Designs.

Timeless Designs came out of my thriving passion for creativity; a hobby at first we’ll say but it is growing little by little into a strong business. Because I’ve ‘jumped in with both feet’ doesn’t mean I wasn’t prepared either...I did my homework, research, and spend the last year working in the industry to develop a name and business, that hopefully will someday be my Retirement. So, I’d like to thank those who are responsible and whose names have not been changed because their innocence was long ago lost!

THANK YOU….
…to my hubby Chris who’s camera I’ve fine tuned to take such awesome pictures! You can borrow it anytime Hun!
…to my son Dalton who inspires and challenges me in the studio; some of these designs are his creations, just Fascinating!
…to Mom & Dad who taught me at a very young age that I can achieve anything, now see what you’ve done!
…to my son Jeremy who encourages and supports me even on his mission!
…to Gayle & Lee for the great write-ups, meals at shows, support, and endless feed of gemstone information!
…to CiCi and Shadow (Executive Cat & Jr. Manager Cat, respectively) for inventory control!
…to Kelsey (Middle Manager Cat) who comes into the studio to remind me when I’ve missed ‘bedtime’.
…to all my Friends & Family for supporting and encouraging me to keep trying and never give up!

So, now we know who’s responsible – right!

See ya soon!
Annette