Introduction
When I used to teach jewelry making classes, I found that creating my own kits was a wonderful way to get organized and help my students at the same time. Plus, very often they would purchase extra kits to take home with them. They really save time for both the teacher and student.
You can also sell jewelry making kits over the Internet or at shows. Rock shows were another good fit for me when I sold my jewelry.
I kept these kits in a basket, and I sold a fair number of them at every show.
There are many ways to go about creating kits, and steps could vary depending on the type of jewelry you make and sell. I have sold kits for beaded, chain, and memory wire jewelry. However, this process could also be adapted for wire, macramé, fabrication, or even basic soldering projects. A good deal of preliminary work is needed up front in order to determine how to put together the kits, and in this how-to article I'll explain how you can start making your own jewelry making kits.
1. Create Categories - Break up different types of jewelry into categories. Kits can be made for each different type.
2. Determine Supplies - What will need to be included in order to make the item? This includes findings, beads, wire, and tools. Even if you don’t plan to include them all, you need to know so you can include these on the instructions.
3. Write Instructions - When writing instructions, you’ll need to include a list of supplies, tools, term definitions, and step by step details.
If you have no clue how to start, take a look at some of the features on this site or look at jewelry making magazines. Use them as a format guide to write your own instructions. (Remember, all article on this site as well as in magazines are protected by copyright laws).
4. Design Packaging - How do you want your kit to look? Some ideas to consider are zip lock bags, labels, instructions, graphics, boxes. How much time do you have to spend on the "look," and how much money do you feel it requires?
5. Calculate Cost - You need to figure out how much a kit will cost you to put together as well as how much your budget will allow. Then determine how much you want to charge for the kits. Remember, the customer might be able to purchase similar jewelry directly from you, so you need to price the kits a little lower than a finished piece since your labor to make the finished piece should not be included in the price.
Once you do all this preliminary work, it’s time to assemble the kit. Of course, what you decided during the above steps will determine how you put your kits together.
However, I’ll now explain how I put my earring kits together to give you an example.
1. Categories - I divided up most of my kits into necklace, bracelet, earrings, memory wire bracelets, and Y necklace kits.
2. Supplies - In my earring kits I included head pins, ear wires, and a small assortment of beads including stone beads, metal beads, and glass beads. I usually included any where between 6 - 10 beads depending on their size. I didn't include any tools with my kits due to cost and size restrictions.
3. Instructions - I tried to keep the jewelry designs and therefore instructions simple. My target audience was beginners, possibly people who had never made jewelry before. So, consider who you are writing for when you write your instructions.
4. Package - I put my kits in zip lock bags that are about 6 x 4 inches. I folded up the instructions and also included a sheet with stone lore information and a plain index card in case the person wanted to make a simple hang tag or earring card with it. (They could write the stone information inside the card or on the back of it). I put the beads in one 2 x 2 inch bag and the findings in another 2 x 2 inch bag. These smaller bags go inside the larger bag along with the paper work. (This was done so I could switch findings or beads around from one kit to the other). Then I also made up labels using my printer and put them on the front. I’m sure I could have made these kits much fancier, but for my purposes, they worked just fine.
5. Cost - I sold my bead earring kits for $2.50 and most of my other kits ranged from $4 to $6.
All of my findings were base metal, so that cut down on the cost considerably.
If you sell your work at shows or if you teach classes, I hope you consider making kits. These can be a great way to share your jewelry making enthusiasm was well as earn a little income.
When I used to teach jewelry making classes, I found that creating my own kits was a wonderful way to get organized and help my students at the same time. Plus, very often they would purchase extra kits to take home with them. They really save time for both the teacher and student.
You can also sell jewelry making kits over the Internet or at shows. Rock shows were another good fit for me when I sold my jewelry.
I kept these kits in a basket, and I sold a fair number of them at every show.
There are many ways to go about creating kits, and steps could vary depending on the type of jewelry you make and sell. I have sold kits for beaded, chain, and memory wire jewelry. However, this process could also be adapted for wire, macramé, fabrication, or even basic soldering projects. A good deal of preliminary work is needed up front in order to determine how to put together the kits, and in this how-to article I'll explain how you can start making your own jewelry making kits.
1. Create Categories - Break up different types of jewelry into categories. Kits can be made for each different type.
2. Determine Supplies - What will need to be included in order to make the item? This includes findings, beads, wire, and tools. Even if you don’t plan to include them all, you need to know so you can include these on the instructions.
3. Write Instructions - When writing instructions, you’ll need to include a list of supplies, tools, term definitions, and step by step details.
If you have no clue how to start, take a look at some of the features on this site or look at jewelry making magazines. Use them as a format guide to write your own instructions. (Remember, all article on this site as well as in magazines are protected by copyright laws).
4. Design Packaging - How do you want your kit to look? Some ideas to consider are zip lock bags, labels, instructions, graphics, boxes. How much time do you have to spend on the "look," and how much money do you feel it requires?
5. Calculate Cost - You need to figure out how much a kit will cost you to put together as well as how much your budget will allow. Then determine how much you want to charge for the kits. Remember, the customer might be able to purchase similar jewelry directly from you, so you need to price the kits a little lower than a finished piece since your labor to make the finished piece should not be included in the price.
Once you do all this preliminary work, it’s time to assemble the kit. Of course, what you decided during the above steps will determine how you put your kits together.
However, I’ll now explain how I put my earring kits together to give you an example.
1. Categories - I divided up most of my kits into necklace, bracelet, earrings, memory wire bracelets, and Y necklace kits.
2. Supplies - In my earring kits I included head pins, ear wires, and a small assortment of beads including stone beads, metal beads, and glass beads. I usually included any where between 6 - 10 beads depending on their size. I didn't include any tools with my kits due to cost and size restrictions.
3. Instructions - I tried to keep the jewelry designs and therefore instructions simple. My target audience was beginners, possibly people who had never made jewelry before. So, consider who you are writing for when you write your instructions.
4. Package - I put my kits in zip lock bags that are about 6 x 4 inches. I folded up the instructions and also included a sheet with stone lore information and a plain index card in case the person wanted to make a simple hang tag or earring card with it. (They could write the stone information inside the card or on the back of it). I put the beads in one 2 x 2 inch bag and the findings in another 2 x 2 inch bag. These smaller bags go inside the larger bag along with the paper work. (This was done so I could switch findings or beads around from one kit to the other). Then I also made up labels using my printer and put them on the front. I’m sure I could have made these kits much fancier, but for my purposes, they worked just fine.
5. Cost - I sold my bead earring kits for $2.50 and most of my other kits ranged from $4 to $6.
All of my findings were base metal, so that cut down on the cost considerably.
If you sell your work at shows or if you teach classes, I hope you consider making kits. These can be a great way to share your jewelry making enthusiasm was well as earn a little income.
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