Lucky Deal of the Week: March 2, 2009

We've been working very hard this past week to get the new studio ready to work in (photos coming soon!). Every day I add to the list of equipment and glass I want to buy! This is all making me even more anxious to find new owners for the commercial jewelry I still have in stock, so I'm going to put one item on deep discount each week.

This week's bargain is a pretty butterfly pendant in 10K yellow gold with 12K rose and green gold accents, reminiscent of Black Hills Gold. The pendant includes an 18" 12K gold-filled chain. It weighs 1.9 grams, and the butterfly is about 1/2" x 1/2" (13mm). It's new and comes packaged in a gift box. Priced at around $125 or more in a retail store, I've only got one of these sweeties left, and it can be yours for $55 plus actual postage charges. Interested? Leave a comment with a way for me to contact you, or send an email to me at luckygirltrading@yahoo.com. What a beautiful way to celebrate spring!

Wanna Get Lucky? Win a $25 Gift Certificate!

Click on over to Bee-Mused and leave a comment to enter the giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Lucky Girl Trading on Etsy. If you're not familiar with Bee-Mused, it's a delightful place to find new, pretty, and interesting things!

I Love My New Potholders!

I decided it's time to replace a few kitchen things, and our potholders were the first on the list. I found this gorgeous pair at The Blue Kraken, and when they arrived they were too pretty to hide away in a drawer. Now they hang from my cupboards, and I smile each time I walk into the kitchen. They're big, too--9 inches square--so no more burned fingers for me!

I'm in awe of some of the jewelry in that shop. Go take a look at the jewelry that used to be circuit boards and plasma screens. It's beautiful and amazing!

How Do I Test Unique Items?

A few weeks ago I posted about a kumihimo necklace I made using mixed fibers. Toonatoons from Under the Sun asked whether it felt itchy to wear. Then Ollie McKay from Chic Boutique asked whether I had tried wearing it all day to see how it feels next to the skin for a long period. These are valid concerns, and ones I hadn't thought about while making the necklace.

From a customer's point of view, these are things I'd like to know before I plunk down my money. I think this necklace will be comfortable and non-irritating, but I don't know for certain. And I don't want the answer to come about because I'm wearing something that has been "field-tested" and isn't completely and easily cleanable. If the item was metal or fabric, I could wash and dry it, and specify that it's been thoroughly cleaned before shipping. I've seen other items sold this way--knit and crocheted hats and scarves come to mind--and as a buyer it makes me feel comfortable knowing that I could safely wash the item before wearing it.

A necklace like this one is a problem. It might wash and dry well, and then again it may develop an unpleasant texture, or the colors might run. There's not enough fiber left over to make even a very short braid, and I'm not at all sure I can get the exact same fiber mix again.

I'd love to get some opinions on this. As a buyer, is some sort of wear-testing important to you? And as artists and jewelers, how do you handle evaluating unique items?