Time, talent and money.......

I've been doing quite a bit of work on spinner rings, lately. I'd like to say it's because I've had tons of orders but I can't. I have had more than usual but certainly not any kind of record! Nope, I've been doing a lot of work on spinner rings because I've had to remake - in some way or another - each spinner ring that's been ordered!! They're a bit tricky for me and I greatly appreciate all the advice and assistance I've gotten from Tammy over at Tammy's Treasure Chest! HUGE help!

Is it odd for me to admit that? The fact that I don't get it 100% perfect right off the bat? I don't think it's odd. I think it's honest. If you want to 'know' my jewelry then you have to 'know' me, too right? So here are my thoughts.

First, let me state that my pricing doesn't really include an 'hourly wage'. Many jewelers use a pricing equation to determine retail & wholesale prices. Something along the lines of:

rate x time + supplies x 3.

For the life of me, I couldn't come up with an acceptable 'hourly rate'. Many of my 'contemporaries' are trained and have been doing this for some time. What might take them 10 minutes may take me 1 hour. Certainly not fair to my customers. So I spent a bit of time looking at other's pricing and product, took at look at my supply cost and..........well, guessed. I'm not going to lie. I do make a profit. Aside from personal gratification, why else would I do this :-) But I certainly don't pay myself as would a master jeweler. (By the way, there's a really interesting discussion going on over in the Etsy forums about pricing.)

So getting back to admitting mistakes. I want happy customers. If I customer has a problem with a piece I've created for them, I want to make it right. I'll redo sizing, finish, what have you. But I'd rather there be less of a chance that anyone will have a problem in the first place! If I look at a piece - not just a spinner ring but ANY of my pieces - and I don't like the way it's come out, I'm not going to send it to my customer. It may take a bit more time and a bit more supplies - neither of which I'm compensated for, obviously - but I'll redo it until it's right. No use buying anything from me if it's garbage, right?

So if you've ordered something from me and it takes me the entire two week turn around time for me to get it to you, you can bet that I've made and remade your piece. You won't find that kind of dedication at your local Bloomingdales ;-) Hopefully my effort is appreciated - I certainly appreciate my customers!!