Hello, welcome back! I was going through pictures of my older wire wrapping pieces.
Lo-and-behold, there were the first pieces I made! (Yeah Few Pieces)
It got me thinking… should I sell my first wire wrapping piece? Or should I hold on to it? Choices, choices, choices!
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Should You Sell the First Few Pieces?
Quality and Craftmanship
When I compare my first pieces to my later work, there’s a tremendous difference.
The later ones are much better than the first ones I made.
As you can compare the first knot rings vs my later work below, it has huge difference in craftmanship.
I mean, the first piece I ever made wasn’t all bad, but I certainly would not pay money for it.
Remember, when you learn a new skill or practice a new hobby, you need to build up muscle memory, technique, and artisanship.
My first piece lacked a lot of the finer qualities I incorporate into my work now.
Appraising My Work
I thought a lot about selling some of my first pieces. Was it structurally sound?
Am I ensuring all the connections are secure? Have I polished and cleaned it (properly) before selling it?
Is it good enough for me to wear in public? (Yeah I know no one would wear the first knot ring I made!)
There’s nothing wrong with slight imperfections, but would I be willing to pay for the item?
This was my ultimate question that determined if I should sell a piece. I couldn’t (and still cannot) disappoint a potential customer.
Setting a Fair Selling Price
So, if I decide to sell my first piece of wire wrapping jewelry, how would I go about it?
What’s a fair price?
How much do I charge for my time and skills?
How much did the raw materials and stones cost me?
Factors that I used to find my pricing and you can use the same formula
The cost of the materials.
This one can be tricky, I find. After calculating my base price per item, I’ll add between 10 and 20% to the base cost to make a small profit.
First, there’s the wire—how much does a role cost and what’s the yardage?
I take the cost of the wire and divide it by the number of inches on the roll. This gives me a base price per inch of wire used.
The cost of the stone(s) is another factor. My first pieces (other than the knot ring mentioned earlier) did not use high-quality stones, so I cannot charge a high price for the stones. Besides, I have written a post to list down some platforms where you can find beautiful stones.
Raw materials like oxidizers (I normally use Liver of Sulphur), neutralizers, etc. Is almost impossible to calculate—who is going to measure those things down to the last drop?
So, those I cover with the profits I make from selling my jewelry.
The complexity of the design: the more wire and stones a piece is going to use, the higher the base cost will be. This I will figure out when I write down the base cost per item. As you can see below, this piece needs more wire and need a high quality stone, hence I would sell it for higher price.
Hourly rate: I set my rate at a price I feel is reasonable. Yes, my first piece took way longer than my later pieces, so I cannot charge professional rates yet.
There is nothing wrong with fair compensation for the work you’ve done!
Once you have decided on base, per-hour, and profit rate, you may use one of the following strategies to sell your first pieces:
You should honest and acknowledge that it is one of your first pieces. You may offer an introductory price that will attract customers.
For me, I like to offer customers incentives: when they buy of my earlier pieces they’ll get a discount on later pieces. Sometimes, I will offer feature discounts after the first purchase too.
Find Your Market
I like to sell my pieces across a variety of platforms:
Etsy is a great online platform that offers me the opportunity to sell my handmade goods. My first rounds on Etsy were not successful because my photos weren’t high-quality, and my descriptions were a bit vague.
As you can see below, there are quite many people selling their wire-wrapping designs on the Etsy.
Marketplaces on Facebook and Instagram are great. Here I can engage with my customers and tell them the inspiration behind my first creations. I used these platforms to gather initial feedback and test the waters.
I was scared when I attended my first craft fair! So, I set up my table and displayed my pieces, and it has boosted my confidence. At last, I could show customers my progression as an artist and offer a personal touch.
Keep Your First Masterpiece?
For me, it did feels wrong to sell my first piece. It is a powerful reminder of how much I grew as an artist.
I often refer to it to gauge my progression and learn from it. I often list it as an example on my platforms to show customers that I have grown as an artist, and they are getting professionally made pieces.
My very first piece was a super simple knot ring as mentioned. Probably I could give it to my daughter as her engagement ring one day? (Just Kidding)
The Final Wrap
Ultimately, it depends on you.
I still have some of my first pieces and I refer to them to track my progress.
I have also, over time, sold some of my first pieces at discounted prices to fund purchases.
Remember, there’s nothing wrong with selling your first piece. There’s also nothing wrong with keeping it.
Until next time, happy wrapping!
