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Mobile Shadow Box Display

by Joan V. Parker.
(Rochester, NY)

I have been crafting jewelry for several years now, and I must say the hardest part for me has been finding appropriate displays to best highlight my jewelry.

After several tries at different displays, I have finally come up with a necklace display that I feel is terrific. It is eye-catching and forces the viewer to look up rather than always looking at table top level. I have received numerous compliments on this display both from customers and from other artists.

My husband, who has been enormously helpful to me in this endeavor, purchased lumber and paint and set about constructing 2 open window boxes to my measurements.

Each box can display two necklaces, and because they are all the same size, I can configure them any way I want as I build a wall of necklaces.

The design of the wall changes with every show I do, and as I sell necklaces from the display, I can remove the boxes that no longer contain necklaces, thereby reconfiguring the wall.

The one draw back is that the boxes take up a fair amount of room in our van, and they are somewhat heavy to carry. We do it, though, because in the end it looks very professional.

Joan V. Parker

Comments:

Gorgeous jewelry booth display
by: Rena

Joan, your booth is simply gorgeous and so professional looking! Your vertical display created by your shadow box would definitely draw me to your booth.

I love the uncluttered, organized neatness of your setup. Everything looks like a very inviting mini-boutique.

Thank you so much for sharing your great idea and this beautiful photo of your setup!

And kudos to your talented hubby for his artistry and for supporting your dreams.

Professional
by: SterlingCrystal

Joan, this display is amazing. Very, very professional, and inviting! I’d love to take a closer look at all of your necklaces. I also appreciate that being made out of wood, they are solid enough for you to add your display vases on top.

Thanks so much for sharing.s

Great Job!
by: Millie

Now that is what I call a display, really very nice!!

2 Boxes?
by: Laura

Your display looks fabulous. I am confused since the article says your husband made 2 boxes and you said you made a different configuration for each show. Is that really 2 boxes consisting of 12 shadowboxes each, or is the 2 a typo and it should have been 24? Also, is there a screw or anything that hold the boxes together so they don’t “all fall down” when someone bumps the table. Thanks for sharing this great idea for a real traveling boutique look.

Shadow Box Display
by: Tricia – Bead Booty

This is the most beautiful jewelry show display I’ve seen in a very long time. I love the basic white with splashes of color in the form of table covers & vases. Lovely! And those shadow boxes are the perfect way to showcase your necklaces. They bring the eye up, they offer variety & at the same time give each piece it’s own focus. You have done a wonderful job!

Gorgeous
by: Annette

Looks beautiful – and yes, very professional.

Do you find you get sufficient light into the boxes?

Might I Borrow?
by: Anonymous

Excellent idea! Making it out of wood does seem heavy though. How about acrylic? And yes, how do you keep them from falling over?

great display
by: Winefred

I’m also wondering if there is some sort of fastener to keep them from falling??
Also, just a thought…if there was no partition in each box, and there was 3 different sizes, the boxes could be stored in one another for easing storage. This, would change the appearance of the display but maybe not to a disadvantage????

awesome..
by: Dee

Your display is awesome!! Caught my eye right off the bat! It’s clean, bright and attractive..nice job…Can I borrow your handy husband? LOL

Response to Laura’s Question (2 boxes?) on my box display
by: Joan Parker

Laura,

I’m so sorry that I didn’t explain the construction of the boxes correctly as well as their usage. Please accept my apologies. I hope you will understand better after the following explanation.

Here’s what my husband and I did:

Once we decided on the dimensions for each shadow box (meaning the height, length, depth), my husband set out building them.

I now have 18 rectangular boxes in all. Each rectangular box is open only in the front and in the back, and each has a vertical slab of wood running the entire depth of the box. It is positioned inside the box to divide the box into two “windows”, thereby allowing box to display two necklaces. The vertical slab of wood also helps to give support to the roof and the floor of the box so that the roof doesn’t bow or curve inward.

I sometimes use all 18 boxes atg a show, piling them on top of each other in whatever configuration fits the space or the design I want to use. As I sell the necklaces, I re-configure the boxes so the wall will change shape and will always look neat and professional while highlighting my necklaces.

The boxes are not fastened down. I have never had any problems with them falling or toppling over. Maybe I’m just lucky. Actually, if you can come up with some way to fasten them together, let me know. I’d appreciate that!

As for lighting, I have spots that I add to the tables and shine them on the necklaces. It works out well.

Hope I made myself clearer this time.
Joan Parker

Now I understand
by: Laura

Joan,
Thank you so much for explaining it again. I feel so dense that I didn’t get it the first time. I thought the 2 sidedness was the front and back of a single box which is why I couldn’t understand how they stood up so well.

With a rectangular box that has a divider to make two spaces for a display, I can see how it would be much more stable. Now as to how to connect them for more stability… I can’t think of anything right now, but I will think about it and see if I can come up with something that wouldn’t be obtrusive.

The display is beautiful.

Glad to be of Help
by: Joan

Hi, Laura.

I’m so happy you returned to my mobile necklace display so you could see the revision of my original explanation on how we built those boxes. I was hoping you would re-visit that posting and am delighted you did so and I made myself clearer to you.

Get busy, Laura! You have a lot of boxes to build!! 😉

Joan Parker
Razzle Dazzle

this is beautiful
by: Anonymous

Your booth display is beautiful. I enjoy the color and the organization. I would like to know what size tables you use and more information about your table clothes and lighting. It really pulls everything together. Thank you for sharing your ideas.

Response to questions about my booth display
by: Joan

Thank you for your positive comments on my booth display.

To answer your questions:

1) size of tables:
The size of tables actually vary depending on the size of my booth. In that particular photo you are looking at an 8 foot table and a 6 foot table put together to form an L shape. Those tables do fold for easier carting, however,those tables are not mine. They were supplied by the show. I do have similar tables of my own that I use when I do an outdoor show.

2) table cloths:
I purchased white, hotel-style table cloths at Marshalls in the largest sizes I could get, at very good prices. They wash well and also dry wrinkle free! I find that stains come out of them easily. As for the raspberry quilts that are the overlays, I purchased them from Marshalls, too.

3) lighting:
I use clip-on lamps with either flood lights or regular 100 watt bulbs and clip them wherever I can to light up as much of my display area as possible. I am still working at devising better portable lighting for shows.

I hope I have answered your questions to your satisfaction.
Joan

Awesome
by: Kristina

I love how organized it makes everything look. Like you took time to display each piece so they all look important.

Just a Thought
by: Anonymous

First, let me say this display is fantastic. I agree with many others who thought it was attractive and professional looking. As to fastening the boxes together, I do have a suggestion, but it would depend on the thickness of the wood. Try using the clips that hold table cloths to a picnic table. They would be light weight and portable and could be painted the same as the boxes to make them blend in.

Clips to hold the boxes together
by: Joan

Hi, Anonymous!

Thanks for your response to try and help me solve the potential security problem of my wooden display boxes tumbling over.

Clips are a great idea. They would have to open to allow approx. 1 1/4 inches of wood to be clipped together, although that is a guess since I don’t have the boxes handy to take the exact measurements. Now that you offer that suggestion, I suppose I could use vise pins. The only drawback would be the time allotment to fasten the wooden boxes together.

Thanks for giving me another idea!!
Joan