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Time to Re-Do Your Work!

by Janine Gerade.
(Massachusetts USA)

In my quest to go through my jewelry and check for wear, tear and weak parts (see my previous post on Rena’s site about customer returns – Help with Jewelry Party Returns Due to Breakage), I came across several of my pieces that I just didn’t like anymore.

For whatever reason, whether it be out of style or it wasn’t my favorite in the first place but created in haste, in my opinion it needed to be redone.

I made a little pile of the jewelry that needed some work and put it on my to-do list. Eventually I got around to it.

I started with pulling it apart and putting the beads away. Erasing it from my database (inventory), or just manipulate pieces or parts of the jewelry.

You wouldn’t believe how much better it made me feel. I have a pretty big inventory of stuff, so sometimes I don’t see certain pieces for months and it would bug me when I did a show and pulled out a piece I was embarrassed and put it away.

Now I have looked everything over carefully, remade pieces and can concentrate on my spring line!

Janine Gerade
JMG Designs Handcrafted Jewelry
JMG Designs etsy shop

Comments:

Remaking unsold jewelry
by: Rena

What a great idea, Janine – clearing out all of your inventory that doesn’t feel right, and then seeing what those supplies can do when mixed with some of your newer components.

It’s also a good remedy for the related embarrassment of having a few pieces that stay unsold in my display for show after show, year after year – with regular customers sometimes saying – “Oh, you still have that necklace!”

Thanks for this inspiration for a fresh start for creating Spring jewelry!

Me too!
by: CalysJewelryCreations

I usually do this about once a year. It is very freeing. If my muse is hiding on me…I’ll go through my inventory and see if I can find some inspiration…!
Sometimes things are dated, sometimes..they are just bad in their inception…lol.
It’s nice to “reclaim” your pieces and parts though and put them to better use…!

Thanks for the reminder!

Now on my ToDo List
by: Lisa

Thanks for the reminder and great advice!

Unsold Jewelry
by: Caren – BeadedGarden.com

A friend who sells beautiful pieced coats has a rule that if something doesn’t sell in 2 shows then she redoes it. I like that and have started to adopt that philosophy although my time frame is longer because I’m not doing shows right now.

Re do pile
by: Cline Jewels (Valerie)

Love this post. I also have a redo pile I made on my last show at Nellis Air Force base, which is a very hard venue to sell hand made jewelry. If figure if it does not sell here it wont sell anywhere. So its time to revamp. Re do or not to re do, that is the question of the day. If I re do then I have a piece I am satisfied with and will sell this year. If I decide not to re do then yes it goes back into my stash to reuse the beads and components at a latter date for a different piece.
For the most part nothing goes to waste and I save my dignity. lol

Dated pieces
by: JoAnne Green

Each of my pieces has an inventory number. I had trouble with duplicate numbers until I came up with this method dealer code,month,day,year,ordinal number – not as complicated as it looks. A piece I made today would be D6-020211-1. Now I know exactly when I made something. If it is older than 3 months it goes into reserve stock. Three months later,when I am ready to rotate stock again, I evaluate each piece of reserve stock and either re-display it or de-construct it. If it has not sold within the next cycle it is de-constructed or rehabilitated.
I have found that I still like certain pieces made over a year ago. OK – they are now in my personal jewelry box, worn at shows or not, as I please. And I have sold a few of those pieces right off my neck, wrist, or ears.

Spring Cleaning
by: Anonymous

Thanks for the reminder…I have a box of pieces that no longer suit me and I think it is time I get to it. This is also an excellent fix for those times when my creative juices don’t want to run!

Re-Do’s
by: Angel

Great advice on redoing the older jewelry.
But how is this one…just like my make ahead greeting card stashes, my older jewelry comes in handy for quick grabs for holidays (when I didn’t have enough time to make something right quick) or birthdays (for the same reasons)…anyone I have given a piece too has absolutley loved the pieces…so it works out for everyone. But I have taken pieces apart and have started over on them too!

Re-Do Spring Cleaning in Winter
by: Anonymous

Like everyone here, I have a destash and a re-do pile. If I like something ok but it just needs some revamping, I will re-do it. Usually I like it much better the second time around.

My destash pile is much larger and those are pieces that haven’t sold within two shows. If I really like a piece, I will keep it for myself. ^_^

My schedule in the winter allows me to take a few hours each day to either destash or re-do. My dream is the day when all of my destashing/revamping is complete and my beading board is cleared for nothing but new creations. That will be one fine day!

Re-do’s
by: JanMarie

Wow! I thought re-dos and pulling out stuff at a show and being embarrassed was just me, my own personal failures. It’s nice to know everyone has old items that can be re-done and reclaimed.

Out with the old
by: Linda Stewart

Every so often I go through my stock and pull items that haven’t sold for a few years. I can tell my earlier pieces by the way they were finished and before I had amassed the pleathora of findings that I have now and also refined my techniques. Some I look at and wonder what I was thinking when I made it, and understand why it didn’t sell in the first place. And yes, it frees up beads and findings that I can put to much better use…new stuff that WILL sell!

undone pile
by: Anonymous

I just went through my assembled inventory and dismantled everything I didn’t like. Not only did I find inspiration, but I was able to put enough raw material back into my stash inventory to trim my next materials order. Win win situation.