In one shop where I consign some of my goods are laid out on a lovely black shawl – one end of the shawl is wrapped around a heavy cardboard tube from a commercial roll of plastic wrap to create a curved surface to lay bracelets over. This end is on the backside of the counter and the fringe of the shawl is draped over the front edge. The added weight keeps the shawl from shifting on the slipperry glass surface.

When you make your business arrangments proper you may want to discuss
a “layaway” plan and custom orders with the shop owner. I do payment installments in several galleries. I feel it doesn’t hurt for someone to make four or five trips into the shop with my work in mind and displayed in front of them when they make their payments. Everywhere I sell I have a 40/60 fee split, (60 being me), but for custom requests via shops I arrange a split of 25/75.

The modern props get some height from two jewelry display/carry boxes, which are black with glass tops. Artful arranging allows me to fit another 50 pieces in about 3′ x 1′. The wire mesh letter tray was turned on its long end and bolted to a piece of wood to steady it. This holds another 20 pairs of large bold earrings. This one can bridge the two displays if necessary, style-wise, or go with either, depending on the space available. The mirror for this grouping came from Ross and has leaves and flowers, reminiscent of the style of my Lucite flower jewelry.

My advice is go to a nice store that sells similar inventory (or look at the one you are going into) and take your cues from them. Be sure to have different heights and include a mirror. Closest to eye level will sell the best. Then think out of the box for ways to make a display that doesn’t look boring. Check the Internet for DIY, and go to discount decorating stores and thrift stores. Your creativity with the display will draw customers and make your pieces stand out. Just be sure the props don’t upstage your jewelry.:)

Label all your props clearly on the bottom so no one makes away with them, but if you are willing to part with them, do put prices on them as well. You may get them for a steep discount, but remember they are important props, so price them as a good store would when not on sale. If you make a profit, go find another inexpensive prop. It will help you change your display, keeping it fresh.

Do go by the shop every two weeks or more often and check on your display. Encourage the owner to call you if she notices a hole. Be extra friendly and helpful, and the staff may rearrange it as needed in between. After all, it benefits the shop. Bring new pieces to replace anything that might have sold, and an inventory sheet for them. If you are close enough to your studio, see what’s needed, go back and get replacements and make your sheet. Otherwise it will be a guessing game for the first few times.

Consignment has been a positive experience for us overall. 50% is not unreasonable, since the owner has to rent and maintain a storefront and the liability of retail customers walking in. They also do good shop and trunk show promotion and sell the work of many local artists. It helps that the owner started out as a jewelry artist herself, so she understands how that aspect works. The shop sells artsy gifts and we are in a beachfront town that gets good tourist traffic in the cool season. In analyzing my database, I can see that the majority of items taken to the shop did sell eventually. The shop is moving to a new location with higher traffic that is closer to my home so I will be able to keep a closer eye on things and refresh the displays. Once she re-opens, the owner wants the artists to put in some window demonstration time, which I think is a great idea to draw people in. They also hold classes, which are actually their bread and butter in the off-season, and I plan to do some teaching there as well. My studio is not zoned for retail customers to come in and I can’t teach classes there professionally, so it’s good to have a venue for this. I can’t move the studio because rents are very high here. I trade bookkeeping for space at a relative’s warehouse office, so no one can beat that for me. 🙂 The shop owner says I actually have some “followers” who come in wanting to see what I’ve made lately, so my brand may be starting to build.

We have been doing business together for about four years now, so I feel comfortable with this shop and the owner and staff. Go slowly to build trust on both sides and defnitely sign an agreement that you both understand and feel good about.

Hope it goes well!

Wholesale buyers usually pay you around 50% of your full retail prices; consignment accounts usually pay you anywhere from 50% to 80% of your full retail prices. So it’s important to price your work such that you’ll still make a decent profit after the shop takes its cut.

Also, you may want to see my tips on approaching shops and galleries with your jewelry.

And don’t be discouraged if the shops aren’t buying for Valentine’s Day right now. Most shops buy their stock a few months ahead – so at two weeks before Valentine’s Day, they may not be interested in Valentine pieces.

However, you may be hitting the timing right for their Mother’s Day and graduation needs. So be sure to ask about those opportunities while you’re visiting the shops.

Good luck! 🙂

Last spring, I set up my jewellery displays in a friend’s pottery/shop. Presentation is everything, and I bought black velvet covered display stands for necklaces and I display necklace and earring sets on them (earrings hung round a large hatpin stuck into the stand).

I do lay out necklaces onto shelves as well, and bought some round copper moving (the tops turn) stands to display pendants and some similar 2 tier ones for earrings, as I wanted continuity with the look, to make best use of the available space, and to fit in as much jewellery as possible but still have it be seen and looking good.

I’m in Scotland and bought these from ebay, very cheaply I have to say, and I’m sure you can get similar where you are. I’m definitely with you on not displaying earrings on cards, they just don’t look as good, and, you need to find somewhere to put all the cards too.

I do work there on Sundays during the spring/summer, and normally change the displays about a bit each week so it doesn’t always look the same.
The varying heights of the displays make them look more interesting, the black velvet displays look good against the white walls at the back of the shelves, and I’ve also got other necklaces pinned onto the edges of “my” shelves with coloured top pins, so they’re suspended in the air, and these look nice and attract attention as they “move” when they’re touched.

People like to be able to touch the items, I don’t find they’re very comfortable with dong that if they’re in a box, even if the lid is off the box. Personally, I wouldn’t want my items displayed in boxes, I don’t think I’d be able to make a display of that kind look attractive, but each to his own, and maybe that’s a more common way of doing things in the US!

I supplied a couple of sizes of organza bags (small for earrings, bigger for necklaces or sets), as they look nice and are quick and easy to put the jewellery into. I had thought of supplying tissue to wrap them in too, but with either the potter or his assistant being the ones who are serving the customers most of the time (often covered in clay!), I tried to make it as easy as possible for them!

It’s worked well. The customers like the bags as they don’t necessarily have to find any other wrapping if the item is a gift, and when the shop is very busy with pottery customers or children doing “paint your own” pots, it takes no time to put jewellery into them.

Sorry Kate, this is a very long “comment”, but I hope it helps in some way,
Coral

I also use a larger version of the tree branch for my booth to hang necklaces and I have gotten many compliments from customers about how nice it looks and easy to see the jewelry.