Welcome to Jewelry Custom Designs

Welcome to Jewelry Custom Designs. We do custom made wire work with copper, Sterling Silver, and 14 kt. Gold Filled; specializing in Sterling Silver. If you do not see an item you are looking for, please contact us and we will be happy to make a custom order for you.

Wire wrapped jewelry dates back as far as 1500 BC and with today’s resources the art has become more popular than ever. And it is precisely that, a work of art. The work is all done with precious metal jeweler’s wire and as it was in ancient times, it is done without the use of solder or glue. If you decide to purchase a piece of our jewelry, you will truly have a unique one of a kind work of art.

January 20, 2012: I have taken a little time this month to decide what I might want to pursue in my shop. I like the idea of stamping and will definately be adding some of that to my shop in a few months, and will again be taking lessons in silversmithing soon. I will have some knee surgery the first of February however that will make me close my store for a few days. Thankfully this will be outpatient and I will be able to reopen soon!

January 6, 2012: This month marks the beginning of a new year, and with it come all kinds of promises we make ourselves. One for me is to blog more. I love what I do, but I need to look after the things that make it possible, and that means making an online presence. If anyone is interested, here are the things I have learned over the past year and a half that pertain to running a shop on Etsy. Each of these details are important, and together they add a lot of power to your ability to run a successful shop.

1) better pictures. I just kept on picking at them, for over a whole year until I got them down right. Now I have a light box I made for a couple of dollars, a digital “point-and-shoot” camera, and a couple of small lamp with 100watt equivalent energy saver daylight bulbs in them, and for me that works along with the right color paper and props. Use ALL the photos you are allowed to use, shooting your piece at different angles. It has to substitute for them holding the piece in their hand and it’s important that they be able to see it in their hand in their mind’s eye.

2) if possible use a niche market. I would guess that 95% or more of all sales are from names only. Find that niche and stick with it. I have seen that for others it is other various things, like cameos, rings, etc. or boot inserts.

3) offer variety. I don’t mean options for one item (color. font style, etc), but a lot of choices in terms of meeting all your shoppers needs. Like Earrings, pendants, bracelets, rings, various metals for price differences to fit those with budgets- and all within that niche market. And if you don’t have enough inventory, people won’t bother to look.

4) take some time each week to market yourself. Blog, have a Facebook presence, add your shop link to your signature on forums everywhere- it’s a link!!- tweet, pin, whatever!

5) if you are using an online store like I do, use those tags, and make smart use of them!!! This is important! Google uses those terms to find your items and they need to be the terms that the customer is searching for. Use ALL of them. If you run out of ideas, think outside the box to catch those people who might enter a term you hadn’t thought of- like “teacher gift” or bridesmaid jewelry”, etc.

6) Make your store attractive and professional looking by having a great banner and color coordination. This has to substitute for people coming into a brick and mortar- and it has to look like you know what you are doing, or they will not trust you.

7) have clear policies and an interesting but short profile. The smart shopper today will check you out. Make sure you give them something that looks professional and clear.

8.) Have a constant presence online. BE there when they want to converse as much as possible- don’t make them wait too long. You don’t have to be there all day long, but make an effort to commit to being available several times a day. Be descriptive when communicating with them, and be friendly. Make them feel like they are your only customer without taking it so far as to take all your time. It’s important for repeat business and word of mouth, not to mention feedback. Also, keep the communication going even after the sale, by sending a notification that the item has shipped- with a tracking number if your store makes it easy to do so. Etsy does.

9) Be honest with people. Tell them your limitations and if they don’t understand how sales work and order items in separate sales making their shipping prices go up beyond what they should, give them a refund, but also tell them about it so they know they can trust you. Believe me it will reflect on you in a positive manner.

10) Use nice packaging. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg, but a nice box with a nice bow or ribbon- I use a kraft box that has my store logo stamped on it with a raffia bow on them except for my enameled wire names that are inexpensive, and those get an organza bag.

December 20, 2011: I hope you are all having a very warm and wonderful Christmas Holiday season! This has been a busy season for me in my shop and I am grateful for it. I have so many new ideas and inspirations running around in my head for the upcoming year. I hope to be able to work more on my blog and add more to my shop. I have had to put my silversmithing lessons on hold until I find out more about my knee. I am probably looking at a knee cap replacement coming soon. I have an appointment in mid January and will see what’s coming my way then.

November 3, 2011: I ordered several sets of high quality 4mm birthstone CZs today to add to my custom name pieces. I will have the components to add these pieces close to Christmas. This is a wonderful and affordable way to customize and add personality to a piece. I should have photos ready before Christmas.

November 1st: Gearing up for an after Thanksgiving sale. I only do 2 to 3 sales a year, and this one will be store wide. Look for more soon!

October 27, 2011: I decided to close all my Etsy shops except the original one: http://www.dharlee.etsy.com. It is just too much to handle running three, and now that the first one has become a success I think my time would be better spent concentrating on that one. Everything I had to offer will be in that store. Thanks everyone for all your wonderful comments and support! Later, once I figure it out, I will place a “like button” on this page that is connected to my Facebook fan page.

I am now offering calligraphy names and initials done in thick wire in both sterling silver and 14k gold filled. They are quite beautiful and very different from the original types of names. Have a look:

June 10, 2011. Introduced Mother’s rings (Or Family rings, or just genuine gemstone rings) into my shop. They are really pretty, hammered for added sparkle and tumbled for strength. I have them in 14k gold filled and gleaming sterling silver. Where else can you purchase a mother’s ring with up to 5 genuine gemstones for under 45.00? These are beautiful pieces, check them out!

Today is June 7, 2011. We have added bracelets and anklets to our site. These are available in 7″, 8″, and 9″ lengths and I can make a 1″ extender for them on request at no additional charge. The extender will become a permanent part of the piece. The chains that these pieces are on are beautiful Italian made sterling silver and are gorgeous.

I am pleased to offer personalized handmade jewelry and ornaments now! Jewelry made from copper, vintage brass, sterling silver, and 14k rolled gold are all available through custom orders. You can choose from a wide variety of name pendants, pins, and bracelets, or ornaments for your trees, garlands and packages. Don’t particularly want a name? How about a word or small phrase? You be the designer! Here are just a few items.