transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459 
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Post by transcendental on Aug 22, 2014 14:23:56 GMT -5
So a couple weeks ago I got in touch with a retailer about displaying my wire trees, got talking about stuff and my tree of life pendants came up. She wanted to take a look at a few, so I made a bunch and brought them in. They were copper and silver, and a couple had ryolite chip beads, the others were tigers eye. She loved them and asked if I could make more but without the beads. I told her I had been meaning to make a few with a coin bead as the moon behind the tree because I felt they looked naked just wire and no stone, but was trying to find quality beads to do it. I also wanted to try making them leafy like my tree sculptures so even without stone work they didnt look like a naked dead tree. She told me to take my time and play around and bring some in when I could, but really pushed the naked trees. So today I had some time and played around. Found some decent mother of pearl coin beads, got some colored wire to match the beads and figured out a couple things about how to make it work without chip beads. My final conclusion. .. I really don't like them naked :/ My dilemma. ... at what point do you put your foot down and say I really don't want my name associated with this item? It's not commission work but should I treat it as such and make it anyways? Feel like I'm being overly critical, and looking for umbiased opinions. Here's the ryolite pendants and the best one of my practice pendants from today (naked would be like this one without the bead)   Thanks for taking a look |
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Aug 22, 2014 14:45:21 GMT -5
I am not a big fan of beads so my opinion is probably a bit biased. I really like the one with the coin. It has a very artsy/modern look to it. The only thing I would do is remove the two branch wires under the coin to make it look more like a tree. The middle one in the first photo is a good example. I think its easier for me to tell its a tree if the branches do not go all the way down to the base.
It is great to have a shop interested in your items, congrats. I have found that to be a catch 22 in my case. I love getting nice size orders to help pay all my rock shop bills but my last two weeks have been spent working to fill an order of things I had to make instead of things I wanted to make. Then again the things I wanted to make might not have sold for months.
One of my kids was making the standing gem trees with beads for awhile. do you those as too?
Chuck
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Post by wireholic on Aug 22, 2014 14:56:14 GMT -5
Another way to make an all wire tree without it looking naked is to do little coils with the end of the wire at the end of each branch wire
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Aug 22, 2014 15:38:48 GMT -5
I am not a big fan of beads so my opinion is probably a bit biased. I really like the one with the coin. It has a very artsy/modern look to it. The only thing I would do is remove the two branch wires under the coin to make it look more like a tree. The middle one in the first photo is a good example. I think its easier for me to tell its a tree if the branches do not go all the way down to the base. It is great to have a shop interested in your items, congrats. I have found that to be a catch 22 in my case. I love getting nice size orders to help pay all my rock shop bills but my last two weeks have been spent working to fill an order of things I had to make instead of things I wanted to make. Then again the things I wanted to make might not have sold for months. One of my kids was making the standing gem trees with beads for awhile. do you those as too? Chuck Thanks for the input. I don't prefer one of these two over the other, both are cool and appeal to different clientele so I'm happy to make a bit of each. I agree the limb placement is off, was going for a windswept look with the trunk a bit further to the border but didn't like it so Un did it and moved it over... like I said it was practice, it'll go to my mom she'll love it lol. I'm still playing around with the pendants, my sculptures are made to look like bonsai trees so the limbs are near the base of the trunks and I've been trying to keep some uniformity in my products even if they cross into different genre. I'm experiencing the same catch 22 also. I'd much rather be making the sculptures but they cost more so retailers are hesitant to take them so I'm kindof stuck making pendants to bring in money. Even my smallest sculpture runs about $40. I made one beaded tree, took me 30 hours and $50 in materials so my retail price is $350 I'm sure it is going to sit on the shelf in the rock shop for months before it sells. But I made it and it's out there so fingers crossed. Here's what it looks like:  One of my friends saw this one and requested commission for a matched pair in a smaller version. I cut her a deal on them since she was going to be moving to California and the other in the pair was going to her friend who was fighting cancer. You can view them here along with the rest of my portfolio: www.myfolio.com/art/nt8om0qms0Again it's catch 22, costs more to make so costs more for others to buy. I can sell 10 pendants in the time it takes for me to sell one of the smaller trees. The beaded trees are also much more time intensive than the simple wire trees. Time is money right? Lol |
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Post by Toad on Aug 22, 2014 15:45:16 GMT -5
I like the naked one - sometimes busy is good, other times plain. Make them both and replenish what sells...
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Aug 22, 2014 15:47:14 GMT -5
Another way to make an all wire tree without it looking naked is to do little coils with the end of the wire at the end of each branch wire I had seen a couple pendants like that and was going to try it. My concern is in wearing, the coils might catch and bend out of shape. The frame is hard 18-20 guage and the inner wire is medium hardness 24-26 guage. If the inner wire is too hard or to thick it's really easy to bend the frame when wrapping so I gotta go slowly and carefully. I think I need 22 guage to try the coils. I'm going to try it for sure |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 22, 2014 15:53:35 GMT -5
I also like the naked one. Despite you not making them as commissioned pieces, give the customer what they want. If someone sees them, and wants something similar, but different, give them what they want. Consider anything you make advertising.
I sell more jewelry from word of mouth, people seeing pieces I've sold to others, then asking me if they can see what I have to offer. If nothing floats their boat, they'll ask it I can make (fill in the blank). Now it becomes a custom order, and you can charge a little more.
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Aug 22, 2014 16:00:12 GMT -5
I like the naked one - sometimes busy is good, other times plain. Make them both and replenish what sells... Naked would be without the "moon" I agree sometimes busy is good other times simple is best, why I like to provide both. I just feel without anything to add to the silhouette of the tree it looks like a dead and naked tree, at least with the moon it makes me think of fall. |
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Post by Toad on Aug 22, 2014 17:09:21 GMT -5
Misunderstood. Thought naked meant without all the little beads. I like the tree with and without the moon.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 22, 2014 17:13:16 GMT -5
Me, too! Like it with the coin bead as moon. But naked as in no leaves.
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Aug 22, 2014 17:13:21 GMT -5
It's OK I figured there was a miscommunication. I guess I don't mind making them without the moon as long as they have a chance of selling. It can be tough as a buyer when presented with too many options. Plain is definitely cheaper than beaded for pretty much the same amount of effort involved in making them, I timed myself.
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 22, 2014 17:38:46 GMT -5
Sometimes we have to do the things we don't like to do in order to get the money to do the things we do want to do. Personally, I like all variants for one reason or another. I've seen a lot of the moon ones and I have always liked them. I like those the most, I guess. But, the naked ones are nice, too. I think Jean is right. Think of these as advertising. Yes, they are cheap and simple, but you can do more and better and they will find that out.  |
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Aug 22, 2014 18:19:05 GMT -5
Ok I was being over critical about it.... thought so lol I'll make 6 of each and bring them down. I guess the good thing about the pendants without the moon is that if they don't sell I can always bring them back home and slap a moon on them.  Thanks for the input. I know just because I don't like something doesn't mean everyone else won't like it also. Glad to see there are people who do like it, makes me feel better about doing something I'm not all that thrilled to do. |
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Post by wireholic on Aug 22, 2014 18:30:51 GMT -5
Another way to make an all wire tree without it looking naked is to do little coils with the end of the wire at the end of each branch wire I had seen a couple pendants like that and was going to try it. My concern is in wearing, the coils might catch and bend out of shape. The frame is hard 18-20 guage and the inner wire is medium hardness 24-26 guage. If the inner wire is too hard or to thick it's really easy to bend the frame when wrapping so I gotta go slowly and carefully. I think I need 22 guage to try the coils. I'm going to try it for sure Yes you need to use thicker wire to do the coils. And then I beat it up with a nylon hammer to both harden it & make sure that there are no end sticking up that could catch. Tumble it too if you have a jewelry tumbler to get it super hard |
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Post by wireholic on Aug 22, 2014 18:31:19 GMT -5
BTW - I really like the naked with the moon
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Aug 22, 2014 19:23:51 GMT -5
I had seen a couple pendants like that and was going to try it. My concern is in wearing, the coils might catch and bend out of shape. The frame is hard 18-20 guage and the inner wire is medium hardness 24-26 guage. If the inner wire is too hard or to thick it's really easy to bend the frame when wrapping so I gotta go slowly and carefully. I think I need 22 guage to try the coils. I'm going to try it for sure Yes you need to use thicker wire to do the coils. And then I beat it up with a nylon hammer to both harden it & make sure that there are no end sticking up that could catch. Tumble it too if you have a jewelry tumbler to get it super hard What's the difference between a jewelry tumbler and a rock tumbler ? I google it, seems the only difference is using steel shot instead of abrasives grit, is that correct? |
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Aug 22, 2014 19:25:48 GMT -5
BTW - I really like the naked with the moon I do too and why I think if they are for sale side by side the ones without the moon won't sell. Whatever I'll make them, if they don't sell I'll try not to be smug about it lol |
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Thunder69
Cave Dweller 
Thunder 2000-2015
Member since January 2009
Posts: 3,105
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Post by Thunder69 on Aug 22, 2014 21:25:43 GMT -5
I like the one with no leaves and the coin bead...And I see what you are saying...Naked=one dimension...With coin=Gives a perspective of depth ...They all look good though...Best of luck to you with it...JOhn
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