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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 25, 2021 22:13:26 GMT -5
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 25, 2021 22:18:25 GMT -5
Wow! That looks amazing!
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Post by mohs on Jul 25, 2021 22:38:47 GMT -5
jase I’m not the critical eye you seek
I’m just mohs'n along
& your honed in!
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 25, 2021 23:14:34 GMT -5
Thanks Perk!  I'm starting to love these agates more and more each time I work one!  jase I’m not the critical eye you seek I’m just mohs'n along & your honed in! Thanks Ed! I did catch your comment before you edited it.  I love reading your posts and really do appreciate your support and input! I get the difference in looking at it through the loupe versus looking at the "overall"...each has it's place. I respect both. I would prefer someone NOT look at them through the loupe though and just stick to the naked eye! LOL |
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Post by stephan on Jul 26, 2021 23:21:07 GMT -5
Fabulous! They’re all amazing, but I’m partial to the salmon colored eyes in the last two (calling it “pink eye” just seemed wrong, somehow).
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 27, 2021 0:18:05 GMT -5
Fabulous! They’re all amazing, but I’m partial to the salmon colored eyes in the last two (calling it “pink eye” just seemed wrong, somehow). Thanks Stephan! That made me chuckle out loud! My wife just loves that second one up from the bottom. The picture makes it look like it's got a cloudy finish...but it doesn't. I think I'm most partial to the first one. It's big, but any smaller and it wouldn't have captured the whole pattern. I've realized I've made quite a few...read that as most...cabs that are large and very few that are smaller. I don't know why...they'd get done faster! LOL |
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Post by stephan on Jul 27, 2021 0:34:50 GMT -5
Fabulous! They’re all amazing, but I’m partial to the salmon colored eyes in the last two (calling it “pink eye” just seemed wrong, somehow). Thanks Stephan! That made me chuckle out loud! My wife just loves that second one up from the bottom. The picture makes it look like it's got a cloudy finish...but it doesn't. I think I'm most partial to the first one. It's big, but any smaller and it wouldn't have captured the whole pattern. I've realized I've made quite a few...read that as most...cabs that are large and very few that are smaller. I don't know why...they'd get done faster! LOL I’d probably make more large ones if I had a flat lap or 8” wheels, but I that’s not what I have. There have been a few occasions where I pushed it, and just as I was almost done with the 280 wheel, I caught it on the edge of the sintered 220. That leaves a mark that takes a while to get out! I think I made sailors blush in the aftermath. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 27, 2021 0:54:13 GMT -5
Thanks Stephan! That made me chuckle out loud! My wife just loves that second one up from the bottom. The picture makes it look like it's got a cloudy finish...but it doesn't. I think I'm most partial to the first one. It's big, but any smaller and it wouldn't have captured the whole pattern. I've realized I've made quite a few...read that as most...cabs that are large and very few that are smaller. I don't know why...they'd get done faster! LOL I’d probably make more large ones if I had a flat lap or 8” wheels, but I that’s not what I have. There have been a few occasions where I pushed it, and just as I was almost done with the 280 wheel, I caught it on the edge of the sintered 220. That leaves a mark that takes a while to get out! I think I made sailors blush in the aftermath. I'm constantly second-guessing myself when my wife starts looking at my cabs and wraps. She'll pick one up and put it up to her neck and look at it in the mirror and say, "I think it's just a little too big for me." (And that's for some of the "medium" sized ones I've done!) I just have a hard time displacing a pattern if I see one...quite frequently in Teepee Canyon Agates. The first pic in this thread is another example. Anything smaller and it just wouldn't have the same feel to it...or at least that's the way I see it. LOL |
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stewdogg
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 388
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Post by stewdogg on Jul 27, 2021 8:53:44 GMT -5
There are plenty of people out there that prefer larger stone pendants. I think you keep doing what you do, it seems to be working out for you.
Nice work on the bots! I like them all, but those last two are really cool looking!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jul 27, 2021 9:05:00 GMT -5
The wraps look fantastic! My only critique is really just a personal preference of using sterling silver for Botswana. Your level of talent justifies the cost of the silver at this point. There are exceptions and a few stones like your owyhee's you posted look great in copper.
Chuck
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 27, 2021 11:28:04 GMT -5
There are plenty of people out there that prefer larger stone pendants. I think you keep doing what you do, it seems to be working out for you. Nice work on the bots! I like them all, but those last two are really cool looking! Thanks Jesse! That's what I thought...but I really do think I need to start making more medium sized ones. I can't do the real small ones...well, I CAN I guess, I just don't. LOL I love the fact that you like those last two. Those really seem to be the clear favorites. I never would have guessed that. I lean more towards the first three with their color combinations. Just goes to show I need to make sure I continue making ones that I think are just "okay". I forget sometimes people don't think the same way I do...which is probably a good thing all around! LOL The wraps look fantastic! My only critique is really just a personal preference of using sterling silver for Botswana. Your level of talent justifies the cost of the silver at this point. There are exceptions and a few stones like your owyhee's you posted look great in copper. Chuck Thanks Chuck! I totally appreciate you chiming in on the silver wire...and I can't disagree one bit! I believe they would look better with the silver wire. You have no idea how much your comment about talent level means to me. I'm still new enough with all of this that I still feel there are too many "little" things wrong with most of my pieces. As far as the silver goes...I keep staring at the few strands of silver I have left and keep putting off using it. LOL - I need to start selling these dang things to start paying for more supplies! LOL (Oh, and I also totally agree with the Owyhee comment. I think they came out looking great with the copper and Liver of Sulphur treatment. ) |
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treadledad
Cave Dweller 
Member since February 2021
Posts: 48
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Post by treadledad on Jul 27, 2021 13:42:34 GMT -5
"I'm still new enough with all of this that I still feel there are too many "little" things wrong with most of my pieces."
I don't think new has anything to do with it. Any competent craftsman can point out every flaw in their own work. We are often our worst critics. I think you do a fine job with your wraps!
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Post by stephan on Jul 27, 2021 14:35:35 GMT -5
"I'm still new enough with all of this that I still feel there are too many "little" things wrong with most of my pieces." I don't think new has anything to do with it. Any competent craftsman can point out every flaw in their own work. We are often our worst critics. I think you do a fine job with your wraps! I’ll agree with you 100%. I frequently encourage both jasoninsd and miket to go easier on themselves. Both are relatively new and put out work that rivals and even surpasses those who’ve been at it far longer. Both a excellent crabber and put out pieces that I wish I could. Both are pretty new to wrapping, but you wouldn’t know it looking at their work. I know if I started, I’d be all thumbs with work that small and detailed for a long time. I’m not sure I’d ever be capable of pricing what they do. yes, Jason, sell. Your stuff would move like hot cakes. And, yes, I definitely understand about not wanting to lose cool patterns. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 27, 2021 17:39:28 GMT -5
"I'm still new enough with all of this that I still feel there are too many "little" things wrong with most of my pieces." I don't think new has anything to do with it. Any competent craftsman can point out every flaw in their own work. We are often our worst critics. I think you do a fine job with your wraps! Thank you TD! The key word there is "competent". I totally get what you're saying, and I do agree that I am by far my worst critic. But the "being new" is where the questioning of competency on my part comes in. Without the experience behind me, I really do question everything I'm doing...thus the "insecurity" if you will, in the final product. I also guarantee that even with a few more years experience...knowing myself as I do, I will still be my own worst critic. "I'm still new enough with all of this that I still feel there are too many "little" things wrong with most of my pieces." I don't think new has anything to do with it. Any competent craftsman can point out every flaw in their own work. We are often our worst critics. I think you do a fine job with your wraps! I’ll agree with you 100%. I frequently encourage both jasoninsd and miket to go easier on themselves. Both are relatively new and put out work that rivals and even surpasses those who’ve been at it far longer. Both a excellent crabber and put out pieces that I wish I could. Both are pretty new to wrapping, but you wouldn’t know it looking at their work. I know if I started, I’d be all thumbs with work that small and detailed for a long time. I’m not sure I’d ever be capable of pricing what they do. yes, Jason, sell. Your stuff would move like hot cakes. And, yes, I definitely understand about not wanting to lose cool patterns. Thanks Stephan! I will gratefully say you are definitely encouraging to me! And I truly am very thankful for your constant support...and help with my frequent questions. Okay...the "sell" thing has been thrown out there a bit more lately. You just hit on one of the biggest problems that I'm having a hard time with but haven't really admitted it until now...pricing! I really have NO clue where to price these. Of course I know I could price them really low and they'd all sell no problem. I want to figure out a way to put an intelligent fair-market price on these. Like the Fairburn should be WAY more than any of these Botswanas. Only because I know the high dollars that anything Fairburns go for. Similar with the Teepee Canyon Agates, but not quite to the extent as Fairburns. I guess I need to figure out the "base" price for a basic wrap made with a "common" type of material and then alter the pricing of others congruent with higher priced materials (silver versus copper) or use of less common stones (Fairburn versus Prairie Agate). I think I'm apprehensive to putting a price-tag on my time...basically admitting what I think my time is worth...which is basically how the "base" price is found. (I hope that all made some kind of sense...) |
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Post by stephan on Jul 27, 2021 18:10:11 GMT -5
jasoninsd pricing your time does get tricky. I know if I price it the same as what I get paid for my day job, it won't move. Having been to craft fairs, and seeing what people charge for their wares (and hearing people who've never made anything complain about how "expensive" it is), I realize that most artist probably make sub-minimum wage. Then again, I am not trying to make a living, and I am having fun making stuff, so... what is a hobby wage? And, yes, I do price rare material at a higher base price than common, but there's not a real formula either. It also depends on whether it's hounded, bought in bulk (like material from the estate sale) or by the slab at a show, lack/presence of fractures and what other people are selling for. That part gets tricky, because on Etsy/eBay... that varies all over the place, especially for rare stuff, with some people selling at fair prices, others selling crap at inflated prices, and yet others selling fake material cheaply. In other words... good luck. You could just try estimating some prices, maybe ask for some feedback here, try to find comparable items as a guidepost, and adjust as needed.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 27, 2021 18:22:41 GMT -5
jasoninsd pricing your time does get tricky. I know if I price it the same as what I get paid for my day job, it won't move. Having been to craft fairs, and seeing what people charge for their wares (and hearing people who've never made anything complain about how "expensive" it is), I realize that most artist probably make sub-minimum wage. Then again, I am not trying to make a living, and I am having fun making stuff, so... what is a hobby wage? And, yes, I do price rare material at a higher base price than common, but there's not a real formula either. It also depends on whether it's hounded, bought in bulk (like material from the estate sale) or by the slab at a show, lack/presence of fractures and what other people are selling for. That part gets tricky, because on Etsy/eBay... that varies all over the place, especially for rare stuff, with some people selling at fair prices, others selling crap at inflated prices, and yet others selling fake material cheaply. In other words... good luck. You could just try estimating some prices, maybe ask for some feedback here, try to find comparable items as a guidepost, and adjust as needed. I was looking the other day at pricing on cabs. I don't even remember the material I was looking up right now...but the pricing on cabs made from the same material ranged from $25 clear up to $168. Now, I'm betting the $168 is going to sit there...but I question if the $25 was too low? I know ultimately it's a giant crap-shoot. I just don't want to roll snake eyes! LOL I'll get it figured out one of these days...probably when I get 300 wraps done (it was 200...now it might be 300 before I figure it out! LOL). |
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Post by HankRocks on Jul 27, 2021 18:57:50 GMT -5
jasoninsd Ok, I will throw my 2 cents in (no pun intended) A lot of the pricing depends on who your market is. If your selling on Internet, then you are going to reach more folks and your prices can be somewhat higher. If selling at a local Craft or Rock Show then you may need to price them lower, really depends on the crowd. Another factor to consider, at the Craft Shows I do, a Fairburn or a TeePee Canyon agate does not normally register with most buyers. On the other hand the Botswana's are more striking and might attract more interest. Rare or hard to get does not translate to higher prices at a Craft Show As I have mentioned more than once, I sell to make "Beer and Gas" money. I do try and weight the effort or cost into the price but I don't lose any sleep thinking that I may have priced something too low. I have no interest in building a 6 page spreadsheet to track every tiny expense per stone. If I was selling wrapped pendants, they would be priced higher than my shaped/tumbled/drilled/pinch bailed pieces as the effort involved in the latter is in theory less than the wrapped pieces. There is one more odd factor to boggle your mind, sometimes priced cheap translates to the item must be of cheap or lower quality. That's a tough to wrap ones head around. Here again I don't lose much sleep pondering that one. I would suggest a trial Show with a few pieces and see how they do. Or a trial posting on-line somewhere. Good luck Henry
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 27, 2021 19:28:13 GMT -5
jasoninsd Ok, I will throw my 2 cents in (no pun intended) A lot of the pricing depends on who your market is. If your selling on Internet, then you are going to reach more folks and your prices can be somewhat higher. If selling at a local Craft or Rock Show then you may need to price them lower, really depends on the crowd. Another factor to consider, at the Craft Shows I do, a Fairburn or a TeePee Canyon agate does not normally register with most buyers. On the other hand the Botswana's are more striking and might attract more interest. Rare or hard to get does not translate to higher prices at a Craft Show As I have mentioned more than once, I sell to make "Beer and Gas" money. I do try and weight the effort or cost into the price but I don't lose any sleep thinking that I may have priced something too low. I have no interest in building a 6 page spreadsheet to track every tiny expense per stone. If I was selling wrapped pendants, they would be priced higher than my shaped/tumbled/drilled/pinch bailed pieces as the effort involved in the latter is in theory less than the wrapped pieces. There is one more odd factor to boggle your mind, sometimes priced cheap translates to the item must be of cheap or lower quality. That's a tough to wrap ones head around. Here again I don't lose much sleep pondering that one. I would suggest a trial Show with a few pieces and see how they do. Or a trial posting on-line somewhere. Good luck Henry Henry, thanks for chiming in on this. You brought up some very helpful points like stephan did. I believe you're absolutely right about the necessary price differential between internet and local selling. I have encountered the belief that cheaply priced equals cheaply made...and that's where I'm still trying to decide the "base" price on these. Too "cheap" and they'll be thought of as poorly made...too expensive and I'm stroking my ego and just kidding myself. LOL I like the idea of doing a test run. The most ideal place to do it would have been the Fairburn Agate and Rock Swap last month...but I was still chickening out about everything at that point! LOL |
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stewdogg
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 388
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Post by stewdogg on Jul 27, 2021 23:12:29 GMT -5
There are plenty of people out there that prefer larger stone pendants. I think you keep doing what you do, it seems to be working out for you. Nice work on the bots! I like them all, but those last two are really cool looking! Thanks Jesse! That's what I thought...but I really do think I need to start making more medium sized ones. I can't do the real small ones...well, I CAN I guess, I just don't. LOL I love the fact that you like those last two. Those really seem to be the clear favorites. I never would have guessed that. I lean more towards the first three with their color combinations. Just goes to show I need to make sure I continue making ones that I think are just "okay". I forget sometimes people don't think the same way I do...which is probably a good thing all around! LOL The wraps look fantastic! My only critique is really just a personal preference of using sterling silver for Botswana. Your level of talent justifies the cost of the silver at this point. There are exceptions and a few stones like your owyhee's you posted look great in copper. Chuck Thanks Chuck! I totally appreciate you chiming in on the silver wire...and I can't disagree one bit! I believe they would look better with the silver wire. You have no idea how much your comment about talent level means to me. I'm still new enough with all of this that I still feel there are too many "little" things wrong with most of my pieces. As far as the silver goes...I keep staring at the few strands of silver I have left and keep putting off using it. LOL - I need to start selling these dang things to start paying for more supplies! LOL (Oh, and I also totally agree with the Owyhee comment. I think they came out looking great with the copper and Liver of Sulphur treatment. ) I guess I agree with chuck about the silver wire and it's why I liked the bottom two with red spot in the bot. I think they go better with the copper wire. I mean, I'm not sure I've seen a bot I didn't like, so who am I to say...? |
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Post by holajonathan on Jul 30, 2021 21:33:09 GMT -5
jasoninsd Ok, I will throw my 2 cents in (no pun intended) A lot of the pricing depends on who your market is. If your selling on Internet, then you are going to reach more folks and your prices can be somewhat higher. If selling at a local Craft or Rock Show then you may need to price them lower, really depends on the crowd. Another factor to consider, at the Craft Shows I do, a Fairburn or a TeePee Canyon agate does not normally register with most buyers. On the other hand the Botswana's are more striking and might attract more interest. Rare or hard to get does not translate to higher prices at a Craft Show As I have mentioned more than once, I sell to make "Beer and Gas" money. I do try and weight the effort or cost into the price but I don't lose any sleep thinking that I may have priced something too low. I have no interest in building a 6 page spreadsheet to track every tiny expense per stone. If I was selling wrapped pendants, they would be priced higher than my shaped/tumbled/drilled/pinch bailed pieces as the effort involved in the latter is in theory less than the wrapped pieces. There is one more odd factor to boggle your mind, sometimes priced cheap translates to the item must be of cheap or lower quality. That's a tough to wrap ones head around. Here again I don't lose much sleep pondering that one. I would suggest a trial Show with a few pieces and see how they do. Or a trial posting on-line somewhere. Good luck Henry Regarding "Rare or hard to get does not translate to higher prices at a Craft Show." I recently showed my parents a bunch of my tumbled rocks and asked them to pick out a favorite. My dad took a big piece of Kambaba jasper, and my mom chose rainbow obsidian. She thought the Royal Imperial Jasper was "weird" and the condor agate nodules were "cute," but she liked the rainbow obsidian better. I find that the general public tends to like well-polished rainbow or sheen obsidian, agates with fortification banding, bright colored rocks, crazy lace agate, and things that sparkle. People who aren't into rocks are less likely to get excited most plume agates, moss agates, or anything that you have to look at closely to appreciate. That's my experience at least. |
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