Jenn Webb

I am a jewelry designer and artisan. I use copper to make my jewelry. Copper is silver plated and colorful designs are screen printed onto silver-plated copper sheets. I also work together with many artists to make their artwork onto jewelry. 

This gorgeous artwork for the horse bracelet is created by Bob Coonts who specializes in abstract whimsical paintings including the rooster, horse, moose, cat, bear and many more. From designing to crafting our jewelry everything is hand made at our workshop. I go through 32 steps to complete each piece. Making the best handmade jewelry from copper.

It seems that everyone these days wants to make money online selling handcrafted jewelry. The internet is chock full of want to be millionaires. Everyone wants to work for themselves and do what they want when they want. Is this a realistic goal? Honestly, we’ve been self-employed for over 23 years and we do what they want when they want it. You can’t just go to the beach like all the spammers say, having your own business and making a success takes a lot of work. For those who want to get rich quick just stop reading and go back to all the spammers and so-called internet gurus who will tell you what you want to hear! By the way, they are the only ones getting rich by promising you the moon. Time and time again, people fall for those schemes and end up just disappointed, frustrated and broke. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Starting your own business is to sell jewelry a worthwhile goal but do not be fooled into believing that you can just sit back and collect money for nothing. People are not stupid and very few throw money away needlessly without considering what they are getting. You have to work hard and you have to have a quality product or necessary service. Give people something they need and you have a satisfied customer. A happy customer is your best advertisement. Continue to supply quality products with great service and before long you will make a success of yourself and your business. There is more to business than making millions. There is a feeling of pride in a job well done.

When we were doing crafts shows to sell our bracelets, earrings, and necklaces we were running all the time. We traveled around like gypsies. We were on the road 10 months of the year. We used to wake up and wonder where we were and which show we were doing. Those were crazy years. After the kids were born, I never went back to the shows. Sometimes I find myself missing those early years. There was a sense of camaraderie among the exhibitors. Everyone seemed to be the same as us; traveling around, trying to come up with the million dollar idea and trying to find the next ‘best show’. It was fun and exciting.

Meeting and talking to the customers was great too. They let us know what they liked and did not like. It kept us on our toes. Every time they asked for something we made it. People were coming to shows to see our work and the new items. We learned a lot about handmade jewelry from our customers and we thank every one of them.

The best way to find craft shows is to start local, check out the area Chamber of Commerce for upcoming events and contact information. Some of our best shows were at schools and community centers. At the shows ask the other exhibitors to recommend other shows. Before long you’ll have a list of shows. Most shows you will have to apply and pay for months in advance. Start in August and September to book into the Christmas Shows; these will be the best shows of the year.

Another idea is to set up a kiosk for your handcrafted jewelry or display in the middle aisle of a local mall for the month before Christmas. Some malls want you to come in starting Nov.1 but with the poor economy right now you won’t see too much in sales until the last few weeks before Christmas. It is more to your advantage to do some locals craft shows on the weekends in November and start the mall in December. In the United States, it is usually best to set up so you are there for “Black Friday” –the Friday after Thanksgiving, I think that is the longest day of the year! Most malls open before 8 am and close at 11 pm on that day. I don’t miss the long hours but the money was good. You need something to keep you warm from January till May when the spring shows start!

I am the artisan and designer of Copper Reflections specializing in animal, wildlife, western, and Native designs. About 25 years ago, I started my handmade jewelry business in Vancouver selling jewelry on the street. I was making jewelry from copper and brass with texture on them that I gave by hammering it in different styles. After a while being on the street, I started participating in craft shows in Alberta and BC. During this time, I was making jewelry by engraving onto the metal and cut them out in different shapes for earrings, necklaces, and bracelets all in matching unique jewelry sets. 

Lion Bracelet 

At craft shows, people were placing orders on their favorite designs and picking their custom made jewelry order at the end of the day. I had to work really hard to finish them before they come to pick up their jewelry. I found out that this was actually helping to increase my handcrafted jewelry sales as people enjoyed watching me make them and they appreciate it more when they see much work goes into jewelry pieces. I am sure, this also made a conversation piece for them to tell their friends about their jewelry and the artisan who made it.

Pelican Bracelet

We have created the techniques and the designs ourselves over the years. We have participated in many craft shows in Canada and the US, and we believe that we are the only ones making this type of jewelry. We go through 32 steps to complete each piece. Copper sheets are polished, silver plated and the designs are printed onto the silver plated surface. Then the shapes are cut out by hand using shears or cutting tools. Each piece is diamond cut by hand to make them sparkle. 

Mermaid Bracelets

We form the jewelry to make them look richer. We use surgical steel hypoallergenic ear wires for our handmade earrings. During these steps, we have to spray them with clear acrylic as part of the process. These coatings of finish also protect our copper jewelry from tarnishing, so no polishing is required as long as the finishes are not scratched or they are not exposed to chemicals constantly like detergents. As our work is made in a unique technique of making copper jewelry, we could not learn from other people and we had to figure out many problems over the years by trial and error.