Comments

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  Connie Mettler June 29, 2015 at 3:51pm

  Deborah, thank you so much for supporting Art Fair Insiders during our 2015 Pledge Drive.
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  Sara Aune April 9, 2012 at 9:35pm

  Hi !   It is 'kosher' to sell manufactured chains provided they are sold with a pendant you have made.   We display all our mid priced pendants on manufactured chains. I view it as providing a convenience for my customer. Much the same as a painter selling his work framed, ready to hang.  Selling them separately is considered a ' buy / sell action, however and is not kosher.

  I get an occasional request for a chain only, when the customer finds out it only comes with the pendant, it sometimes results in a nice sale!

  The rule of thumb on manufactured findings, ie: ear wires, pin backs, etc.  is that if used, they must be secondary to the design and composition of your work. In other words, not noticeable in the overall appearance of the work.  We use sterling french loops and post style ear wires that are manufactured and In 30 years of juried art fairs, we have never been questioned about it.

  As for the polishing cloths, I purchase sunshine cloths in bulk, cut them into four pieces and send one off with every piece.  Selling them is getting into touchy area, re buy/sell I think.

  I will say that if your goal is to attract judges interest, keep the manufactured chains off the table as much as possible.

  I don't think there is a jeweler on the art fair circuit at any level that doesn't have manufactured chains available for their customers convenience.

  Hope this helps, good luck !
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  Linnea Lahlum April 8, 2012 at 12:09pm

  Chains, etc., are usually not a problem. As long as you are not offering to sell it by itself. I have chains, but don’t have them out for display. That would make people want to buy them (alone) on the spot. I have a sign out, “Chains are available with the purchase of a pendant.” If people want one, they ask. Painters are allowed to sell frames on their pieces, are they not? But not just the frame. It’s analogous. The rare high end show might not allow commercial chains, or earwires, but that is very unusual.
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  Connie Mettler April 7, 2012 at 11:31pm

  Welcome to ArtFairInsiders.com, Deborah.   I'm pleased to see you here and look forward to having you as part of our community.

  When you have a chance, please stop by the Discussions" area to introduce yourself to the rest of us. We all look forward to your participation here. Also, visit the "member map" and add your location. We have a lot to offer one another, experienced and newbie alike. Let's make this a dynamic site!

  Many topics have already been discussed here before you joined us. You might like to try a search of your topic before you post your question. Just put your topic, canopy tents, jurying fees, Ann Arbor Art Fair, etc, into the search bar at the top of the right side of the page. You might be surprised that someone has already asked your question.

  We also ask that all new members take a few moments of their time to read the code of conduct. You will find it at http://www.artfairinsiders.com/page/code-of-conduct. There are a few guidelines that all members will need to follow because , as in any social community, we all need to work together.

  Best wishes,

  Connie Mettler

  p.s. The best way to make this system easy to use is to click on the "Follow-Email me" link at the bottom of each Forum discussion that interests you. That way the system will email you automatically whenever anyone responds. It's a great time-saver.
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  Robin Ragsdale April 7, 2012 at 10:43am

  Hi Debby

  I saw your message but couldn't figure out how to reply. Instead, I'm sending my reply directly to you.

  I often see hand made pendants on purchased chains. However, you are never allowed 
  to sell the chain by itself. The "upgrade" may be OK. For my earrings, I usually make 
  the wires. Many people purchase wires and that is usually fine. I sometimes "throw in" 
  a small polishing cloth for big spenders. Selling polishing cloths by themselves is not 
  usually allowed.  Whenever you are in doubt, you can always contact the show director. 
  They are there to help you.  
  
  Good luck and lots of sales!  
  
  Robin Ragsdale 
  http://www.evenbetterimages.com/
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  Kathleen J. Clausen April 7, 2012 at 10:02am

  Hi Debbie,

  Welcome to Jewelry Genies!  I've never had an issue with the things you mentioned in your email message. (ie chains, earwires, etc.)  However if a show wanted to get picky, I suppose that they could.  Usually when the members talk about buy/sell, they mean that the whole piece is made somewhere like China or India, and the "artist" is just unpacking and selling the pieces, passing them off as their own.  You see a lot of this kind of jewelry at street fairs and flea market type venues.  We learned by experience not the apply to those kinds of shows because it's tough to sell handmade when the nextdoor neighbor has something made in Taiwan that costs less than 1/4 of the cost of handmade.  I have one exception:  The first show I ever did was a street fair and I got a customer who bought, the next show brought a friend, who brought her sisters and mother, who told their friends and neighbors!  We still do that show!

  Best of luck!