l’atelier des bijoux

ruby and gold

The Becca necklaces are a line of chic and understated necklaces comprising three vibrant gemstones on a delicate sterling silver or 14-karat gold-fill chain — subtle enough for everyday wear, but glamorous enough to complete your evening ensemble.

I first made this necklace in sapphire and silver to go with the Audrey earrings, which I was planning to wear to a party. I found myself wearing it about four times a week, so I decided to expand it into a full collection. This necklace is very me — I love simple, delicate jewelry!

sapphire and silver

So far, the Becca necklace comes in: amethyst, black onyx, carnelian, citrine, colombian emerald, freshwater pearls, garnet, lapis, prehnite, ruby and sapphire (whew!). I haven’t listed them all yet, but I plan to do so over the next week or so. I have plans to expand the collection to include all birthstones (right now I only have January, February, May, June, July, September and November). I’m also planning to offer a custom listing with the option to choose different birthstones and put them on the same necklace. I think that would be a perfect Mother’s Day gift!

I have plans for several other new collections, so stay tuned!

My first vendor opportunity was this past Saturday and, while the show was a bust, I learned quite a bit. One, never split a table with other jewelry sellers. The company was welcome, but the competition wasn’t. Two, take plenty of low-cost, impulse-buy-level items. Those items tend to sell out of my shop faster, and I didn’t have enough time to make more of them. Three, place said low-cost items towards the front of the table. The goal is to draw people in. Four, bring a project! One of the girls I was splitting with brought her tools and supplies, and I really wish I had had something to do during the lull (read: the entire show). Five, don’t sell relatively expensive items at something marketed as a “flea market.” Even if 2/3 of the vendors are handmade sellers, it doesn’t really draw a crowd looking to drop $50 on a necklace. I got a lot of browsers, and a lot of “oh, that’s so pretty!” comments, but very few buyers.

All that said, I am totally not disappointed with the experience — it was a good learning opportunity.

I forgot to take a picture of the table (oops!), so this will have to be a text-only post.

Welcome to the new blog of l’atelier des bijoux! Here you’ll find photos, progress reports, and updates about new jewelry pieces and collections. Please excuse the dust as I settle in!