Have you found a new love for making jewelry and you’re looking to turn this rewarding hobby into a stream of income?
It can take time to start seeing the profit roll in once you decide to take your hobby to the next level. However, the rewards can most definitely be worth the effort you are about to put in, especially since most of the work is something you already enjoy doing.
This article is meant to give you ideas on how to make money making jewelry. It is not a guide to create jewelry – I’m counting on you to already know how to do that and do it decently well. 🙂
Let’s start brainstorming together!
Starting Up A Website
Creating your own website for your new business is the first step I would take to make money making jewelry.
There’s a bit of a learning curve in the beginning, but it’s extremely cheap to get a website up and running.
You want something simple that basically lists your contact information, a review page to gain trust from new visitors, information on how and where to buy your product, perhaps a blog about your jewelry creations, and maybe your own online store.
Check out Bluehost to get started. Websites start at as little as $2.95 per month.
Spend some time thinking about your domain name. You may want to use your first and last name. If not, start thinking. You can always change this later with page redirects, so don’t overthink it too much. However, you will have to pay a minimal amount to change it once it’s been set.
Once you have your website up, create your social media accounts that direct people to your website.
Start gaining an email subscriber list so you can share new blog posts and new designs with your followers the same day you post.
Build Up Your Inventory
You don’t want to get behind on inventory once you start selling products. If a certain piece goes viral and demand spikes, you do not want your items to be out of stock for long periods of time.
This also doesn’t mean that you need a garage full of your jewelry in bins before you start attempting to sell anything. Most likely, you need some sort of income to support the purchasing of materials to actually make the jewelry.
For this reason, I suggest starting out small with local craft stores or boutiques.
Craft Fair / Boutique Selling
A craft fair is the absolute perfect place to start selling your jewelry. You can get a feel for what items sell the best at what price. You can also hand out business cards to your website.
Best of all, you can get real feedback from people who don’t know you. If someone is about to purchase an item but changes their mind, was it because your price was too high? Or perhaps they would have purchased it if you had it in a different shape or color.
The research you’re gaining from having a booth at a craft fair is so valuable. Be comfortable with speaking to people who walk up. If you’re feeling intimated by having your own booth, see if a friend or family member would be willing to come spend some of the day with you to help keep you relaxed.
For some great information on selling at craft fairs, visit Maison Chanamon’s How to Start Selling at Craft Fairs: A Beginner’s Guide.
I don’t recommend skipping on the craft fair selling simply because you can do market research and learn who your target audience is. Plus, you may meet a Boutique / Shop owner that wants to sell your jewelry inside their store.
This does get your pieces out in front of people without any real “selling time” on your part. You can also use it as a tool to see which items sell the most at the store.
Got any other hobby that you could potentially earn cash from? Or do your friends have anything to sell that you could combine with your items? Utilize your booth space to sell those items as well and help cut down on the rental expenses coming out of your pocket.
Selling Online
Here’s where you can make the real money and sell outside of your local area.
I love Etsy so much.
Like the vibe I get from Etsy is kind of like Pinterest – Everyone is just happy. Check out my Etsy store here.
Marketing Yourself As You Are Making Jewelry
Even before you’re ready to start selling your first piece of jewelry, you can start building your image.
Utilizing your website, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, or any other social media platform, you can put your story out there. Keep a blog where you document your journey to make money making jewelry.
I have a blog section where I document how this website is doing for me. I don’t get a ton of views on those pages, but it does something for me that my regular articles do not. It keeps me motivated. I’m able to set goals and update followers on the journey I’m on. It’s like a therapeutic release that I get every time I write an entry.
Allow people to comment and ask for advice. Be proud when you have a new piece to show off. Writing a blog about your personal struggles to make money making jewelry could potentially be it’s own money maker if you can create a following that supports you.
Plus, when you do start to sell your pieces, it’s nice giving your following a back story as to how you came to create them.
The Power of Pinterest
Long before I received any interest in my website through Google search engines, I had Pinterest.
Start creating pins for each piece of jewelry you create and eventually allow people to purchase by clicking on your pin when you’re ready.
Of course, you’ll need some gorgeous pictures that make your jewelry pieces pop. If you’re not a professional photographer already (I’m not even close), check out Shopify’s page: How To Photograph Jewelry: Jewelry Photography Tips.
Pinterest has an article on how to set up a Business Account so that you’ll be able to see how your pins are doing.
For even more info, check out Picup Media’s page – How to Use Pinterest for Your Jewelry Business.
Be creative with your work and your pins! Consider creating “limited edition” pieces that are only available for a certain amount of time or until they sell out. When you know something is possibly going to sell out, it makes you want to get it that much quicker.
Holding “Making Jewelry” Classes and Other Opportunities
There are more ways to make money making jewelry besides selling your pieces.
Have you considered holding classes to teach others how to make jewelry? This is another reason that having your own website is so important. You could hold weekly, monthly, bi-monthly small group classes where you walk through the steps to create homemade jewelry.
Do you want to take it one step further? Record videos of making certain pieces and make those available on your website for a small fee or a monthly subscription.
There are multiple ways to earn an income once you gain a following.
- Affiliate links. Perhaps you share a link in the comments section for all of the items you’ve used in your videos. Link to the products you’re using to gain a commission. One example of a great affiliate program is through the Amazon Affiliate Program.
- Sponsorships. Once you have a number of followers, companies may begin reaching out to you for you to utilize their products in your jewelry creation videos.
Have you considered teaching local classes locally? I can’t tell you the number of craft classes I took my girls to when they were younger. What if you were able to travel to birthday parties and set up a station so that party goers could create their own jewelry? You would bring all the supplies and spend one to two hours working with kids.
Need more ideas? What about creating “beginner jewelry making kits” that you could sell at the craft fairs? The possibilities are endless.
Final Thoughts
I feel as though there are so many people that don’t make money with a hobby because they give up too soon. It will be hard. It is going to take some determination as you are not going to make money overnight.
Stick with it. Get feedback and learn from your mistakes. I’ve made so many with this website. Along the journey, I’ve seen so many people give up.
Start with the easy steps. Get feedback from your friends and family. Put yourself and your products out there so you can get feedback online and in person at craft fairs.
Don’t give up!
- Forbes has a fantastic article on the topic – How to Sell Jewelry Online
- Shopify – How To Start a Jewelry Business: A 9-Step Guide
- Made Urban – How to Make Handmade Jewelry that Stands Out & Sells Out
- Amazon – How to Sell Jewelry Online
- Hostinger – How to Sell Jewelry Online and Build a Successful Business
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