Profitable Artisanal Jewellery Making

I suppose the first thing to share is that I like to be busy, in fact the busier the better! Straight from university I went into teaching and stayed there for the next 32 years, despite the very long hours and at times impossible demands, I loved it! The stress though was starting to take a toll, and I knew I needed to find something to address this, something completely different. I settled on jewellery making; a creative activity I could immerse myself in that didn't require a computer or red ink! Fast forward a few years, I had two grown up children, and had waved goodbye to the world of education, but I was not ready to stop work altogether, so I decided to turn my hobby into a business: Taylor Jewellery was born.

So what is Taylor Jewellery?

In a nutshell, I design and make unique pieces of jewellery using semi-precious stones, glass, crystal, wood and ceramics. I focus on necklaces and earrings, although I do make the occasional bracelet. Over the past two years I have made hundreds of pieces of jewellery, each of them has been different. Even when I was commissioned to make bracelets for a group of bridesmaids, the colour theme remained the same, but each design was unique. 

I'm always happy to take commissions if someone is looking for something for a particular occasion or outfit. I also mend and alter people's jewellery, even if they haven't bought from me.

I suppose the first thing I learnt was that it is very different to just having a hobby. There was now a stack of admin to set up and keep on top of. I had to start planning ahead, buying in large quantities of raw materials, booking artisan markets, being mindful of seasonal demands, insurance policies and so on. As I trade at artisan markets, I also had to purchase the 'shop' equipment - the commercial gazebo, tables, display stands, card machine and of course rechargeable lights - no point having beautiful pieces of jewellery if the customers can't see them in the depths of winter!

I also became aware of the importance of displaying the products to the best effect. I was pretty naïve about this at the outset. Fortunately, help was at hand. It was at my first big market: a three-day event, over a bank holiday weekend, just as things were returning to a post COVID normal. Day one and sales were terrible. I was near to giving up before I had even started. But you don't survive all those years dealing with teenagers to quit when things get tough. So, I asked a selection of my fellow traders to give me a full critique of my stall and products. They were very honest and for that I am still immensely grateful. My jewellery was 'beautiful', 'unique', 'eye-catching' - huge boost to my badly bruised ego. The way I had it displayed though was 'appalling', 'boring' and 'flat' - well I did ask for honesty. A complete overhaul and more money to outlay on display furniture ensued. So, I guess the key lessons I learnt in the early days were:

- Be prepared to spend money before you make money.

- Ask others for their opinions, particularly those who are not emotionally invested in you and your business.

- Listen to those opinions and act on them, without losing sight of what your business ethos is.

- Set up your administrative systems at the outset - they can evolve as time and experience dictate.

This is a difficult question for me. I have enjoyed learning along the way and perhaps knowing too much at the start might have put me off taking the plunge.

Having a son who is a successful businessman helped enormously, not just with the business stuff, but the encouragement to keep going; as well as a husband who can turn into reality the sometimes-strange display furniture that I request. I know the question is not asking for a piece of advice, but I would say getting someone in your corner at the outset is a huge plus.

Still being in business counts as the most important achievement; that and still making sure all my pieces of jewellery are unique (though I must confess I did duplicate some Christmas tree and wreath earrings).

I do most of my markets with an organisation called Little Bird, becoming a part of this family of traders has been an important milestone for me and Taylor Jewellery. Little Bird is a hugely supportive group of artisan traders in North Yorkshire, we trade in many of the market towns around the Ripon area. Like anything that is worth doing it takes a while to learn what works, so the first time a new trader asked for my advice I felt a real sense of achievement.

Anytime someone visits my stall wearing a piece of my jewellery is a real buzz, and when they tell me how much they love it and how often it has been admired, what more can I ask for?

I'm lucky to have had many positive experiences from the gentleman who told me I was 'the answer to all his problems' and promptly bought five pieces, to the lady who bought a necklace for her sister, but 'loved' it so much she kept it for herself and had to return for a different piece. But one of my fondest memories is of an elderly gentleman with arthritis who was struggling to open the zip of his bag, we got to chatting (such a charming man). Anyway, at the following market, I was able to present to him my new range of unique extended zip pulls - he purchased three! Listening to your customers is so valuable.

I'm often asked if I have a website, I don't and to be honest I don't see my business going that way. I prefer for people to see and feel my jewellery, I'm not sure that 2D images do them justice - after all I'm a jewellery maker not a photographer! Having said that, I do have an Instagram page. Here people can see some of my pieces and get in touch with me directly.

I attend monthly artisan markets in Ripon, Knaresborough, Harrogate, Leyburn, and Easingwold. Feel free to message me if you would like the dates. Hopefully I see you at one of these.