Marketing jewellery for a social cause

I started learning jewellery-making skills to teach some under-priveleged women to empower them. My goal is to make them entrepreneurs.
There are still women who are living in places from where they cannot travel because the infrastructure is bad or a road does not even exist.

So I thought I have to take the training to them. There is no point in training them, if I cannot find a avenue to sell their creations. There are endless training programs and certificates. But what after that?

The reason I am marketing vigorously is to create markets and then train them on jewel making.

I dont want to degrade any creators by telling outside that these sales support a social cause. I feel that people should buy our jewellery because they like it and not because they feel like charity.

When I approach a mall, or some exihibitions I dont even mention it.
Many of my friends suggested that putting the "social cause-women empowerment" will fetch better markets. But somehow I dont feel like it.

Recently we held an exihibition in Bangalore, and there was a fair response.

JJ Jewellery Journey continues...

My journey in exploring jewellery-making continued. After that I made few necklaces and earrings and then showed them to my friends with great trepidations. They all liked it.

One of my friend gave that to her friend's shop and it was sold!
I could not believe it when I heard it.
She told me the piece that you gave was very unique, do something like that.

My interest in jewel making grew, because there were actually people to buy my creativity!

I personally feel, that when your creation gets sold, it truly gives you a feeling of satisfaction, because someone is parting with their money to buy your creation. You have to be serious.

My husband, my son and my sister-in-law all were very encouraging. True to their support they appreciated all my creations:)

But till date I never made jewellery for a commercial purpose. It was for the love of combinations of materials and for the shape that they evolved. This led me to buy raw materials that were expensive.
So this made the end product expensive. But somehow I am reluctant to use raw materials that are common.

But eventually I think I have to...

Learning jewellery jargons in your native language

This is the most funniest part. I learnt basic stringing from a girl from the native part of my state. She told me the names of all the materials generally used in stringing, in my native language.

I learnt that from her and also I surfed the internet for information.
I went to the bead shop and asked for the items in English and he just stared at me. Then I told him the purpose(I totally forgot the native names for those) and he told the name and then gave it to me.

To this date I still use the English names for it.:)

My second step

I was searching for some jewellery courses and teachers in the place I live (Chennai, India) I could not find one.

Not at the level that I was looking for. In India already the market was flooded by jewellery made in China and other stone jewellery that any common person can afford.

I had a different picture but those trainings were only given abroad!
Then there was a girl who said that she teaches how to make stone jewellery. I did not want to learn that. But still I went for it because I thought something is better than nothing.

I thought that the course would last for days, and in an hour she completed it! I was like :(
I kept asking is that it?
She said yes. She just showed stringing ( which is again a term that I learnt from the internet; thanks to the Internet without which I am sure no one can survive today)of one necklace, she said its the same for bracelet, anklet, bangle and ring!

Not a single thing about the space beads, or bead caps or anything. Nothing about the gemstones.
I was again disappointed. I thought I am never going to make like the one that I have seen.

I had just learnt one technique; stringing.
But today I know that there are numerous techniques of jewellery; wiring, beading, metal smithing,enamelling and much more. The creativity rules the roost in the jewellery business.

The birth of my jewel business

It all started two years ago when I visited one of my associates to discuss about a magazine.

I found that she was creative and when I complimented her on her paintings she also showed some costume jewellery that she made.

I was totally in awe because those things I have seen only in emporiums.
I asked her if she teaches how to make jewellery and she said no.

I returned disappointed for two reasons. One because she said that she did not teach. The other because I could not afford to buy that piece of jewellery. It was priced exorbitant.

I forgot about that but still those gemstones and findings kept cropping up in my mind.
Being research oriented, I started searching the internet. Did not know where to start!

First I was searching for sterling silver findings ( I know now that the name is findings, earlier I did not know. There are so many jewellery jargons that you need to know before learning manufacturing of jewellery)
I found so many shops in Jaipur that sells that. The website of the seller was colorful and I found that the bead caps (again I did not know that they were called bead caps and seed beads) my friend had used in her jewellery was there in the shop!

I was so thrilled. My journey started there. For more than a year I spent time reading about jewellery and the business.

Two reasons to go into jewellery business; whether gold or costume or fashion jewellery.

As far as women exist in this world, they are going to wear jewellery.
Two, as soon as the girl baby as small as three years starts to recognize things , it starts admiring jewels. (Typical trait of women) So jewellery will cater to all age groups.