Jewelry is one of the most popularthings to make and sellonline. Perhaps you’re DIY-challenged but have an incredible online business idea and an existing audience and are looking for acreative way to make money.
How to Start a Jewelry Business in 7 Steps
1. Determine your products.
Whatever your motivation or skill level, understanding how to start a successful jewelry business at home or anywhere comes with its own set of considerations and complications.
One of the first questions to ask yourself is: fine or fashion? Or maybe your interest lies somewhere in between. Each category has its own materials, production process, price point, and customer profile:
Fine jewelry
- Made with precious and semi-precious metals and gems
- A higher price point
- Made with excellent craftsmanship, usually not mass produced
- For the luxury/wedding/special occasion customer
Fashion or costume jewelry
- Usually trendy
- Made of inexpensive or less expensive metals and materials (beads, wire, plated metal, plastic, synthetic gems, etc.)
- A lower price point
- Can be mass produced
- For the everyday customer
Other/in between
- This category covers everything else, from jewelry made with mid-range materials (textile, metals, semi-precious gems, wood, 3D printing, etc.) to jewelry defined as art (collectible, made to order, one of a kind) or highly skilled craftsmanship
- Emphasis on design and uniqueness
- Price point varies but usually mid-range
- Occasion/statement, design-savvy/collector/gift-giving customer
Once you’ve narrowed down the broad category for your startup jewelry business, it’s time to carve out a niche for your products. Start by defining your ideal customer (classic, trendy, brides, socially conscious consumers, etc.) and decide whether your products are occasion specific (wedding, party, everyday, etc.). This will determine how you market them to your target audience.
Jewelry trends
Researching trends is one way to determine (and validate) your chosen direction, and it’s an important step when understanding how to start a jewelry business online. Read fashion and jewelry blogs and publications and follow influencers in the space to stay on top of trends for each upcoming season. Using Google Trends, you can also see broad global search volume for a particular term.
或者,你可能会考虑相邻的趋势or consumer habits, such as the appetite for customizable experiences like engraving, or ethically sourced materials.
But business owners don’t have to just follow trends—you could also use your jewelry business to start your own. That’s whatBiko founder and designerCorrine Anestopoulos did, launching her collection based on personal style.
“Somehow I felt like, just by fluke, I found a market for something new without meaning to,” she says. “But it was just my taste.” When she launched, Corinne was working with a brassy finish. “Nobody else was doing that,” she says, noting that shiny silver was the trend at the time.
Now, though her collections evolve with trends in the jewelry industry every year, the common thread is a recognizable look that defines her brand and secures repeat business.
Finding jewelry design inspiration
Success as a newbie in any facet of the fashion industry depends on strong aesthetic, unique design, and consistent branding. Before hiring a designer to develop branding and individual pieces, business owners should run through a few exercises to define your overall signature style.
Depending on how you like to get inspired, you may set upPinterest boards, design your own digital mood boards, use a jewelry design mobile app, or even assemble inspiration physically on a bulletin board or in a sketchbook.
I’m always drawing inspiration and collecting inspirational images, no matter where I am.
Corinne Anestopoulos, Biko
Collect images, colors, and textures from nature, architecture, fashion, or travel, and then identify themes that emerge. Never stop being inspired, says Corinne. “I’m always drawing inspiration and collecting inspirational images, no matter where I am.”
2. Define your brand
Remember, brand is different than branding. Brand is your voice, mission, vision, andyour brand story. It tells your potential customers how to feel about your products. Fashion purchases are often emotional, and emerging brands can win customers by connecting on a personal level, even through something as simple as a business name. Tell your story throughyour About page, inject yourself into your social media posts, and share the process and inspiration behind your designs.
Essential reading:
Packaging, logo, and website design for your jewelry brand
The next part of how to start a handmade jewelry business is branding. Branding refers to the more tactical elements that represent your brand visually—logo, packaging, business cards, and your website.
Once you’ve established your products’ aesthetic, chosen a business name that resonates with your audience, and nailed your customer profile, it should be easier to identify an overall look that will define your brand. This is an essential step, even for a small business, so don’t rush it.
You don’t need to make an expensive and complicated website if you want to know how to make jewelry a successful business venture. On the low-cost end, you canset up a Shopify storewith a free theme and develop the logo yourself using afree online logo maker. We also have resources to help come up withdomain name ideasshould you need some inspiration too.
Start your free trial of Shopify—no credit card required!
Keep in mind that you’ll still want to reserve some of your budget for professional productphotos. We’ll discuss the importance of photography for jewelry later in this post. With these tools, it’s easy to see how to start a jewelry business at home.
For larger budgets, work with a designer to translate your vision into a full branding package for your business—from the logo and website to packaging and marketing materials. Peruse the portfolios ofShopify Design Expertsto find a designer whose work resonates with your tastes.
Writing a business plan for your jewelry brand
A formalbusiness planmay not be necessary if you don’t plan to pitch your idea to investors or seek other forms of outside funding at the start. However, checking out afew business plan templatesmay be a good exercise to help you understand your target customer, goals, business model, costs, and growth plan. It’s also helpful as you learn how to run a jewelry business.
3. Start production
What do you need to understand how to make jewelry? How you’ll develop your products—by hand or in a factory, at home or outsourced—depends on the complexity of the design, price point, materials, and required skill level. In this section, we’ll discuss how to make jewelry in four ways:
- Handcrafted jewelry production: fine and one of a kind
- Handmade jewelry production: fashion and costume
- Jewelry production: factory outsourced
- Jewelry production: print on demand
1. Handcrafted jewelry production: fine and one of a kind
Handcrafting fine and one-of-a-kind (OOAK) jewelry can be one of the most involved yet personal and versatile of the production methods. Depending on materials and design, some methods of fine and OOAK jewelry production require specialized training/certification and expensive equipment. If you want to know how to start a handmade jewelry business, you may need to learn some of these methods, including:
- Soldering
- Silver/goldsmithing
- Casting
- 3D printing
- Laser cutting
- Leather tooling
- Weaving
- Gemstone setting
If you’re not sure the route you want to go, consider starting with free online tutorials. Once you know which area you want to study, you can invest in paid classes or apprentice under an experienced craftsperson to expand your skill set.
2. Handmade jewelry production: fashion and costume
If you want to know how to start a handmade jewelry business without investing time and energy into new skills, there are other options. Handmade costume jewelry often involves the assembly of existing elements—chain, wire, beads, cast pendants, etc.—and doesn’t require special training or equipment beyond basic hand tools.
This type of business is easier to scale, as you can purchase elements in bulk and create templates for assembly by hired production staff.
If design and production are the elements of your business that bring you joy—and not the actual task of how to make jewelry—outsource or hire for other roles to help you scale the creative work. Biko founder Corrine reaches out to local universities with renowned fashion communication programs to find her interns. “I don’t ever look for anyone who’s interested in design,” she says. “What I need is someone to help me free up my time so that I can be designing more.”
3. Jewelry production: factory outsourced
Rather than making the jewelry with your own hands, you can have your designs manufactured by someone else. This isn’t ideal for fine, custom, or OOAK jewelry, but it can be cost-effective for fashion jewelry produced in larger quantities. There are two main options for outsourcing to wholesale providers, if you want to know how to start a jewelry business at home:
Local manufacturing
➕ Benefits
- “Made local” appeal
- Possibly faster/more reliable shipping
- Easier to verify reputation and build relationships
- More opportunity for oversight (visit to factory)
➖ Downsides
- Higher cost
- Less choice (fewer manufacturers, limited materials)
- Possible limit in production volumes
Overseas manufacturing
➕ Benefits
- Lower cost
- Usually more options regarding materials and process
- Ability to scale to larger volumes
➖ Downsides
- Communication barriers (cultural, language, time zones)
- Less oversight and control
- Minimums may be high
- Manufacturing and ethical standards may differ by country
Accurate sketches or 3D renderings of your designs are necessary if you’reoutsourcing to a manufacturer. There are several options, depending on your skill level and budget:
- Manual design tools:pencils, sketch paper, jewelry design templates ($)
- 2D or 3D general design software:Photoshop,Illustrator,Sketchup($$)
- Jewelry-specific design software (best for fine jewelry):RhinoGold,MatrixGold, ($$$)
4. Jewelry production: Print on demand
The most hands-off production method involves uploading your designs to aprint-on-demandapp. Your original designs are 3D printed or recreated in stainless steel, wood, plastic, gold, or silver and shipped directly to your customers.
4. Set up a jewelry business studio or workspace
If you elect to make the jewelry in-house, you’ll need a workshop space for you and your team. When setting up this space, consider the following:
- Maneuverability.Consider the flow of the space, especially if the assembly has multiple steps—do you move from one station to the next in a logical sequence?
- Safety.Some chemicals or tools involved in jewelry making require proper ventilation and safety precautions. Check with local laws governing use of these substances and processes.
- Storage.Well-organized multi-compartment storage is essential for small parts.
“A jeweler’s bench, a flex shaft, and your safety would be the most important considerations,” says Gillian, founder of Canadian jewelry brandHawkly. “The flex shaft is a wonderful and versatile tool that you can use for drilling, finishing, and polishing your pieces.” She also advises using a face mask and safety goggles—and for those with long hair to pull it back so it doesn’t get caught.
If your production team is larger or your requirements are a little more complex—as with metal work or silversmithing workshops—consider commercial space outside of the home. If it’s out of your budget at launch, look into co-op studio space orshare the costsof space and equipment with other creatives. Gillian splits her studio with two other businesses.
Space sharing also helps combatentrepreneur loneliness, something Corrine is familiar with herself. “After doing Biko full time for a while, I ended up working at a retail clothing store once a week just to not be lonely at home in my studio.”
Jewelry equipment and tools
There are several online resources for how to make jewelry online, including wholesale jewelry making equipment, tools, and supplies, including precious gemstones and raw metals.
Gillian relies heavily on word of mouth when it comes to her wholesale suppliers. “Don’t be afraid to ask other designers where they find their supplies," she says.
She also attends trade shows and industry events to continue to expand her network and discover new materials. “My favorite place to source the newest stones and silver findings is the Tucson Gem and Jewelry Show,” Gillian says. “There are thousands of vendors from all over the world.”
5. Take professional photos of your products
We’ve said it many times before: product photography can make or break your online store. So if you want to know how to start a jewelry business online, you’ll also need to brush up on your product photography IQ.
In many cases, with a very simple lighting setup, you can achieve great DIY photos of your products, even with your smartphone. Jewelry, however, can be a little more challenging, due to the tiny details and reflective surfaces.
Don’t skimp on photography.
Corinne Anestopoulos, Biko
“Don’t skimp on photography," Corrine says, even if you're on a budget. A professional photographer is skilled at making models feel comfortable and setting up complicated lighting. Other additions to your photoshoot team include stylists, makeup artists, and assistants.
Hiring models doesn’t have to break the bank. “There are always people who are looking to build their book or willing to work for product,” she says. “It’s not about taking advantage of people—you’re all new to the game. If you get a group together and join forces, you can create magic together.”
When shooting your photos, it’s also important to offer several different views and angles of your products within these two categories:
- Detail/product photos shot on a clean backgroundminimize distraction and highlight the details and different angles of the piece. These photos can create a clutter-free, consistent look on collection pages.
- Lifestyle photos shot on a modelshow scale on the body and suggest styling ideas to customers (often great for upselling—you can nudge customers to combine multiple pieces into one look). These shots can work on product pages or in a lookbook and are generally better for social media posts.
Looking for more ways to cut costs? Partner with complementary apparel brands to reduce photography expenses or lend your jewelry pieces to fashion editors for photoshoots in return for product photos and exposure.
Essential reading:
- 10 Common Jewelry Product Photography Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
- The Beginner’s Guide to Beautiful DIY Product Photography
- DIY自然光ing for Product Photography: 6 Steps to Better Photos
6. Build your online store
Now that you have your production, brand, and photography nailed down, let’s put it all together. In a matter of hours, you can set up a functioning online store on Shopify. But first, sign up for a free trial so you can play around with the features.
Ready to create your own jewelry business? Start your free trial of Shopify—no credit card required.
Choose a themethat complements jewelry, putting the photography first. Here are a few theme suggestions for jewelry businesses:
Clean themes are designed to let your products and brand shine and most options allow you to easily customize the experience, even if you’re not a designer or developer. Have a little more budget? AShopify Design Expertcan help you tweak any theme even more, customizing it to your specific needs.
网站复制应该反映你的品牌的声音和我nspire emotion (what do you want the customer to feel?) while also being detailed and helpful. Product descriptions should reflect your brand story and include details like sizing, materials (important for metal allergies), and, if applicable, material sources.
Your About page is a dedicated place where you can tell yourbrand storyand talk about your process—but your personality should shine wherever you write copy on your site.
Essential reading:
- 9 Ways to Write Product Descriptions that Inform and Persuade Your Customers
- Ecommerce Website Design: 100+ Best Examples
- Building a Beautiful Online Store: 15 Design Experts Share Their Tips and Advice
Shopify Compass Course: Sell Your Homemade Goods Online
Have a product you’re ready to sell? The Kular family shares their experience building a business around mom’s recipe book. From selling one-on-one to reaching the aisles of Whole Foods.
Enroll for freeApps for jewelry businesses
There are several apps in theShopify App Storeyou can add to your site to help with how to run a jewelry business—everything from improving the customer experience, reducingreturns, and increasing conversions. Here are a couple examples recommended for jewelry businesses:
- Loox - Photo Reviews.Collect and add customer photo reviews to your site.
- Instagram shop by SNPT.Create a shoppable gallery from your Instagram feed.
- Kiwi Size Chart & Recommender.Build custom size charts to help customers make informed purchases.
Essential reading:学习how apps and tools can help you replicate an in-storepersonalized shopping experienceonline, and take the quiz to find out which tools are best for your jewelry store.
7. Market your ecommerce jewelry brand
时装和珠宝严重饱和industries. How will customers hear your voice above the noise? A goodmarketing strategywill depend on your product, audience, and budget and may require some trial and error.
Jewelry marketing can have unique challenges. Noticing heightened competition in 2011, Corinne invested in a rebrand of Biko and then hired a PR firm to get the word out. “It’s expensive to work with PR but really, really valuable,” she says. “It led to the best press I had to date. I sold $5,000 of one particular bracelet after it was featured.”"
Social marketing
Corinne has also had success withInstagram influencers, bartering product for a dedicated post. Before reaching out, she says, be sure your curation and hashtags for Instagram are strong so influencers can see if your brand aligns with their own. “Creating a lifestyle around what you do is worth more than anything,” she says.
Making jewelry sales doesn't mean having to bombard your followers with sales pitches. Corinne recommends filling the gaps between product-focused posts with inspirational content. “After a while, you’ll realize that you’re inspired by a similar stream of things and it tells its own story.”
Shopify’sLinkpop“link in bio”tool allows you to post a custom URL with your name in your social bio, so people can quickly find your online store, featured content and products, all in one place.
Biko on Instagram
Essential reading:
- 顾客:定义+ 7的策略Gain Customers
- Social Proof: Your Most Influential Marketing Asset and How to Use It
- 21 Must-Read Marketing Articles for Every Stage of Business Growth
- The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Ecommerce SEO
- Email Marketing: From List Building to Lifecycle Automation
Pop-up retail, wholesale, and artist markets
Corinne’s career began when she was invited to share a booth at a local clothing show. At the time, jewelry was simply a hobby. She sold out on day one of a two-day show,validating her ideaand helping to turn her passion into a business.
Markets offer the opportunity to get out and see customers in person and get feedback directly.
Corinne Anestopoulos, Biko
Attending a jewelry market is not only a great way for emerging brands to gain exposure to built-in audiences and validate an idea—they’re also important for established online businesses, Corinne says: “Markets offer the opportunity to get out and see customers in person and get feedback directly.”
An alternative to participating in markets is to host events in your own studio. “Sample sales are a good way to liquidate older merchandise and also invite people into your space and process,” Corinne says. Or, if your own space isn’t conducive to visiting, host a pop-up in another retailer’s jewelry store.
Corinne also grew her business initially throughconsignmentand wholesale agreements, which she gained by approaching local retailers in person. Cold calling has a high rejection risk, but you just need one “yes” to get started, she says.
Wholesale still accounts for the bulk of Biko’s overall business, and she has worked with large retailers like Nordstrom, Simons, and Hudson’s Bay Company. For new businesses, start small by pitching your designs to small, local boutiques.
Final thoughts: the silver lining
Taking the plunge might be scary at first, especially in a market as saturated as jewelry. But it’s also an industry you can enter gradually—many successful jewelry designers debuted their brand as a side gig or launched businesses from a kitchen table.
The best way to stand out is to be authentic, trust your design instincts, and listen to your customers.
Gillian Johnson, Hawkly
Small-scale production means you can get designing from your own home. And, there’s still room for emerging designers to make their mark. “The best way to stand out is to be authentic, trust your design instincts, and listen to your customers,” says Gillian. Go for gold!