pendant chains or cord?

[shark bait]

When selling selling your pendants do you use chain or cord?

If you use chain, where do you buy chain in bulk?

If you use cord, what type do use?...and do you just tie the cord in a fixed knot.

Any info or pics would be appreciated.

[menty666]

Neither actually...I sell mine unstrung in case someone wants to use their own chain, which happens oddly enough.

Though I do sell for a 1.00 each silk cords and (this year) ball chains with connectors if someone wants them.

Generally though I do my best not to sell anything resembling finished jewelry since it helps get me into shows where there's already too many jewelry vendors.

I got the silk cord from Jo Ann Fabrics for a few cents a foot, and I ordered the ball chain from jewelerysupply.com for around 39 cents a foot (factoring in the connectors which are separate). They're doing free domestic shipping until the 31st if you want to order today.

[THAT Guy]

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-2mm-Satin-Nylon-Beading-Thread-Cord-Spool-250-Yards_W0QQitemZ270258600598QQihZ017QQcategoryZ6771 8QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://www.rubysbeadwork.com/SlidingKnots.html

The first link is to a guy on EBay I get my cord from (250 yards for $23 shipped) and the second link shows you how to make a simple adjustable knot. I cut the cord into 32" lengths so it costs less than 10 cents to make a finished necklace out of a pendant.

They're great because it's a finished product for people who don't want to mess with putting the pendant on anything else and it's still dirt cheap if the person doesn't want it and throws it away.

I used to go ahead and make the pendants into necklaces before shipping them, now I just include the cord and the same adjustable knot instruction link that I put up top because it was getting tedious if I had to ship out a lot of pendants.

I also have some nice Greek leather I got from Rio Grande (go to http://www.riogrande.com and purchase a catalog) for higher end finished necklaces I make with sterling silver hook and eye crimp clasps (quick and easy) but I ordered hundreds of sets for a little over $1 a set back when silver was still $7 or so an oz so I probably won't be reordering them now that they've roughly tripled in price.

I hope this helps, good luck!


When selling selling your pendants do you use chain or cord?

If you use chain, where do you buy chain in bulk?

If you use cord, what type do use?...and do you just tie the cord in a fixed knot.

Any info or pics would be appreciated.

[K-Dog]

I send out all my jewellry with black cotton cord, i just work the total into the end price. I also offer SS chains as an upgrade for $10 to $15 more.

I used to get a woman to string up beaded necklaces for me when i was doing shows, she was charging me allot, so i baught one of these and have been doing it myself.It's really fast,and kinda classes the necklace up vs. the cotton cord.

http://www.makejewellery.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1461

I have been getting my supplies from local shops, i've found that if you explain what you need it for and ask for wholesale they will usually give you a great deal.Just means you have to buy bulk.

[UmaJulz]

Also check out this lady's site www.mcduckcreations.com She has chinese cords with lobster claw clasps, braided chinese cords, and several kinds of chain- some super cheap.

I like her single silk cords, but find that I have to remember to make the pendant bail big enough around to allow the silver end of the cord to fit through it.

[Ben Burton Glass]

I buy a spool of 2mm Rat Tail, a satin cord and offer all pendants with a black cord and a jewelry box. I usually tie an adjustable slip knot for them, unless they're buy a bunch of pendants, then it just takes too long... It makes it a nice little package. They can wear it away, or give it as a gift, and it's pretty much ready to go.

Some people don't always want the cord because they want to put it on hemp, or into another finished jewelry piece. That's no problem with me. But I offer the above to everyone.

Aloha!

[menty666]

Those little spinning seed bead things Kurt linked to are pretty cool. I know here in the US Micheals and AC Moore carry them, and AC moore's always sending out a 40% off coupon so you can get them cheap.

[glasspapi]

I dont do much sales over the internet, all my sales are from face to face customers. I buy leather and Rattail (someone else mentioned this one) and you can get it in a few different colors. I normally buy black and white/cream. I get these at the mill end store or a local jewelry supply shop. Then I buy crimps and barrel twists from a local jewelry supply shop. I precut 16, 18, 20 inch lengths since these tend to be the most common. I attach the crimps the ends of the precut lengths. I display a lot of pendants without being attached to a chord so all I have to do is put the chord through the pendant and then attach barrel twist. The customers get to choose what lengths, which they like, and are even more happy to see metal endings (the crimps and barrel twist) rather than a knot. It sounds like a lot of work but really isnt. With heavier pieces I do buy silver chains or the neck loop but most people are happy with the raittail or the leather. This has all just been my experience.

[Conchis]

I do pretty much what you do as well glasspapi. I only use lea cther, but I have a tan and a black. I buy crimp ends (usually from Rio Grande, which is supposed to be wholesale, but it's pretty pricey) , pre-cut the leather to 16 and 18, attach one end and leave the other end open until someone chooses a pendant. I make my loops so that the crimps won't slip through. I just like having the cord and the pendant so that the pendant doesn't accidentally fall off when they take the thing off. It's really quick and easy to crimp down the other end and gives me a second to talk to them. I keep some raw cord and crimps around in case someone wants or needs a longer one...but I don't make up too many 20" Buy quality leather, if you don't...they people will sweat, the dye will come out all over their clothes and you got some splaining to do Lucy.....

[MUPH]

Do you always give away your necklace/chord or do you usually charge them?

[THAT Guy]

The adjustable necklaces I make (there's a link to my supplier in my previous post) run less than 10 cents so I give those away and offer the leather w/ sterling silver at an additional cost for customers looking for something more elegant.

I look at it like this- I'd be an idiot if I lost myself the sale of a $20 pendant (to them it's a $20 NECKLACE) over trying to charge somebody $1 for cord I paid a dime for.


Do you always give away your necklace/chord or do you usually charge them?

[UmaJulz]

yeah, give any cord, leather, hemp, rattail for free, but chains you should charge for, unless they are $1.50 or so. Then I'd throw it in.

[nafglass]

I display my pendants unstrung with a few on jewelry displays showing the different necklaces I offer. Gold and silver chains in 16", 18" and 20" for $10-15 depending on the price of the metals. I try to order these from http://www.silverjewelrydepot.com/chains.html

Recently they've been out of stock so I've gotten stuff from http://www.nilecorp.com/

I also sell 16" and 18" wire chokers as well as rubber cord that looks like leather for $5. I get these from http://www.rings-things.com/

I also order their colored adjustable pendent necklaces. These are cheap and are great for when kids want a necklaces and the parents think that $15 for a piece of glass is already enough.

Lastly, I make my own leather necklaces with silver crimps and clasp. I sell these for $8 as the clasps and crimps are really nice. I don't remember where I ordered the greek leather but it was $100 for 100 yards and doesn't come on a roll. I've been disappointed in the quality of leather i've gotten on a roll on ebay because it's wound so tightly- kinking it and the leather wasn't good quality.

[nafglass]

Does anyone think that boxing the beads in jewelry boxes increases sales? I put mine in small "ziploc" bags (not really ziploc- they're nicer than that)

[glasspapi]

I display around 200-350 glass pendants (I also do copper and brass pendants too though) and go out two weekends out of the month at the saturday market here. I put a multiple signs up saying "chord included in price"...I had other signs like "chord included" or "comes with chord" but I got tired of people asking if the chord was included in the price so I just put that sign up. Anyways the materials, crimp, barrel twist, and chord....I put in the price of the pendant regardless of whether they want the chord or not (95% of the time they want it). I definetly buy jewelry boxes...I buy both quality and semi quality ones...to put the pendant and chord in. I bag it in a Saturday Market bag with a leaflet inside that has a picture of my torches with an explanation of who I am and what "lampworking" is and contact info. I like this better than business cards personally. Anyways the box, bag and leaflet I factor into the price of the pendant. Its the total package thing. A lot of my customers are tourists or are buying gifts so all these things combined help push the price up for the pendant or necklace. Its also a good justification to the price of the glass when someone doesnt quite understand the value behind the product.

I make a lot of bigger pendants, 3-5inches and mostly taller/bigger women buy them so precut 20inch chords are a must for me.

p.s. women that have bought from me love having a box to keep the glass in...to store it but also just to keep if safe from breaking.