Your great sense of style and creativity would be a great asset for you if you consider going into the custom jewelry construction business. If you do a good job, you will soon receive orders from previous customers and referrals asking you to construct special pieces for them or as gifts for others. If you have a sense of creatively you will find that making custom costume jewelry is easy and fun. You must set out to make your pieces unique and exclusive so that clients who wear them feel proud knowing for sure there is no others like it in the whole world.

Working with clients is actually the hardest part and you need to get a picture in your mind that matches the picture that is in their minds. Never construct the piece while they are watching – this is in effect teaching them how to do it on their own, and you will probably lose a customer so never let them know just how easy it is! Finding out the details from the clients is a good way of knowing what custom jewelry to design to match their taste and personality. To design a piece that is meant to be given as a gift for someone, you need to ask many questions about the person and if possible, arrange to see them. To make this business a success, you need to emphasize how special (and unique) your creations are in addition to staying in touch with your customers.

From time to time clients may ask you to make custom jewelry using parts from their own jewelry. They may even want you to just enhance a piece that they already have that is old and requires work to make it look new again. Before you start doing this, make sure that you have the skill and qualifications necessary to do this work because the last thing you want is destroy a client’s beloved jewelry! Find out all you can about the piece and what special meaning, if any, it holds for the owner. If you sell gold jewelry for its scrap value, you’ll lose much of its retail value, perhaps 75% or more. The scrap price is based on the value of the metal alone and doesn’t reflect the craftsmanship or any aesthetic or antique value, let alone emotional attachment you or family members may have to the piece.

Supplies of pieces from wholesale sources will have to be purchased to make your custom jewelry. Just make sure that you are buying quality parts and look for sources of unique jewelry making supplies as well – imported pieces are great sources although you will have to quote your client a price before you start, so be careful here. It is reasonable to quote anything up to 30% over and above the budget requirements to buy raw materials to make your bespoke jewelry to ensure you enjoy a good profit margin. You must budget properly between your profits and allocation to buy supplies for making your custom jewelry.