Posts Tagged trade
How to Get the Best of Chinese Wholesale Art & Craft Products
Posted by Nail Salan in Sales on August 18th, 2009
There is a common belief that China wholesale goods are limited merely to the popular choices like electronic gadgets, apparel wear and sports goods. These may be the more popular stock products that are sourced from China but increasingly the Chinese wholesale market is beginning to offer some unique ” art & craft, both in its traditional and modern forms. Traditional Chinese painting have always had a universal appeal now authentic art pieces are being offered at discount prices as they are being dropshipped across the world. Chinese folk art forms have engaged a lot of international attention but they were hard to be sourced since most of the native Chinese artworks are created in the rural sectors of the country where commercialization has not seeped-in.
However, now things are looking-up with many Chinese wholesalers beginning to buy the native art & craft pieces and exhibiting them to the entire world on their websites. Dexterous Chinese artisans/craftsmen are able to create artworks beyond the realm of their own culture. For example, some other popular artistic Asian creations like bamboo handicrafts or mats have a massive following and these too can be sourced from online Chinese wholesale vendors. The more popular wholesale-listed art collections on offer includes sought-after art forms like the Sea & Shore art, Landscape art, Country-charm art along with the more contemporary Cityscape & Motivational creations. Realizing that their sites engage international audience, they have gone beyond the realm of just offering Chinese art at discount prices and have taken the initiative to offer popular creations by eternal favorites like Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.
Check-out the source of art & craft offerings: Similarly, the rare but practical creations like the shoji screens or the Japanese writing (Kanji) scrolls too can be sourced from Chinese stock products vendors who have an established base in China. This in itself is perhaps the only way of guaranteeing that the items displayed on the wholesalers websites are indeed authentic, i.e. the presence of a wholesaler in China.
There are many China wholesale providers who are sourcing their art from dubious, street-side artisans and then peddling them as traditional Chinese creations. This is why it is crucial to check the authenticity of a wholesale dealer before you actually decide to buy wholesale products from Chinese wholesaler at cheap prices. Established Chinese wholesalers like B2CStock have their own regional offices that have been set-up in important commercial centers like Hong Kong and Yiwu city. As a result, they are able to procure original and traditional Chinese artistic creations.
Explore Your Options: One aspect that is found wanting among most Chinese wholesale dealers dabbling in art is their inability to address the needs of a wide audience. The more educated wholesalers like B2CStock have gone beyond the scope of just the conventional offerings and now offer authentic Chinese ceramics/pottery along with rarely-found articles made out of silver, iron and other metalworks.
Another offering at B2CStock that has been a huge hit with the international buyers is the Chinese handicrafts section that had items sourced from the interior rural landscape of China along with durable resin craft creations like pedestals and resin statues.
10 Tips For Choosing the Perfect Prom Jewelry
A prom dress without the proper adornments is like a Christmas tree with no ornaments: no matter how beautiful it is, it seems somehow naked. If you’ve ever watched celebrities walk down the red carpet you know that they realize the importance of accessories in order to “complete the package”. Tasteful and properly coordinated accessories can really bring an outfit together while ill matched pieces will often ruin the entire outfit.
It is often difficult to decide which accessories are perfect for prom since most of us do not have the luxury of celebrity stylists to offer advice and recommendations. Keeping the following suggestions in mind as you search for the perfect compliments to your prom outfit should help you avoid any glaringly horrid accessory mistakes. The number one, time-honored piece of advice for accessorizing and proms is this: less is more. It is better to err on the side of caution than to add too many accessories and become an eyesore.
When it comes to jewelry, it helps if you select jewelry that not only goes with the overall theme you are hoping to achieve with your dress and hairstyle, but also something that you would wear after the prom as well. You do not have to choose jewelry that matches your dress, it is more important to choose pieces that compliment your entire ensemble. Pearls are always a wise selection as they are elegant and beautiful while rarely being garish. They are also friendly to budgets that may be stretched a bit thin from the purchase of a prom dress.
Your hairstyle should be considered when selecting your jewelry also. If you are going for an updo, there are many wonderful jewelry options available. For these hairstyles, studs work wonderfully and allow for bolder choices in necklaces while drop earrings also look great with this hairstyle and call for keeping other jewelry a little simpler. The same goes with hair ornaments.
If you have long hair that you are wearing down, you will need earrings that are bold and make a statement. Hoops and chandelier style earrings work really well in this particular situation. Be sure you don’t overdo the accessorizing thing by pairing these bold earrings with bold necklaces and bracelets; you only need one piece of ‘loud’ jewelry.
There are many different types of prom dresses and the dress you will be wearing should have an impact on the jewelry you wear along with it. Below are some general guidelines that should help you make wiser jewelry decisions for your special night.
1) Spaghetti straps: If you are looking for one stand out piece of jewelry to wear with this type of dress, consider a wide cuff bracelet for that special piece. You can pair it easily with stud earrings or earrings that dangle but aren’t over stated. Be sure that your date won’t be brining a wrist corsage however as this will kill the statement that the bracelet makes.
2) Strapless: This particular dress is striking gold for the jewelry lover as you can choose a necklace that really makes a statement. Be sure to wear a necklace that is short with this particular type of dress rather than one that will meet the fabric. If you choose a simple necklace you are free to add bold earrings or a bracelet in order to add that little bit of zing!
3) Short sleeved dress: It is an excellent idea to bring attention to your arms by using stackable bracelets with this type of dress. Choose a simple necklace or even go without and let your bracelets make your statement for you. If you aren’t into bangles, try for a wide cuffed bracelet instead.
4) High-necked: With this type of dress, a necklace will only serve to compete with the neckline, skip it. Instead, choose an elegant bracelet and matching earrings, gemstones work best.
5) Square-necked: This dress is an excellent choice to show off a beautiful necklace. Keep that fact in mind when choosing your jewelry. You’ll want a necklace that you can show off and understated earrings and other accessories.
6) V-necked: using a matching necklace and earring set will work wonderfully with this neckline and compliment your look nicely.
7) Plunging: For this dramatic look try pinning an antique broach at the bottom of the plunge or wearing a pearl choker from dramatic flair. Diamond collars and simple ribbons also look great with this dress; you absolutely do not want a long necklace that will take away from the drama of the plunge. 
Simple: A simple prom dress is like a blank canvas, it is completely up to you to make your statement. Use your imagination and have fun decorating yourself.
9) Ornate: It is very difficult to find complimentary jewelry for an ornate dress. The problem is that most jewelry will only serve to distract from the beauty of the dress. Perhaps the best jewelry in this situation is a bold cocktail ring.
10) Vintage: Bring it to the future with modern bangles or necklaces that are neatly layered. Simple jewelry also works wonderfully with this type of dress.
The important thing to remember is that moderation is almost always the best choice when selecting jewelry to accentuate a dress. You do not want your jewelry competing with either the dress or other pieces of jewelry. The most important thing is to have fun. Prom is a special night, but only the first of many more to follow.
How to Make Money from Your Handcrafted Jewelry
Posted by Kamadi Devin in Sales on August 2nd, 2009
So several years after you started taking on a handcrafted jewelry hobby, you are probably now an expert in the craft. Perhaps your drawers and cabinets are overfilled with necklaces, earrings, bracelets and other trinkets. Maybe you have already run out of friends and relatives to give these things away. Now is the time for you to make money from your handcrafted jewelry by selling them.
For many hobbyists, taking the next step of making a pastime into a means of earning is an exciting phase. However, there are also many of those who could still be quite hesitant take their handcrafted jewelry hobby making to the next level because of many uncertainties that may come along the way. If such is the case for you, read on and discover how you could make your hobby not only pleasurable but lucrative as well.
Where to Sell Your Handcrafted Jewelry
For many people, selling would mean putting up a store or a boutique, but this should not always be the case for beginners. Building a shop can be intimidating, and not to mention risky, especially during the early stages. The best thing to do is to test the waters (i.e. the market) first before taking the plunge into a full-pledged handcrafted jewelry business. Here are some great venues where you can start up.
1. Handcrafted Jewelry Parties at Home – this is where many successful handcrafted jewelers start out. They invite their friends for some snack or dinner one afternoon or evening. As desert is serve, and small talk begins, you can show your guests your latest creations. Let them take a look and feel of your products. Have mirrors handy and allow guests to try your jewels out for size. This relaxed and friendly environment could be a great venue not only to take pride of your handiwork but also to sell them to people who are close to you.
2. Handicraft Fairs – after hosting some parties, you may now try to venture into the outside world, and a great place to do this is in handicraft fairs, where people of the same interest gather to look and shop for interesting finds. Fairs provide great settings novice jewelers as they provide good learning experiences such as the latest trends in the business. This is also where you could meet with potential contacts for your future handcrafted jewelry ventures.
3. Online Jewelry Shops – you may also take advantage of the convenience afforded by technology by selling your products online. The great thing about online shops is you could reach a wide market without having to leave your house. You may join an online shops that specialize on accessories or you may also sell you goods in online auction sites. For a minimal cost you could enter a vast ocean of potential customers. eBay is now a phenomenally popular site that sells everything from pets to computers, and you could greatly take advantage of his wonderful channel.
You may also put up your own website so that people would associate your products directly to you. Publishing and maintaining websites these days are no longer costly and considering how much you would earn with your handcrafted jewelry business, this could be a venture worth taking.
For How Much You Can Sell Your Handcrafted Jewelry
This is another area of handcrafted jewelry business that perplexes a lot of people, however it is actually very simple. You just have to take not of the costs of your materials, how much work you have placed on the crafts, and the overhead. To do this you need three steps:
1. List the cost all the materials and tools you used for making the jewelry.
2. Carefully think how much time and effort you gave to make your goods and decide how much you are willing to pay yourself. Perhaps in the beginning it is reasonable to pay yourself $10 or so for every hour you worked. You can increase this as your business grows.
3. Finally, take not of all the other expenses that is related to your jewelry making. This could include the rent of the stall in the trade fair you joined, or the website maintenance expenses, or the telephone charges you got from calling contacts. Usually, these miscellaneous expenses can be estimated by taking 25% of the your material and labor costs.
With these in mind you would know how much your goods are worth, so that you would neither overprice nor under-price.
Making money out of your handcrafted jewelry is not as difficult as it seems. With determination and hard work you could be earning from your hobby in no time.