Latest Project: Magpie Necklaces

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Hey, guys! I have a question for you!


Would you buy something like this?

I know I would, but that’s a moot point. I’ve already got one. I’m wondering if anyone else would.

See, I’ve got all these pendanty bits, and wires, and ribbons, and beads, and yarns, and it occurred to me that they’d all look great together. So I’ve been putting them together in these chokers, which I’ve been calling Magpie Necklaces because, well. Shiny.

And it struck me that if I like them, other people might, too. I could open up a shop on Etsy, if there’s enough interest.

So! I ask again: Would you buy something like this?



The idea was to make it a sort of “found objects” necklace, like somebody had the cord already and just started picking up things they thought were shiny and hanging them on the necklace. This one’s obviously meant to look space-operatic, with star beads woven through the cord, a galactic whorl in its off-center glass pendant, and a coiled wire—perhaps from a repurposed piece of SPACE TECHNOLOGY.




I’m still experimenting with the best ways to attach the pendants to make them look scavenged without making them liable to fall off. I rather like the coiled wire I used here.

How about this one?



This one is inspired by a page from a gardening book on color schemes. I didn’t quite recreate the wonderfully unusual scheme he had going, but I am still quite satisfied with the way it turned out.



A word of warning, the bell really jingles.

Or this one?



This one was a blast to make. There’s a strand of beads in the cord along with a gold chain, because what’s a pirate without some pirate’s booty? The colors are for your own brand of Jolly Roger, and a few coins and piratical treasures decorate it.



Now that I look, I think I may have to do a few more close-ups of the cords themselves so you can see the beads and maybe of the clasps. But you get the idea.

Or maybe this one?



The first one I made. I wanted it to look like some wild woodfairy was picking up things that struck her fancy. Not far from the truth, really.



If I were to continue to make and sell these, they’d probably be in the $40-$50 range due to the cost of the materials. I could probably make cheaper bracelets and anklets, too. But I wanted to start with a few before I made a huge investment.

I know I’d buy them. Would you?

Comments

[shadowofdoubt.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I would! Do you take requests? (Picking colors, sending some of my own pendants?) I have so many damned pendant things lying around too, and I would love to have a few of them on a necklace like that! XD

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought that far ahead! I suppose I could give it a shot, but it will still take a while to set all this up. I'll keep you posted.

[shadowofdoubt.livejournal.com]

I'll go rummaging through my jewelry and see what I've got. XD Definitely let me know! :)

[beccastareyes]

Some of those are neat, but I don't know if they're $40 neat. And a lot of them would be more things where I'd want to have my own items.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

That is my main concern--the problem is that I'd lose money if I sold them at a lower price.

shadowofdoubt already asked if I would be willing to do commissions--pendants someone would send me to attach. At this point I'm not entirely sure, but it sounds like I might want to consider that as an option. I'd have to recalculate the pricing, though ...

Edited for borked html

[cysfics.livejournal.com]

I would! They're gorgeous!

[anagramofbrat.livejournal.com]

Ohh, want the piraty one. Yeah, I think you could find a market for it if you started selling them.

[van.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't wear them being a) a guy, b) not much into jewelry, but I think they are fantastic. I really love the leaf in the last one. SOMEDAY IW ILL OWN AN AWESOME LEAF LIKE THAT.

Anyway, I totally think you could sell these. Opening a shop on etsy is super easy and pretty much free, so I say go for it and just test the waters!

[bluetara2020.livejournal.com]

I would, if I had the money.

another thing you might want to look at is to just do the cords, they're pretty enough on their own.

[shadesofmauve]

Yes -- the cords are pretty, and would probably attract a slightly broader audience, because just a cord is a little closer to 'normal.'

[sphynxle.livejournal.com]

I really like the pirate one a LOT.

[tay421.livejournal.com]

I really like the first and last ones! Even if the last one is not for sale. If I had the money, I would totally buy one, or figure out your secrets in the main knotting process (and getting them to fit nicely into clasps) and make my own... A necklace of lost things! I like it.

[cougarfang.livejournal.com]

I admit I don't think I'd have the ovaries to wear them on myself, though I'd be tempted to get them for wall decorations...

Also I swear I found a lost earring that looks exactly like the Celtic knot-like thing in the 5th and 6th pictures down. Are they really that common, or is it like a sock-in-the-dryer-wormhole type of situation? o_o;;

[origamicage.livejournal.com]

Etsy is actually a really good place to sell...I've used it before.

[kadharonon.livejournal.com]

I think I like the way they kind of have stories as much as the necklaces themselves. I suppose it's the sort of thing where it couldn't hurt to try selling them, and $40 seems reasonable to me.

Edited to add: also also also the first one is my favorite. I seem to be on a space opera kick at the moment, and it's the description/story-thing that makes the necklace.

[(Anonymous)]

Since I know a whole bunch of people who make and sell jewelry--

A) Go for it--setting up a store on Etsy only costs you time.
B) $40 is totally reasonable. Actually it's on the low end of reasonable.
C) They're pretty spiffy, but I don't wear much in the way of jewelry anymore. I do know other people who might wear them, though.

[newroticgirl.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely be interested... it might be fun (for customers) to do a Choose Your Own Adventure type, where you offer a selection of pendants and they pick a certain #. (And you could charge more for that type!) ;)

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

I think they're very neat, and bracelets/anklets are a great idea. Also, longer necklaces instead of just chokers. You should post them to the steampunk comm, they like that sort of thing.

[westrider.livejournal.com]

Like some of the others, I don't know if I'd go for one of the random or stock ones, but I might well commission you to make one out of some stuff I've got that I've been meaning to make something from for years if you end up going that route.

From when my Mom and I were poking around on Etsy, doing price comparisons while thinking about selling there ourselves, I'd say those could probably go for up to $60 or more, depending on the materials involved. As someone else mentioned, $40 would be the low end for something like this.