SCLadyDi Jewelry Blog: 2016-05-15

JOSE & MARIA BARRERA FOR AVON

VINTAGE COSTUME JEWELRY

Jose' & Maria Barrera

ABOUT

Jose' and Maria started their business in the early 1980’s. They moved to New York City from South Texas after destiny brought a NYC actress to the University of Texas where she spotted José’s first jewelry piece, which was on display at a student exhibition and she decided she had to have it. She met the couple and purchased the necklace. Returning to NYC she wore the necklace to a party where it was seen by Alexander Leiberman of Vogue who then asked to use it in a photo shoot. "The necklace" inspired Diana Vreeland to commission the iconic photograph by Irving Penn on Marisa Berenson in Vogue’s 1970 April issue. This began their aspirations to move and start their lives in NYC where they raised three daughters, Larisa, Mariel and Alicia and slowly grew their jewelry business.

Today, the Jose' and Maria Barrera company is still a family owned and operated business, which now includes their three artistic daughters. All of the jewelry is designed and produced from start to finish in the Garment Center of New York City. All items are assembled by hand by a small staff of trained artisans under the watchful eye of Jose and Larisa where quality, attention to detail and craftsmanship are the key ingredients to creating our product.

Official Web Site: http://www.joseandmariabarrera.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoseandMariaBarrera/

EXAMPLES OF

BARRERA FOR AVON JEWELRY

1986-1996

Jose Barrera Granada Necklace Set

Jose Barrera Marbella Necklace Set

Jose Barrera Falling Leaves Necklace Set

Jose Barrera Antoinette Necklace

Jose Barrera Antoinette Earrings

Jose Barrera Hibiscus Set - 1994

HOW TO IDENTIFY BARRERA JEWELRY

CLICK HERE TO SEE BARRERA JEWELRY ON ETSY

STORE OF THE MONTH

VINTAGE JEWELRY ALCOVE

While studying the Top 10 Sellers on Etsy, I decided to contact one of them to see to what it attributes its success. The store I chose was Vintage Jewelry Alcove. This store has been in operation since 2008, has over 5,800 items and ships worldwide.

When I asked Gregg, the store owner, about his success, he indicated that it is very important to have a nice variety of items that are fairly priced. Customer service was also at the top of his list. He said he tries very hard to have a quick turn around when a purchase is made. And if there is a problem with an order, he does whatever it takes to make the customer happy. This helps him get and retain customers. Another thing he mentioned was that he offers several types of discounts:

1) 10% Discount for Repeat Customers

2) 20% Discount for purchases of 10 or more items

3) 20% Discount for orders of $100 or more

4) 30% Discount for the whole month of July (Coupon Code 30303)

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely going to visit the Vintage Jewelry Alcove so I can take advantage of one of these great offers. There is lots and lots of vintage costume jewelry in this store.

JEWELRY ADVICE & TIPS

WHY FEEDBACK IS IMPORTANT

Feedback is an essential tool for a seller. It proves the quality of the seller's merchandise and service. The seller needs to know that the item was received and there are no problems with the transaction. If there is a problems, the seller needs to know right away so it can be corrected. Sellers take pride in their wares and service and want each transaction to be pleasant and efficient. So take the time to give your feedback whenever you can.

A QUICK AND EASY WAY TO CHECK FOR GOOD KEYWORDS TO USE

I recently read somewhere about a quick and easy way to check for keywords on Etsy. I tried this and it works. Here is an easy to understand example of one that I did.

Step 1 - I typed in "Joan" and checked the dropdown box. I found "Joan Rivers Jewelry." I have a lot of keywords for Joan Rivers, but I was not using "Joan Rivers Jewelry".

Step 2 - Next, I typed in "Joan Rivers" and I got a list similar to this one in this order:

Joan Rivers jewelry

Joan Rivers necklace

Joan Rivers brooch

Joan Rivers bracelet

Joan Rivers earrings

Joan Rivers bee

Joan Rivers bee pin

Joan Rivers pin

Joan Rivers watch

Step 3 - I immediately added "Joan Rivers Jewelry" to my keywords.

This is an oversimplified example, but it goes to show how easy it is to miss something. "Joan Rivers jewelry" was the most searched choice of words and I wasn't using it.

USE ALL YOUR TAGS & CATEGORIES

Another piece of advice that I read about suggested that you use all the tags and categories available to you on Etsy. You have the ability to use 30 tags--13 tags and 13 material tags, plus 2 style tags, a recipient tag and an occasion tag. Each one can be up to 20 characters long, so you can also use short keyword phrases or combine two keywords into one tag. Each tag is another way for you to get customers to you item page.

When looking for additional tags to use, ask these questions:

What is it?
What is it used for?
Who uses it?
What are the most important features?
When is the item used?

TOP TEN SELLERS ON ETSY

If you want to find out who the top ten sellers are on Etsy, go to www.CraftCount.com. Studying these companies may give you some ideas on how to improve yours. Be sure to look at their use of keywords. (NOTE: When I checked this site, I found several of the companies listed no longer had an Etsy store. My assumption is that they now have their own websites.)

TURNING JEWELRY INTO ART

This is a new section for the blog. I keep running into wonderful ideas on what can be done with odd pieces of jewelry, especially the ones which have lost their partner. Enjoy the pictures and maybe you'll get a good idea to use. We have already seen in the April 17th issue of the blog that jewelry can be turned into beautiful art. Remember "Art Creations by CJ"?

Statement Necklace