Re-branding to Shen Wong

After a lot of careful consideration and discussion with friends, I have decided to re-brand my business and blog from Dublin Designer to my own name, Shen Wong. Renaming is always scary, but I think nothing shows more confidence in the products you make than putting your own name to it. I have become so proud of all my creations that I want people to know I made them.

It was a lot of work amending everything, but fortunately/unfortunately for me, I decided to do the change before anyone knew much about the business at all, so there was no audience attachment.

All my Social Media pages had to be changed. Due to ShenWong already been taken on most platforms, I had to add a little extension, but with the character limitation of Twitter, I had to keep it short, so ShenWongCo is the alias I choose.

I also had to rename my Etsy store, frustratingly, ShenWong was taken, so I had to come up with another extension. I couldn't go with ShenWongCo as Etsy is dedicated to handmade crafts, so I didn't want to sound corporate, you have to think very carefully about your audience. In the end, I settled on ShenWongJewellery as it is relevant and can improve my search rankings for 'Jewellery' (some day maybe, there is a lot of competition).

My wonderful cousin helped me create a new logo using my name. I LOVE IT! Leave a comment to let me know what you think about my re-branding or new logo. If you ever had to re-brand, I would love to hear of your experience.

Arm Party Style

Arm party is the latest accessory style now. For those of you that don't know, an arm party is basically when you wear/stack/layer several to many wrist accessories, including bangles, watches etc.

My latest series of bracelets are perfect for stacking. I discovered this by chance. As I completed each bracelet, I added them straight on my wrist to test out, making 100% sure that there are no wires sticking out (test results prove that they are perfect :) ). As I started adding more on, I realised that the more you wear, the better they looked.

Crystal and pearl bracelets are perfect for stacking, especially when using a range of bead sizes and colors.

If you intend to wear as many as I am in the photos or more, make to sure get them in slightly differing length sizes as you want them to fit from the top of your wrist down, rather than all overlapping at one point on your wrist. If your buying from me, just let me know your intentions and I will adjust the sizes accordingly.

Now you know how to get a party started on your arm, go mad! Happy accessorizing!

by Shen Wong

We're in Business! Etsy Business

I just closed my first sale today and I had to share it with the world.

After spending so much money on new tools & stock I must admit I was starting to panic a little. But Aoife (my first customer), you have given me hope! Thank you. 

I now know that there is a market out there for my jewellery and  I am right to keep going. 

Being able to sell something that you crated with your own hands is just the best feeling in the whole world. To everyone out there who are setting up their own business, don't give up hope, keep at it!

by Shen Wong

Phone to Match my Jewellery

With all the pearl jewellery that I am creating, it's now time to bling out a phone case to match!

Using some lovely  flat back  pearl cabochons, crystals and a big Hello Kitty styled plastic bow, I am now ready to personalize my phone case to match my personality and jewellery ^_^

How To Do It:

1. Lay out some of the decorations on the phone case to see what way you want it before you put any glue on the case. I spent about 30 minutes shuffling things around so I know what type of pattern I liked.
2. Wipe the case with a cleansing agent to properly to remove oils.
3. Mix a small amount of epoxy glue. This is the best glue as it does not dry for two hours, so you can move and push all the decorations around into place as you go, plus it dries super strong so nothing falls off.
4. Using a toothpick, spread a thin layer of glue on the bottom of the phone case, covering about 25% of the bottom part.
5. Start laying out your gems on the glue and pushing them out to the edge. Gradually add more rows and push them out till they are touching the previous row. You can then add more glue to the surface of the case as you go. DON'T spread the glue all over the case to start, as you will have a hard time avoiding it and getting your hands or dirt stuck on it in the two hour process it takes to deco the case!
6. Continue adding rows until you are half way up the case.
7. Spread some glue on the top half of the case.
8. Place the bow down, careful to not cover the camera hole.
9. Then just add gems around bow. Keep adding rows until the top and bottom half meet.
10.  You will then want to add smaller gems to any gaps you find.
11. Go around the edge, pushing the gems in, making sure everything is packed tightly together.
12. Volila! Now just go to bed and when you wake up, you have a beautiful new case waiting to be used!

TIP: I used a gem pencil to pick up each piece, much easier. 

I am delighted with the outcome. I know the bow is a bit big and impractical, but I much prefer it with than without. Makes the case far more interesting! I would have preferred the black bow to be on the right, as it is always on the right of Hello Kitty, but due to where the camera is located, I had to compromise.

I know the instructions are a bit simple, but if you have any questions, just ask.

Details of the supplier I used are below. You can even buy the gem pencil picker from them too (I don't remember the proper name of it).

My Hello Kitty Pearl Phone Case

I am not making these to sell as I would need to charge about €50 each and I am not too sure there is a market for that here. If I am wrong, please do let me know.

Got all my stuff from a very cheap supplier in Hong kong: www.etsy.com/shop/MiniatureSweet

by Shen Wong

4th of July Inspirations

With the big 4th of July American celebrations coming, I was inspired two create two pieces with the colors of the American flag. To ensure that the pieces can be worn on other occasions, I also used a range of other colors that go well. All the colors of the rainbow have been included and then some more!

Just to make them extra eye catching they are both double layered. This was a particularly time consuming collection as I added wire wrapped detail to each piece of crystal and pearl. I was up until 4 am in the morning finishing the necklace! But it was worth it.

I would love to know what you think.

by Shen Wong

Packing it all up - Handmade jewellery boxes

For jewellery, the packaging is it's first impression. If you receive jewelry delivered in a plastic wrapped, ripped envelope, it can completely ruin the whole experience and make everything inside feel cheap. Jewellery is supposed to make you feel good about yourself, from the outside in and it all starts with beautiful packaging!

Preparing something that will make my customers smile before they even see their jewellery is what I have been thinking about and working on for a while now. After a few days of working with different materials, folding and cutting away, I think I finally have it. Simple hand folded origami jewellery boxes and ribbon tied, hand cut 'Thank You' labels. There is a LOT of work involved with doing everything by hand, especially when you use heavy paper but I think the end result is worth it.

I am absolutely delighted with my boxes and cards. Now just patiently awaiting my first customer. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long.

Credit Due: Learn how to make these lovely boxes on Pintrest. Thank you JasminBlancBoutique! Click here to view tutorial.

by Shen Wong

The Great Gatsby Inspiration

I have gone crazy for the Ziegfield Collection from Tiffany & Co as inspired by The Great Gatsby.

Using the primary black and white colors from the collection, not to mention the stunning white pearls, I decided to create my own version using Swarovski Elements.

Laying out the materials for some ideas.

First bracelet of my Great Gatsby Collection.

Simple elegant earrings.

I will be adding these to my Etsy Shop during the weekend. Just need to get some great pictures and redo the bracelet. I think the crystal drop will look better hanging from the center of the bracelet. Thinking about how I should arrange the necklace for the collection.

Comments are always welcome, especially in my 'inspiration' posts.

Pearly Gatsby Trend Alert!

It's official, The Great Gatsby is driving us into the high end jewellery stores! Jewellers like Sheils and Tiffany & Co. are enjoying higher than expected sales with the launch of the blockbuster.

Tiffany & Co. launched it's stunning Zigfield Collection back in April. Inspired by the movie the collection is based on Tiffany designs from the 1920s. The jewelry collection heavily features pearls which is characteristic of the era.

I must admit as soon as I saw this stunning collection in Brown Thomas, I couldn't resist and bought myself a pair of earrings for €450!

Jump right on board the fashion trend train and get yourself some pearls. Nothing will make you feel more feminine and elegant than wearing a full set of pearls. For something a bit more modern, yet still classy, check out my Etsy shop. Pearls are the focus of all my pieces.

Watch this space, I will be working on my own Gatsby inspired collection soon.

Ziegfield Collection Pearl Earrings

Still of Carey Mulligan in The Great Gatsby

by Shen Wong

Product Photography

One of the most important elements of making your jewellery attractive to buyers is good photography. After doing a lot of research online, I found one of the best affordable SLR cameras for jewellery is the Nikon D3000. So straight off to Argos I went to pick one up for myself. I am not the type to procrastinate when it come to shopping!

On top of getting a good camera, there are also a lot of techniques and other equipment required, including a product tent, daylight lamps, micro lens etc. In time I will build up to getting a full product studio, in the meanwhile I will just have to make do with a good camera, homemade light box and good sunlight. A light box is important when photographing jewellery as it eliminates harsh shadows. But to counteract the dimmed filtered light, it is necessary to have a strong light source. Sunlight with lack of angle flexibility just doesn't quite cut it.

There is a great tutorial on how to make your own product light box. I know mine is not the same, but I have actually purchased a cheap one on eBay, just waiting for it to arrive. To view product light box tutorial by Jeffery Bail on the Digital Photography School blog, click here. It's so good, I just had to share.

Here is my first photo studio. Photos are not to the Tiffany standard, but that will have to come in time when there is income for new equipment!

To keep up to date with my progress and my jewellery inspiration posts:
- Like me on Facebook
- Follow me on Twitter
- Follow me on Pintrest
- Follow me on Instagram
- Subscribe to my Blog

Please do comment if you have anything nice to say :)
I value all your support.

by Shen Wong

Summer Inspiration

Summer has arrived in Ireland! If you are not from the area it can be hard to understand what a big deal it is here. About two years ago we only had a week of Summer so when the sun is out, it is a big deal! This is why I had to dedicate a collection to Summer.

The sun is blazing into the studio as I flick through all my beads wondering what to use. I settle on some yellow flower crystals; then some white, blue and purple pearls. The colors remind me of buttercups, garden, sun and sea.

I want each bead to dangle separately from a chain, reminiscent of sun beams bouncing off glass bottles while BBQing outdoors. To give a relaxed feel I twist each bead onto the pin in a non uniform way, after all summer is about chilling.

To complete the piece I added a rhinestone encrusted letter charm. It's nice to add a bit of personalisation to a charm bracelet. Voila! It is completed.

I have just added a pair of earrings to this collection. A necklace will be completed soon also.

SUMMER COLLECTION 

Details:
- Size Medium, 18.5 cm long
- 6 Swarovski pearls, 8 mm
- 2 Swarovski flower crystals, 8 mm
- Rhinestone initial charm in silver tone (not Swarovski made or silver plated)

by Shen Wong

How to Make a Jewellery Workstation

To get started on my journey into the jewellery making business, the first thing I had to make was a workstation. Visiting my local bead shop Yellow Brick Road in Dublin, I purchased some Swarovski beads, a necklace tray and a pliers set.

After I got home with my new equipment I started working on a portable jewellery workstation so that I could get working on my creations.

Using a large hamper box lid, I constructed my first studio/workstation. It has everything I need within easy reach:

• Silk threads clipped to the left side for easy access
• Tools on a shelf for organisation (made from shoe box lid)
• A necklace tray with sorting compartments to prepare designs
• Magnet to hold needles
• Sharp tools holder (made from old makeup pouch)
• Third hand (made from bent clothes hanger), attached with cable ties.
• Pens holder & bin cup (old shot glassses)
• Ruler
• Findings etc clipped to right
• Bead cups for organizing (milkshake lids)
• Polish cloth

I am ready to get creating!

Please leave me a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.

by Shen Wong