Custom jewelry and how to start a business with sterling silver jewelry. 

My recommendation is to try to do wholesale/consignment when you’re starting out. Just walk into local boutiques and ask if they carry local artists. If they do, then just be 100% honest about your situation and ask what their customers want and if they have any advice for you. If you’re afraid of approaching someone who’s the competition, or if you only have large department stores available to you, you could say you’re planning to buy some gifts and don’t know where to start. Then ask them what some of their most popular items are. What are most customers looking for when they come in?

Of course you can ask family and friends, but individual tastes vary greatly, get too specific, and most people without experience in fashion don’t really know how to describe it anyway.

If you’re selling online, then you either have to be the cheapest/best in a category/type/style (which would be extremely difficult especially if you’re just starting out and don’t own a silver mine), or be the most unique/ahead of the trend.

Depending on the types of answers you get, and what kind of unfilled needs there are, you will be pointed in different directions. If you have very high-end local customers, maybe you will work with solid silver; otherwise you may end up needing to go towards vermeil or fill. Do your customers want something organic, clean, modern, or traditional? Look for these answers and develop your skills along those lines. The most important thing in doing business is to remember that you’re doing it for your customers and not for yourself.