Anything can be turned into an eye catching display! Keep the background colors simple and the important pieces, like your merchandise, will pop! If your items are in pastel tones, a softer, natural and organic look can be made with stones, moss, upside down 'washed paint' (watered paint brushed unevenly) are great to display necklaces, planters with branches 'growing' out of it, create great displays to clip cards, earrings and smaller less heavy items. A simple thick bamboo branch, cut to size is perfect to display bracelets.
In my case, my jewelry is eye catching, bold, and some pieces are 'weirdly interesting'. I use many mediums, and have lines that range from puffy fabric pastel colored necklaces, South Western line, Steampunk, Day Of The Dead, Frida Kahlo and Natural healing gemstone jewelry. And I also paint primitive 'retablos'.
Keeping all of these together when doing a show, and displaying each of them as a 'unit' can be tricky. This applies to all artists that use different mediums.
It is important to educate your customers about your merchandise, some people might not be aware of who Frida Kahlo is, Day Of The Dead, or what Steampunk is. So it is my job to do that. A small framed, well written 5x7 with a short description also works. This way you can separate your different lines and give your customers and idea of what they are looking at, in case you are either busy with other customers (YEAH!) or just want to give that special browser some 'alone' time. This is important, when to engage and when not to. We will get to that another time.
The picture above shows a vibrant crystal skull ring. I decided to buy the simple 'loteria' (Mexican folklore bingo like game) cards that are available at Spanish/Latin supermarkets, and I just placed the ring on top. It creates a more interesting background. These little cards are very handy. I up cycled them and I use them to post my 'cash & carry' earrings, they easily slide into small plastic bags that you can buy (100) wholesale on ebay for about $4. The back of the cards are as interesting as the colorful pictures in the front! The 'brown craft' color does not clash with the earrings, they are made of a medium card stock. So I punch tiny holes on them, hook my earrings, place rubber stops in back and voila! I also add a ink stamp print of half a moon, or my La Luna tag. Product recognition! VERY Important! We will get into that later :)
Since I will use these as 'cash & carry' sales, I want them to be ready and accessible by the entrance of my booth, or if you have a table, close to you. Like an impulse buy :)
A simple tall wire photo holder displays them, I placed the photo holder on a Mexican pottery deep dish and I placed more earrings on it. This heavy bowl serves another purpose!. Shows are very windy, so you have to make sure that your displays are secure and will not fly away nor fall. A little frame/card will read the 'show' price. Pictures to come next post :)
Keep on creating, and create to sell!
If I am using gemstones I keep them raw, in crystal forms next to the piece or pieces I am selling. This way you can approach and start a conversation with your customer as to what the original stone, paper, wool looks like and it's origin! Perhaps an anecdote of that trip you took to a mine, a sheep farm, whatever it is, tie it with your product.
I did mentioned to the artist, she also told me that the majority of the damage incurred to her pieces where made by adults! So her most expensive pieces, rosaries, was displayed on the wall, in a vintage frame. Setting some of your work on interesting frame, not only adds dimension, put keeps the kids away from them. Mix and match these, and don't forget to add something interesting around them. Basically eye candy for all.
