Everything Zibbet Only: 9. Pet Peeve when Buying Jewelry

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Pet Peeve when Buying Jewelry Posted by Valerie Reeves on January 11, 2013 at 2:30pm in Feedback & Critiques View Discussions

Hello All!

Hope the new year finds everyone well.

I was just browsing through some of the wonderful jewelry offered here, when once again I was struck by something I did NOT see a lot of...thought I would throw it out here and maybe inspire a jewelry designer or two to consider including photos of your work ON A PERSON. Bracelets on wrists, necklaces on necks, rings on fingers, and especially earrings on ears! Surely I am not the only shopper who would like this additional visual info. Dimensions are good, but it's so much nicer to actually SEE it on. Instead of five photos of your lovely piece on a rock or draped over a cup...consider grabbing the nearest cooperative person and putting it on them...it might just result in a sale! : )

Here is an example...see how much that one pic on the wrist helps you get a better idea of the piece?

http://www.zibbet.com/WillOaksStudio/artwork?artworkId=58513

Tags: jewelry

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Permalink Reply by Clarify (Claranne ) on January 12, 2013 at 9:58am

I"m with you Valerie, it is so much more informative being able to see how far the earrings are going to dangle or whether a ring is going to look like a toad sitting on your finger. Arty pictures are beautiful but they don't always tell you the whole story.

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Permalink Reply by Portable Graffiti Graphics Judy on January 12, 2013 at 10:55am

I agree. Same with seeing clothing and other accessories.

I also like photos that show vintage items with other items in the photo, which give ideas of how to use the item and its size.

And for bags as well.

To me these are great photos because I can clearly see the size and how to use it.

http://www.zibbet.com/FleurdeLeather/artwork?artworkId=1001632

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Permalink Reply by Darlene Skidmore on January 12, 2013 at 2:42pm

I agree, showing the product as it will be used is very helpful. I have a short neck and always wonder how earrings will look on me. Seeing them on a person really showcases the size and length of them well.

This being said, it is difficult for me to showcase my crochet toys and baby blankets with real models as there are no 'little ones' in my life right now :(

www.zibbet.com/crochetpuffylove

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Permalink Reply by D & P Creations on January 12, 2013 at 3:01pm

Personally, I think craft jewelry photographed on a person looks cheep and unprofessional. It looks like the buyer is getting previously-worn jewelry.

On the other hand, jewelry showing on a professional model is different, especially as the jewelry picture is NOT the piece for sale. I do agree, however, that jewelry draped over a rock doesn't inspire a purchase.

My preference is to professional props for jewelry--high quality displays for such purposes. If your in business, it's not a big cost to purchase a couple necklace forms and acrylic heads for earrings. It's all part of the cost of doing business.

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Permalink Reply by Catrin Maier on January 13, 2013 at 4:26am

I try to always include a shot on one of my display heads or hands, but I don't have live models for different reasons.

1. I have been told by many, many people that they do not like to think a piece has been worn by someone else, especially earrings. Since I use different earwires, I can't always keep a duplicate and change them out after taking pictures. The thought of worn earwires doesn't just annoy people, it grosses them out (I was surprised at how vehemently some of them reacted to that discussion).

2. I don't know about others, but there don't seem to be cooperative people in my life, at least not in this context.

3. I take pictures when I have the time for it, so I just can't plan long sessions of many pieces and have somebody around for that (IF I had someone who was willing to do it).

If you see a ring that looks beautiful on someone else's finger, it won't mean it will do the same on your finger, even if you have the same size. Earrings can look very different depending on the shape of a face for example.

A dress that looks great on someone else usually looks lousy on me *g*

That's the problem you have if buying or selling online.
And even if you use props to show the size of something and put it in the description AND say that the pictures are enlarged to show the details better, it won't guarantee that people will get the right idea unfortunately.

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Permalink Reply by LOC Design Studio (Vicki) on January 13, 2013 at 9:53am

Catrin's reasons for not using human models are the same as mine. I have a head and shoulders mannequin that I had selected because she had pierced ears so that I could photograph earrings on a live-sized 'model'. Much to my disappointment, her ears weren't pierced. Since she was a gift, I couldn't really return her. So for now, my only options are the usual that don't show perspective on size. But I also have to agree with D & P's comment below regarding purchasing earrings in a retail store. How many people actually try them on?

I need to revisit how to go about piercing my mannequin's ears without damaging her. Any suggestions?

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Permalink Reply by Adrienne Wilson on January 13, 2013 at 6:33am

Valerie, I agree with you on most points. I am small so I would like to see how far a necklace actually falls on a neck. I know that most models will be "normal" size so I just adjust the way I see it. I really don't want to see earrings in a human ear, though.

I like the use of display heads and for the most part, have displayed the few pieces I have that way. When I first put a few pieces of jewelry in my shop, I just took pictures. I then started looking at others displays and decided it looked so much more professional.

Adrienne

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Permalink Reply by D & P Creations on January 13, 2013 at 6:35am

For those who feel the need to see a picture of earrings on a person's ears for evaluation, I wonder what those folks do in a retail store before purchasing earrings. Do they try them on and look in a mirror? Do they ask someone else to model them? I don't think so. I think most will just pick up the card with earrings an make the purchase without actually seeing them on a person. This would mean that seeing them on a person isn't really so important, perhaps just an excuse.

If the earrings are lovely and appear desirable, the person will just make the purchase.

My recommendation is to create extremely desirable jewelry focusing on what the customer wants. If your products aren't selling is more likely related to product and price rather than models.

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Permalink Reply by Joyananda (ADKoP) on January 13, 2013 at 10:33am

Actually it's not uncommon to have a mirror near the earrings to at least allow people to hold up the earrings to see how they would look.

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Permalink Reply by D & P Creations on January 13, 2013 at 12:37pm

I agree with the mirror comment; we do that at our retail location, but that's not the same as trying them on or photographing with a live model. It still shows that live models aren't necessary. Even with a mirror available, the majority of our earrings purchasers just pick them up and purchase because they like the earrings; others simply look for excuses to not purchase.

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Permalink Reply by Knits Yours, Knot Mine (Sabrina) 22 hours ago

I very much agree with this. Although a mirror is available in retail locations to compare jewelry relative to your person, things like earrings somehow seem unsanitary if it's actually worn or tried on. I see person-modelled jewelry (displayed online) the same way I view person-modelled underwear online... especially on a handmade site. Am I getting the pair of earings (or panties) worn by the model? How sanitary is that? It skeeves me just a little.

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