CheapTweet Blog

This week we talked to Suzanne, a designer of handmade jewelry made from vintage materials and owner of threepeats Jewelry. Suzanne is a public high school dance teacher in New York City, where she has lived her entire life. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, her blog and in her Etsy shop.

How did you get started making jewelry?

I have always collected vintage jewelry, admiring its workmanship and materials. But two summers ago, I realized that I wasn’t wearing any of it… it was too heavy or too fragile or too tacky! I was about to start selling it on eBay when I came across some broken pieces and I decided to see if I could take them apart and put them back together again in a way that would make them wearable.  I came up with a basic necklace design of three bead sections interspersed with three chain sections in one, long, continuous, claspless collage. I started wearing the necklaces and getting compliments. I started giving them as gifts and got more compliments. I have always been a buyer of handmade and vintage things, most recently on Etsy, so that was where I set up my online shop. I called it threepeats because the necklaces were three sections of repeated (recycled) vintage beads and chains! I recently branched into earrings at my customers’ request (it’s a great way to use up tiny amounts of leftover materials!).

Tell us a little bit about your jewelry. What sorts of pieces do you specialize in?

I make long, light, easy-to-wear, affordable necklaces and earrings from recycled vintage beads, chain, ribbon and lace. Each piece is UNIQUE! I’m not a fan of matching, symmetrical things – so my jewelry is eclectic in both the materials used and design.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Sometimes I am inspired by the vintage materials themselves and their colors, but I am also inspired by places I have traveled to and even sometimes specific people, like Bette Davis and Rachel Maddow.

How do you market or promote your work?

I am part of two great teams on Etsy, the Etsy Twitter Team and the Retro Handmade Team, and we all cross-promote each other. I blog, am on Twitter, run sales and promotions, and do giveaways.

How do you use Twitter to help with your jewelry-making and your business?

The Etsy Twitter Team is very active. We constantly tweet and retweet each others’ work and promotions. I notify CheapTweet whenever I am running a sale in my store and I like reading tweets from “regular” people to keep me informed about fashion trends.

Do you have any tips or advice for someone just getting started selling her/his own work?

As difficult as it may be, especially for some people, you can’t just sit back and wait for people to discover you and your work… You need to promote (yes, sell) yourself in as many different ways as you can. Figure in an advertising budget, even if it’s small, when you set up shop online.