Q Talk

[Tessanne]

How does one go about shopping a jewelry design?  I'm not a designer of anything, but I think I have a really strong idea with a lot versatility and wide appeal.  I can make a basic sketch, but have no idea how to protect this idea nor promote it.

[ItsME]

Oh!  I'd love to know the answer to this.  I have a few ideas of my own!

[lolakimono]

@Tessanne

Welcome to the boards!

I will page @Shanus and see if she can answer your questions.

[Shanus]

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@Tessanne wrote:

How does one go about shopping a jewelry design?  I'm not a designer of anything, but I think I have a really strong idea with a lot versatility and wide appeal.  I can make a basic sketch, but have no idea how to protect this idea nor promote it.

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Sorry to say before you can take your unique design to anyone, you'd have to go to go to an attorney to copyright your idea. That's a lot of money.

Then you'd have to find someone to make the first piece for you (a jeweler...not a retail, chain jewelry store, but someone in business who creates & makes their own jewelry from their own designs). That's why your design is copyrighted (protected), so he/she can't copy the design and sell it himself.

The next step would be having to find someone willing to sell your jewelry items for you (unless you want to sell them yourself at craft fairs, Etsy, etc.). 

After you decide where, how and have enough money to invest in the supplies to manufacture your jewelry design, the biggest problem is finding other jewelers to make enough of the jewelry for you to take to the fairs, stores or wherever accepted your sample to sell.

Hope you aren't too discouraged. When I decided to make jewelry because I knew I had designs people would purchase, I cut through all the red tape, went to school and studied metalsmithing, enameling. It took 5-6 yrs. and I still attend classes that interest me at craft schools around the country offered by famous jewelers. Each teacher has new techniques to learn. 

I now sketch my own designs & make and sell the jewelry. At one point, I did have some pieces in a few galleries, but they keep almost 50% when the piece is sold. Now I sell directly to my customers from my home studio. My only overhead is my materials....no rent, no one to pay to make the jewelry, I keep all the money and usually spend most of it on purchasing more silver and gem stones.

Please ask any other questions you have.

@Shanus

[software]

Shark Tank!

[Tessanne]

Thank you!  Do you copyright your designs before you offer them for sale now that you're established?

[iceRedfire]

@Tessanne

[from http: //  info. legalzoom. com  /copyright-jewelry-22285.html]

How to Copyright Jewelry

by David Hastings

"U.S. copyright law doesn't protect concepts or ideas for jewelry, but it does protect specific jewelry designs as works of visual art.

A piece of jewelry is protected as soon as it is made, even if it is never formally registered.

But registering your jewelry will help you in several ways if you ever have to take someone to court for copying it.

These include helping prove that you created the jewelry and allowing you to collect attorney fees if you win.

If you create jewelry that is particularly distinctive or if you are concerned about people copying it without permission, copyright registration is probably a good idea.

Step 1

Determine whether your jewelry has been published. Although you don't normally think of jewelry being "published," the copyright laws use this term to refer to public distribution.  If you offer your jewelry for sale to the public, or even give it away, you "publish" it for purposes of the copyright law.

Step 2

Decide whether to register multiple pieces at once. If you have multiple jewelry designs to register, and all of them are unpublished, you can generally register them together as a collection unless they have different designers. This saves you time and money by allowing you to fill out one form and pay one fee for all of them.

Step 3

Start an online registration. Go to "electronic copyright office" on the U.S. Copyright Office website and follow the instructions to sign in and begin a new registration. When asked what type of work you are registering, choose "Work of the Visual Arts."

Step 4

Fill out the application form. Enter the requested information about you and your jewelry. If you are registering multiple pieces, you will need to add a title for the collection as the "title of work being registered" and then add a title for each piece as a "contents title." If you have trouble filling out the form, consider contacting a copyright attorney or an online legal document service.

Step 5

Pay the filing fee. The website will prompt you to make a credit or debit card payment. You can find the current fees on the Copyright Office website.

Step 6

Upload identifying material. This can be one or more drawings or photos that show every part of the jewelry. If you are registering multiple pieces, make sure to send identifying material for all of them- if you don't send material, it won't be registered. Once the Copyright Office receives your material they will process your application, probably for several months, and then send you a Certificate of Registration."

More details on the site.

Good luck!!!

.