Can anyone give me some tips for doing a jewelry party? What do you usually give as an incentive for the hostess? How much free jewelry do they get with orders?

I would like to do this, but not sure where I should start...
THANKS!

Well, I am no pro at this, so this is just my opinion. Whenever I have done a party (ok, so it was like Pampered Chef, scrapbooking, etc.), as a hostess, I usually get a free gift and then on top of that 10-15% of the sales in free items. You could go a higher % than that if you want (usually the % goes up depending on the total amount of sales).

BTW, the picture of your son is just beautiful.....as is your pics with your daughter--SO CUTE!!!

I haven't done a home show but know they've been discussed here quite a bit. I think if you try the "Advanced Search" feature, using terms such as jewelry party or home jewelry show and setting the date back 1 year you'll find quite a bit of information on this topic. (The advanced search feature is the only way to find threads here and sometimes you have to be pretty creative about search terms[:)]) I found a couple of links but there are more out there:

http://www.beadandbutton.com/bnb/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=38770&REPLY_ID=352654#352654
http://www.beadandbutton.com/bnb/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=41961&REPLY_ID=376330#376330
http://www.beadandbutton.com/bnb/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=39258&REPLY_ID=356498#356498
http://www.beadandbutton.com/bnb/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=38550&REPLY_ID=352674#352674

Hope this helps,
Iris

I've written a couple of articles with some ideas I've gathered over the years:
Basic ideas: http://www.beadinghelpweb.com/basics/homeparty.htm
Advanced ideas: http://www.beadinghelpweb.com/basics/homeparty2.htm

Lynn, those articles are great. Thanks for posting those. I've been thinking about doing home parties. My sister-in-law is kind of excited about hosting one for me. I used to sell home decor products but I think this will be so much more fun. I LOVE the product so it will be easier to sell.

Thank you for your help! I am pretty new here, so I really appreciate the guidance! I can't wait to check out those links!

And thank you blueroses for your sweet comments! =)

Have a look at this website.

www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/jewelry-shows.html

I've learnt soooo much thanks to Rena about the marketing and sales side of the Jewellery making business. Making the Jewellery is the easy bit !!!

I am a Luxe Jewels consultant. They have a great party plan, and the wonderful thing about Luxe is that you can show their product, teach with the DIY kits, and show your own creations in a trunk show . They are a terrific group. Anyone want to sign up?

Go to www.luxejewels.com to see their line.

I am a consultant for Gems to Jewels and wanted to share with you our party plan benefits for a hostess. The company supports the hostess gift by allowing me, the consultant, to make a custom bracelet for the hostess as a thank you. No cost out of my pocket what so ever. They also provide booking bonus' for hosting as well as cash off their purchase benefits starting at $150. Again, nothing out of my pocket. If you'd like more information I'd be happy to share with you. You can view Gems to Jewels as a whole at http://www.gemstojewels.com and please feel free to visit my site, especially My Gallery pages at http://cat.gemstojewels.com

when we do our jewlery parties we always have a hostess gift. usually some earrings.. and when the party finished we have a different level discount for the hostess depending on the retail price that the party closed out at. so if the party closed out with total sales of $0 to $200.00 the hostess gets 5% off of her total Purchase if the party closes out between $201.00 to $500 the hostess gets %10 off of total purchase if the party closes out between $ 500 to $1000 the hsotess gets 15% off of purchase and if the party closes out above $1000 the hoastess gets 25% off when there is a party booked at the hostess party the hostess gets to choose a piece in the hostess booking line of jewlery ( i create different bracelets earrings ankle bracelets etc) i give the hosttess a voucher for the item and when the party that is booked actually occurs i give the hostess the jewlery either at the party or after the party that was pre booked .. if there are 3 parties booked and completated, the hostess gets a full set- earrings bracelet and necklace... i have other incentives also.. such as if someone brings a friend that was not on the list .. the person brining the friend gets a thank you voucher for a 5% discount on one item
well i hope this helps... I have been doing jewlery parties now for over 5 years and usually have 3 to 6 parties a month with this formular... it is always a ton of fun.. good luck....

Has anyone ever held a party in their own home? How does that differ from going to someone else's home and letting them host?

I held 2 parties in my home. I sent out invitations, provided refreshments, had all my jewelry displayed and made quite a few sales. No overhead, no inclement weather such as at outdoor shows and it was a very relaxed and fun evening. I mingled with everyone and there was no pressure on anyone to buy.

How did you go about wording the invites? That seems to be where I get stuck because I don't want people to feel like I'm pressuring them into a sale just because I'm inviting them.

I usually announce an open house when I do shows in my home. That way people have the option to come and look but since my inventory rocks they usually cannot fight the urge to make something.

I dont believe in jewelry "parties", but I am sure there are a lot of people that do it. Unless you are mass producing your jewelry I dont see the point, because it is very hard to make enough jewelry (IMO) to make the party worthwhile. Yes, you probably get orders, but custom orders are more labor intensive and time intensive and I feel that poeple who go to these types of parties are looking for quick buys and bargains.

It might work for some, but this has been my opinion on it. But i do have to say I have never tried one. I have had a group of customers come by for a mini-showing...but never incentives for a hostess. That's pressure I dont want. To have to SELL it AND MAKE it. I like how the stores sell it for me, or online sells it for me.

I hope you find good advice about doing the parties though, and you have success at it!