{"id":66157,"date":"2019-03-26T22:13:57","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T05:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/?p=66157"},"modified":"2019-03-26T22:14:00","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T05:14:00","slug":"selling-laser-cut-jewelry-maker-compilation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ponoko.com\/blog\/maker-success-stories\/selling-laser-cut-jewelry-maker-compilation\/","title":{"rendered":"Selling Laser Cut Jewelry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Selling<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At How Four Jewelry Designers Find Inspiration And Go To Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Authentic. Creative. Local. Today\u2019s consumers are all about artisan products, goods that are typically made in small batches with craftsmanship and care. \u201cUnlike mainstream and mass-produced products, artisan products represent unique, affordable luxuries made with mastery,\u201d writes Lisa Goller in Artisan Sales Soar As Consumers Invest In Quality<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With sites such as Etsy<\/a> leading the way, sales of artisan goods look to have continued growth. According to this report<\/a> on Etsy\u2019s Q4 2018, active sellers were up 9.4% year over year, active buyers increased 18.2% year over year and gross merchandise sales (GMS) volume increased 22.3% year over year to $1.25 billion\u2014an acceleration from 20.4% GMS growth in Q3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this kind of consumer demand, there\u2019s plenty of opportunity for independent makers to create a product to sell<\/a> and build a successful business. To get a sense of what kinds of laser cut products are selling, we went behind the scenes with four jewelry<\/a> designers to find out where they get inspiration, what materials are on-trend and why laser cutting<\/a> is their chosen means of production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ye Won Cho<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After taking a bamboo laser cutting class for her work as a lighting technical director at Pixar, Ye Won Cho became fascinated not only with the laser cutting process but also the bamboo material itself. While this knowledge has been beneficial for her day job, she\u2019s turned this passion into an artistic side hustle. Creating laser cut jewelry under the brand YeWon Studios<\/a>, she is making designs she couldn\u2019t find anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love big and modern designs in earrings, but\nthose are hard to come by since most earrings are metallic and tend to be on\nthe heavy side,\u201d Ye Won says. \u201cAfter taking the bamboo laser cutting class at\nwork, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to finally create the earrings I\nalways wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influenced by elements of nature, most of Ye Won\u2019s designs are laser cut on bamboo sheets<\/a>. It\u2019s a smart choice, as bamboo is perfect for earrings because it is really lightweight (essential for larger designs) and the texture has a natural feel, which can be seen in this orchid-inspired design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Selling<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ye Won also likes how precise laser cutting is,\nwhich is especially important for geometric designs such as these bold and\nirregular shapes inspired by Norwegian glaciers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Selling<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI also like the fact that the cuts can be accurately recreated,\u201d she explains. \u201cThis allows me to focus my creative energy on the design part of the process, while taking away the hard work of making the product. The super simple production process and fast turnaround also allows me to constantly experiment with new ideas. Going from design to final product is as simple as choosing a material<\/a> and uploading an Illustrator<\/a> file on Ponoko website.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ye Won makes a great point. By simplifying how her\nproducts are manufactured, she can spend more time on what she does best:\nDesigning. And that\u2019s a smart business move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep up with what Ye Won is designing, visit her Etsy shop<\/a> and follow her on Instagram<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lindsay Duck<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any successful business, whether big or small,\nbegins with inspiration\u2026that spark that brings an idea to life. \u201cI am really\ninspired by good design that I encounter in my day to day life,\u201d says Lindsay\nDuck. \u201cSpatial relationships, type, colors; it all leads me to create and try\nnew things in my line of work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That line of work, graphic designer by day and\njewelry maker by night, gives her the freedom to learn and explore new mediums\nand methods of creation so she can connect with people through design. While\ntechnically she is only making earrings, these pieces are polished works of\nart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n