How To Sell Jewelry Via An Art Gallery - By: ArticleSubmit Auto

Here's how to sell jewelry to clients who appreciate handmade artistry, by showing your work in a gallery. This can be an especially good way to sell your high end, one-off items.

Customers who shop in galleries expect to pay a premium for their purchases, and they tend to be on the lookout for unusual handcrafted items that they won't find elsewhere. Gallery owners and their staff know how to sell jewelry and other handmade items to this type of clientele, and they are always in search of interesting new items to carry.

How to Choose the Best Galleries for Your Jewelry Line

Galleries often specialize in a particular style, niche, or medium of artwork. When you come across one that specializes in a theme, material, or era that resonates with your jewelry, it could be the beginning of a successful business relationship for you.

For instance, if you make ultra-modern jewelry, seek out a modern art gallery. And consider the gallery's personality. While a traditional establishment would probably know how to sell jewelry in a Victorian theme, they may have trouble selling trendy body jewelry.

How to Locate Prospective Galleries

1) Check your local listings for galleries in your town and in other towns around you. If they're nearby, visit these prospects anonymously before making any appointments to show them your work.

2) Look in the classified ads of art magazines for gallery advertisements. Some art magazines also publish annual listings of galleries.

3) Whenever your friends and relatives go out of town, ask them to keep an eye out for galleries that seem compatible with your style of jewelry. Your loved ones are usually happy to go into a potential gallery to get a business card for you to follow up on.

4) Search the Web for galleries that might carry your style of jewelry. For best search results, try using quotes in your search terms - for example:

"gallery" + "modern art" .

Study the online presence of these galleries to determine whether they seem like they would know how to sell jewelry from your product line. Look for info on their website regarding their guidelines for artists to submit their work.

5) To show your work to a gallery in your local area, call first to make an appointment with the person responsible for accepting new pieces. If they say they're not accepting anything new at this time, thank them politely and consider the next one on your list.

6) For galleries farther afield, send a brief email to the gallery owner, introducing yourself and stating why you think your jewelry fits well with their gallery. Include a link to your website so they can take a look at your work at their convenience, to decide whether or how to sell jewelry like the pieces on your site. If you don't hear back from them in two weeks, telephone the owner to follow up.

Find Out More About Your Prospective Galleries

Investigate your top gallery choices a little deeper. Make sure they have a good marketing plan, and that their items do sell at a reasonable speed. In your discussion with a gallery owner about how to sell jewelry from your collection, here are some things to find out:

1) How do they advertise? What special events do they host, and what promotional mailings go out to their customers?

2) Will they give you the names of some of their established artists whom you can call or email to ask about their experiences with this gallery?

3) Do they purchase pieces wholesale, or take items on commission? What percentage of the retail sale price does the gallery pay the artist?

4) If they work on a consignment basis, how often does the gallery send out payments to the artists?

5) Will they have special promotions or exhibitions of your jewelry?

6) Is the sales staff knowledgeable about the art of the artists represented there? It's the salespeople's job to know how to sell jewelry in addition to how to sell the artist to their clientele.

About the Author

Learn more about how to sell jewelry via art galleries, boutiques, and other places, including how to sell jewelry online.

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