Attn Fiber Artisans

This is just a neat little thought from frawggie the allergic to all you fiber artists out there.


Please for the sake of people with wool allergies everywhere - if you want to sell more of your items - don't limit yourself to just making hats, scarves, mittens, arm warmers, shrugs, shawls etc out of wool. You're losing potential business because you're limiting yourself to just one material, that many people are allergic to.

I can barely manage to touch SOME types of wool. Merino in lower than 50% concentrations - combined with other non-sheep origin materials. Sure other materials may cost more and may not be as warm as wool but I almost guarantee if you expand your fiber content from just wool to even one other type of fiber your sales would increase.

Many people who see fiber artists only working in wool - won't ask for/about other types of fiber being available because we've been told before 'that NO, you only work in wool because its affordable, dyeable, or you spin it yourselves. So we don't ask and you lose potential sales. Rayon from Bamboo, silk, cotton, recycled acrylic (caron brand has a nice one that's really soft when washed), blends of the above - mix & match, try new things, find more customers - make more sales.

This has been a non-specific targeted message brought to you by frawggie the itchy...erm no frawggie the allergic...to wool. I love knitted things because I suck at knitting...but most knitters I know only work in wool or low end acrylic...both are equally annoying to my skin...I'm sensitive - but I LOVE Soft silky fibers - especially the microfiber acrylics out now...*ribbit*

Wire - knowing your components

This is a continuation of my previous blog on knowing what you're buying.

Seeing a lot of people on etsy selling 'filled' wire - that isn't what they're claiming it to be.

If you're looking for something in Silver - the actual element Silver - not silver colored - but silver - ie Sterling Silver, Fine Silver or Argentium Silver  simply put if someone lists "Sterling silver filled"...they're trying to sell you a false product. There's no such thing. Silver Filled is a term used in some countries to denote Silver plated - brass, steel or other base metal. This is not the same quality of Silver as
Sterling - which is again 92.5% & 7.5% alloy of silver & copper respectively.
Fine Silver is 99.5% pure silver
Argentium Silver is 92.5% silver, Germanium & Copper alloy.

These are the three types of quality Silver that you'll find used in jewelry. Silver plated or silver filled as some countries call it is a microscopic coating of silver plated over a base metal, tarnishes easily, and is NOT real silver - nor should you pay the same prices for a piece made with silver plated/silver filled wire that you do for a piece using Sterling, Fine or Argentium.

Gold Filled is a real legitimate term - gold filled - sometimes called Rolled Gold Filled (RGF) is 1/20th of the total amount of metal is gold. This is the most common type of gold you'll find in today's market - because of the price of gold being over $900 per ozt. Gold Plated (GP) is 1/40th of the total amount of metal - a very microscopically thin layer of gold plated over a base metal (like silver plated), it is very easy to wear through a gold plated layer to the base metal in normal wear, same can be said for silver-plated. If you see an 18" necklace claiming Gold Filled and is handmade, if the price is less than $100 for a necklace out of gold filled wire - think again and ask the seller to provide proof of where they purchased the wire to make the necklace. Unless they're giving away the farm so to speak - they're not going to undercut the price of a necklace that much.

Here's a link on legal requirements for the US for gold filled vs gold plating.
Overview of Gold Filled Processes

German Silver - There's a LOT of misleading information out there on this product. Most jewelers know German silver as nickel silver - not Sterling Silver plated over copper wire - which is what some countries allow as 'silver filled wire'. German Silver has No silver in its alloy whatsoever: Containing 18% nickel, the wire is sometimes referred to as German Silver but actually contains no silver. Nickel Silver - sometimes called German Silver

Per Rings&Things.com  the makeup of their "German/Nickel Silver" is: (65% copper/18% nickel/17% zinc)
nowhere in that description is ANY of the element AG - the element ID of Silver is AG.

A lot of silver-filled (Silver plated copper) wire originates in Germany - that doesn't make it 'german silver' it makes it German made Silver plated copper wire - that's how I'd label something in a materials listing if I used the silver-filled wire produced in Germany. German Silver/Nickel Silver is an alloy of Copper, zinc and nickel. It looks like stainless steel with a gold undertone. It in no way resembles true sterling silver - especially when tumble polished.

Here's a link detailing what their 'german silver' is:
Beadstuff.com's "German Silver"

THIS LINK is the MOST useful in covering many sites definition of Nickel silver/German Silver AND goes on to state that "Calling any metal german silver that does not contain that element in alloy is prohibited"...So how do people get away with calling 'german silver...just that?' My guess is that the majority of it is found in various pre-packaged amounts from major beading companies - who source MOST of their materials from Asian markets - where things are notoriously mislabeled & misrepresented - sorry but this is true and the main reason for the CPSCIA regulations that now limit most handmade products lead wise in the US...because a lot of things imported from asian markets have hurt children in the US. Sadly the new regulations don't help those of us who know our products, and know what to look for, and how to properly represent our items to our customers - it hurts those trying to do good just as much as it hurts those who simply don't care about their customers health & well-being.
Wikipedia - Nickel Silver
Columbia Encyclopedia

ALL of this info was found using a simple search on yahoo.com - for "gold filled", "Silver filled", "German Silver", "Nickel Silver", "Non-Tarnish silver wire". It doesn't take a lot of effort - to learn the truth behind the wire one uses in their products. A confident & informed seller - can and will do more to enhance the community they're a part of than a seller who doesn't know what components go into their end result.

Whether you call yourself an artist, designer, silversmith (even if you don't work in just Silver), goldsmith or jeweler, do your research, know your product, know your components, and do your community a favor. Inform and educate your customers - all customers - so fewer and fewer people get ripped off. Knowing your components & end products makes you look like a more responsible seller, and that will get you further, than lying to everyone - misleading is lying plain & simple - by legal standards.

In the UK - you have to have your items assayed & hallmarked before you can LEGALLY label them as Sterling Silver: UK Sterling Silver Requirements

If you have experience with any of this or have anything you'd like to add please leave a comment - or message me : frawgz.dezignz@gmail.com .

Misrepresenting Materials & How Doing So Can Hurt Your Business

I know I'm not alone in the feelings represented in this blog. I know this because I've had conversations with several other etsy sellers, friends, and non-sellers alike - regarding the blatant disregard of etsy's code of conduct regarding tagging of listings and misrepresenting materials in any given piece of work.

Mostly yes this concerns jewelry makers/sellers/resellers. Those who do work in sterling silver know what the metal looks like, in all its forms & conditions. Those who don't...well they fake it. Most curb chains you buy in stores - craft stores are silver plated or nickel plated (most likely the latter).

Curbchains are -premade- oval sometimes slightly twisted links making up a simple chain. Very seldom are you going to find sterling silver curb chain unless you buy it from a respectable online manufacturer/seller such as Rio Grande, Monsterslayer or Thunderbird.

That's not to say other sellers do not exist but if it sounds like too good of a deal to be true it probably is. Current Kitco pricing for sterling silver is: - that's for raw metal - not wire, not jump rings. Most places price silver daily - and silver isn't cheap right now... Want to know more - there are approximately 172 20g 1/8" sterling silver rings per ounce - that's (.8mm WD & 3.2mm ID) if what is in parentheses makes no sense to you - and you claim to make chainmaille - you may want to get your kits somewhere else.

I don't get why someone would want to blatantly misrepresent their items to customers knowing that once you're found out - as selling something for 3 times the price of what its worth - because you're using misrepresented supplies...you've lost your customers' trust. Selling something as sterling silver when you're really selling nickel or silver plated brass - is a big no-no. This is just like people who say moonstone and opalite glass are the same thing. They're not.

Sterling Silver is 92.5% silver & 7.5% copper in an alloy. That doesn't mean silver is plated over copper it means the two are mixed together in the actual metal itself. Silver plating is a thin layer of sterling silver over a usually brass core. As a customer you would be served to be informed of what it is you're looking for in an item before you go browsing on etsy - willy nilly. I say this because in the last week I've seen more misrepresented stuff than I can count - all of it jewelry.

I've had 3 sellers swear their products are Sterling Silver  yet they're charging the same amount for a pair of earrings made with Sterling Silver rings - as they are for earrings that are 4 beads on a headpin. That doesn't add up to a smart consumer. If the deal smells fishy - or sounds too good to be true it probably is. Silver prices are $17 per oz for raw metal today - this doesn't count milling charges, or a seller's profit - most prices for an oz of silver in the last month were $30 + per ounce depending on size of the rings you're buying.

So if someone's using 25 rings in a pair of earrings - and charging $10 for a pair...and using 500 rings in a pendant and charging $60+ for the pendant - there's a problem with the math. The earrings should be priced at the same pricing for silver as the rings used in the pendant.

If you're unsure - or the tags & photos don't add up - talk to the seller - an honest one, who knows their materials, and their final products - won't mind answering questions about their item before you purchase. Also the number of sellers who have items listed and don't know what their materials are is staggering also - german silver = nickel silver  an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel - and is bad for those with nickel sensitivities/allergies. Yet I see people passing this off as "German Sterling Silver"...its not the same thing. German silver is nickel silver and vice versa. No sterling silver is included in nickel/german silver.

Seeing a lot of bracelets & even suppliers listing things as Non Tarnish Sterling Silver. Doesn't exist. Sterling silver tarnishes because of its copper component in the alloy. Non-tarnish silver rings do exist but know that they're not sterling or even full silver. These rings/wire are generally low cost, and precut; they're most likely made of Silvered Enameled Copper - that is Silvered enamelled copper has a layer of pure silver plated onto the soft copper and then a plastic enamel type coating is plated over that. It does have some silver in it  but it is NOT sterling or pure silver.

Its not just wire jewelry that is misrepresented. Had a 4 way discussion in etsy chat one day with a seller who had Moonstone items in their shop - which you could tell really were moonstone. Two other people joined in who said its ok to list Sea Opalite Glass as Moonstone - it will sell better. One of those people swore up and down that Sea Opalite glass, moonstone, man-made opals, and natural opals are all the same.

Despite posting links to these people showing that the 4 items have very different chemical formulas - the two swore that they were right and its entirely ok to post them all as the same thing "Moonstone".
Moonstone is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonstone_%28gemstone%29
opalite glass is A human-made opalized glass resin that is fused with metal to create an opalescent effect. (manmade)
natural opals are made of silicon, hydrogen & oxygen; see here: http://webmineral.com/data/Opal.shtml

There's so many more things I could say about mislabeled/misrepresented gemstones/metals etc. A lot of it I think has to do with people who choose to be oblivious to their product. Sellers who can and to show a thorough knowledge of their product, and it component items are much more likely to get me to make a purchase from them - than those who don't know anything about the item they're selling.

Simply put - having 14 tags on your etsy items does help people find what they're looking for, and it ensures your items are getting seen by the right target audience you want to attract, but don't make things up, and don't put something down that doesn't truly fit your item, it is a waste of your customer's time, and yours for having put it there, properly, accurately tagged items, are much more likely to get a sale from me and I know from others as well. If your items do not contain something be that something sterling silver or a gemstone of any type - don't put that item in your tags or in your listing. Its one thing to label something 'silver colored' and another to label it silver - and expect your customers to know you really mean silver colored metal not Silver (Ag) Metal.

Here's more on how to know what to look for in quality made chainmaille!

A post from a fellow fe-mailler and friend on quality of chainmaille - very informative for customers and sellers alike - http://torajewelry.blogspot.com/2010/03/whats-in-ring.html