Sharma Designs - Behind the Scenes of a Handmade Jewelry Business

Mother's Day is Coming

I have been laying low this week. In order to remind me of the joys of motherhood my 15 month old got the stomach flu and proceeded to give it to me and her dad. Not a very fun week. It is not fun to see your baby miserable and it is even less fun to see her miserable when you feel miserable too.

Of course I have heard that being a mother is the toughest job you will ever have. I don't think I could have understood that until I became a mom. I know I still have years of understanding ahead of me too. Oh joy.

Moms definitely get taken for granted. I get up with my little munch whenever she wakes up in the night, I change her diapers, I feed her, I am with her when she is sick....and who does she run to when both her daddy and I are there? Her daddy of course. I think its funny but it's also like "Hey! What about me?"

So I have been reflecting on growing up and how we were towards my mom. I'm sure we were lots of fun to have around but I know that we gave my mom a run for her money seeing that we were all 1 and a half years apart. I remember always wanting to hang out with my dad too. I'm sure we took my mom for granted numerous times.

All that being said....get your mom something extra nice for Mother's Day this year. Show mom that despite the "You ruined my life!" and "I wish you weren't my mom!" that you really do love her and respect her for the job she did raising you. She deserves it.

My mom usually gets a Sharma Designs necklace that I custom make for her. If you are going to get your mom a piece of jewelry ask yourself these questions:

1. Is there anything in particular she likes? ie butterflies, shells, hearts, etc
2. Do you always compliment her when she wears a certain color?
3. Does she love bold jewelry or is she more conservative?
4. Does she wear earrings, necklaces, or bracelets?
5. Is she super picky? Would she prefer to pick something out herself?

If you would like a coupon code so you can save a little money please email me or join the mailing list. I will be sending out a Mother's Day discount code very soon.

If you would like me to send a "Hint" email to your husband or significant other I can do that too. Tell me what designs you like and I will do my best. I know they sometimes need a little help ; )

Studio Friday

I am so excited to have finally gotten my act together to participate in Studio Friday!

This week's topic was Sparkle/Shine or Shimmer. Being a jewelry artist, this was an easy one for me. I had many sparkly things to chose from in my studio. This Muscovite necklace is probably the sparkliest. Its hard to fully capture the sparkliness in a picture but this pendant sparkles like crazy!

Posted in Studio Friday_

Mother's Day Discount

Check out our ad at Thrifty Boutique for a special Mother's Day Code.

Posted in Sales Alerts_

All in one Place

Here is a collage of all the latest jewelry for those who like to see it all in one place:

Posted in Jewelry Previews_

More New Jewelry!

I have been working my fingers to the bone! There are over 20 new pieces of jewelry at Sharma Designs! Here are a few of the new pieces but check out the site to see all of them!

Posted in Jewelry Previews_

Choosing the Right Jewelry

A great piece of jewelry looks even more spectacular when paired with the right outfit. Over the years, I have heard more than one person say, "I would have no idea how to wear that". So I have decided to give a few visual examples of how to pair your Sharma Designs jewelry with your outfits.

One basic tip I like to give is that when you wear a loud print or even something that has multiple colors in it try a piece of jewelry that has only one or two colors in it. Your jewelry should complement your outfit not compete with it. If your outfit has just one color or is muted tones then I would say grab your most colorful jewelry and go for it!

Next you need to think about how you are going to "Showcase" the jewelry. The style of the neckline should determine what type of necklace or earrings you will wear. Here are a few examples:

1. This dress has a nice v neck line. A drop necklace or a necklace with a pendant would look great with it. You could definitely use color on this dress or you could pair it with a matching black and white necklace like this White Howlite Teardrop Necklace:

2. This dress also has a nice wide neckline. It is just one color so I would definitely go for a lot of color in my necklace. I think the Stamped Thai Silver Necklace would look fabulous with it:

3. This spaghetti strap dress would look great with a necklace worn close to the neck. Because this dress is very delicate looking I would choose a complementing delicate necklace like the Onyx and Mother of Pearl Necklace:

4. Halters can be a little tricky. While they usually have a nice plunging neckline, it is easy for a necklace to get caught in the tie at the back of your neck. You may want to skip the necklace altogether and go for a funky pair of earrings instead. Again, because this dress has a lot going on I would choose something simple like these Mother of Pearl and Onyx Earrings:

5. For a dress with a high neck like this dress you definitely want to pair it with a funky pair of earrings. I think these Brown Wood Oval Earrings would look fabulous with it:

6. The chunky necklace dilemma. Those can often be a challenge because they make such a statement. This dress would look great with a bold piece of jewelry like the Painted Shell Necklace because the dress doen't have a lot going on and the necklace can be the main focus.

I hope this helps. You can always feel free to email me and ask my opinion. I'm here to help.

Posted in Jewelry Tips_

Vote for Sharma Designs

StyleBakery.com and Girlshop.com, have joined forces again to present the second annual “On the Rise” Awards honoring the hottest independent designers and online boutiques.

Fashion fans can nominate their favorites in the following categories: Jewelry, Handbags, Accessories, Clothing, Gifts & Home, Babies & Kids and Hip Boutiques. In August, the standouts in each category will be awarded based on readers’ nominations as determined by the StyleBakery.com editors and the style mavens at Girlshop.com. Each category will also feature a “readers’ choice” winner honoring the designers who receive the largest number of votes.

You could win a $250 Gift Certificate to Girlshop.com. So please! Go vote for Sharma Designs! Thanks!

Posted in Website News_

Sharmas for a Steal

Check out the Sharma Designs Specials page for beautiful jewelry at a great price. New markdowns have just been made and some jewelry is up to 50% off of original price!

Ocean Jasper Necklace
Original Price: $44
Sale Price: $22

Posted in Sales Alerts_

Finally!

Finally! The new jewelry is on the website! There are new necklaces, earrings and bracelets! Also, I have marked previous sale items up to 50% off. You may notice a few new things are on sale too. Out with the old!

It was a major ordeal to get those pictures up there! First, I couldn't find my tripod (Grrr Moving!) Once I found the tripod I couldn't find the quick release shoe. Worried that it was gone for good I bought a new one. Except that the new one did not fit my tripod (never trust the employees at Wolf Camera). Then, I tried taking the pictures with a new camera. (The perks of marrying a man that loves nice toys). Unfortunately I did not know how to use the camera and he doesn't know where the manual is. So I had to borrow the camera I used to use for the night. But it all paid off because they are now up! (Thanks to staying up until 2:45am!)

There are a few necklaces that say coming soon because I was just too delirious to get all the information up but they will be done tonight. I just bought a bunch of new beads to so the new jewelry should keep coming for the next few weeks.

So take a look and tell me what you think!

Posted in Website News_

Bigger and Better

How happy am I? This is my new and improved bead room. Against the wall is the design table. The left side table is the shipping table. The front table is the work table. Once in my chair I can roll back and forth. See the before pictures here to see how far it's come. Now I just need to decorate it. That's the fun part though.

You have no idea how giddy this makes me. So giddy that I stayed up waaaaay to late last night working on jewelry. My plans are to have the new jewelry up next week. I am so excited about this jewelry. I want to give sneak peeks but I don't want to ruin the suprise.

Posted in Business Babble_