Human beings have been adorning their bodies for over 110,000 years. Think about that. It’s amazing! It’s practically ingrained into us to find some way to accessorize. It’s a form of self-expression. It’s a way of showing people our taste, our style, our aesthetic. Throughout the world and all through history, accessorizing has been a status symbol; a display of wealth and class and nobility.
Nowadays, accessorizing is a little more casual (at least for most of us that don’t walk on red carpets regularly). We can wear what we like, with whatever we want to wear it with, whenever we want to wear it. Jewelry can be purchased from Target or from a booth at an outdoor market or from a gallery. It can be stamped Made in China or signed by an artist.
Why do people buy handmade jewelry? It largely, of course, depends on the person. For some people, it might just be a spur-of-the-moment thing. She (or he) might see something that catches their eye, something that they can’t just walk away from. An impulse buy. Something they would have bought whether it was at Wal-Mart or an open-air marketplace in Morocco.
Others seek out artisan-made–often locally-made, as well–pieces because they appreciate the work that goes into making such an item. Handmade jewelry is often unique, carefully crafted, and possesses a distinct personality, usually much like the people both making the piece and purchasing it!
When you either sell or give something you’ve made to someone, you are giving them a way to express themselves to every single person that they encounter. It can be a conversation-starter, a good first impression on a potential boss (or boyfriend/girlfriend!), or the piece that acts as the cherry on top of a spectacular ensemble.
That’s a lot of power, on your part! And while everything you make isn’t going to be that one big piece that stops people on the street, even something as simple as a pair of earrings can be just the right thing for someone, a particular color or design or style that someone has looked for for years, and you, in five minutes, have created just that thing!
