a scattering of beads on your worktable?
A painting, pottery, stained glass, or other art?
The interior design of a room?
A view of nature?
The upcoming season’s trend forecast?
I’ve noticed that many of my silver jewelry customers buy my pieces based on color.

On custom orders, the customer nearly always starts out by mentioning the color (”Could you make me something like this, only in red?”).

If they’re just browsing through my display, they’re sometimes captivated by a certain color or color design, and finally decide they can’t leave without it.

Or they may be purposefully shopping for a color that goes with something in their wardrobe (”I need a pair of black earrings to go with a new dress.”).

And if my customers are shopping for a gift for someone else, color is usually the main factor in their choice (”My niece’s favorite color is purple.”).

If I’m selling to a shop, the owner nearly always buys based on color (”We’ve been selling a lot of blue lately - can you bring in a selection of whatever you have in blue?”)

So as much as possible, I’ve always displayed my silver jewelry organized by color, to make it easier for my customers to find what they’re looking for.

That system also helps me see at a glance what colors I need to concentrate on when I sit down to make more pieces for my inventory.

Color is also a major factor when I shop for silver jewelry supplies.

I have to make a conscious effort to buy cabochons and beads in colors that aren’t necessarily my own favorites, so I can have something for every color preference.

Even so, about half of my bead and cab supply is somehow my favorite lovely shades of green!

Have you ever experienced what I call the Fugly Color Phenomenon when selling your work?

Nearly every time I design a piece with an experimental color design that comes out looking so hideously ugly that I almost don’t put the piece on display - it’s the first thing that sells!

In fact, it seems to draw people to my booth like a beacon!

I have no idea why. There must be a mysterious, subliminal force in the chemistry of ugly color combinations.

I’d love to hear about your own experiences with color in creating and selling your silver jewelry!