Sharon Zimmerman
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What we get wrong about resilience
Small business owners are resilient by nature. Adaptability is our middle name. We adapt a lot. Think about the past two and a half years: You have to close, now you can open, you can open, but we don’t have extra funding to help you do it safely. We have money for you but we…
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How to get your jewelry noticed on your website
I’m not sure whether it was a relief or an utter humiliation to find out that no one noticed when I launched. BECAUSE I HADN’T TOLD THEM TO NOTICE.Nobody was watching my work as closely as I was. I used to think that if I put up a website that I would be so embarrassed…
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How do you know when you need help with your business?
I am the worst at asking for helpFor the first 5+ years of my business, I rarely ever contracted out work. I did my own stone setting, my own website updates, my own books, my own IT troubleshooting, my own marketing, my own SEO, my own ad management.I was scrappy. I was hardworking. I was…
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Diamond is April’s Birthstone – and diamonds are still hard to trace
This system for sourcing diamonds that we are currently working in is unfair.Sometimes in order to fix a problem, it helps to acknowledge that the problem exists in the first place.
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The whys and hows of being productive in your jewelry business
Because what we as jewelry makers do is enjoyable (bending metal! Using fire! Hammers hammers hammers!) it is easy to think of what we do as “not work”, but is there anything else in your life that you’d like to make space for? Friendships? Family? Social lives? Travel? Exercise? Time to sit and stare out…
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How to find out your partner’s ring size without them knowing
Keep your ring shopping a surprise for your partner You’re in love, you know you want to get married and you’re ready to propose. So you run out to get a ring, but how do you know that it’s going to fit them? A ring, unlike earrings and necklaces, isn’t a one-size-fits-all piece of jewelry,…
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Tool Talk – My Favorite Bench Pin
My Favorite Bench Pin It’s been awhile since I’ve talked more specifically about jewelry skills and tools. And it’s been awhile since I’ve talked to you about tools and I’ve desperately missed talking about my favorite and most useful jewelry tools. Disclaimer – I don’t get paid for any of my jewelry tool reviews. I…
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Why Does Platinum Jewelry Cost More Than Gold Jewelry?
Platinum is less expensive than gold, so what gives?This is a question that I get a lot. And I get it – you can clearly see if you check metal prices online that platinum is currently less expensive than gold, and yet you go to buy jewelry and the platinum pieces cost more. The answer…
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What the Kimberley Process Doesn’t Want You To Know
The Kimberley Process is BrokenWhen a Summer of 2021 meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) turned contentious, I found hope.
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Email Marketing Ethics 101 – how spam email practices hurt us all and what to avoid
Recently I got added to an email list by a climate organization and I was incensed. It seemed, even to me, like it might be a petty annoyance, but thinking about it more and more I couldn’t help but reflect on how ethics affects our jewelry businesses in more ways than just sourcing gems and…