At our jewelry store Bellaceti, we offer both limited items and standard items - but regardless, we don’t tend to make a ton of the same item at once. Still, we’ve often found ourselves needing to make a larger amount of the same item. This happened in the following situations:
1. A Friend’s Wedding or similar event
2. Promo Giveaways
3. Craft Shows
I think #1 is one of the most common instances of needing to make duplicates of items EVEN if they are “unique”. We’ve had this happen to us a few times - friends getting hitched who know that we make jewelry asking us to make bridesmaid’s gifts. In this case, even if what you are making is unique, I’d say that for the most part they all need to be the same - because all the bridesmaids usually are dressed the same! Thus, you’ll have to make 3-4 (or more, for more bridesmaids) of the same item.
#2 probably won’t happen if you only make unique jewelry, but it could. Promoting your jewelry is a necessary part of any successful jewelry making business. Like it or not, there might be a time when you need to get out the word out with more than just business cards. In this case, even if you make unique items, you might want to make a small, item that still expresses your creativity - like simple earrings - and give that away to potential customers. The number you might want to give away could range from under 10 to hundreds or more.
There are actually several organizations (The Sampler comes to mind) that have programs where you can submit samples and promo materials to be distributed to craft-loving folks who subscribe to receive the packages. In some of the cases, the number of submitted items ranges from 25 to 200. That’s a lot of earrings!
The third instance is craft shows. Boy, preparing for a craft show can be a lot like cramming for a final exam. This is the one time of the year (especially around the holidays) where we feel like we’re hustling to make a lot of product in a short amount of time. Making so many duplicates may not be an issue if you make only one-of-a-kind pieces, but for a lot of people this means a lot of work. And making a lot of duplicates.
