With wedding season just around the corner, we wanted to chat to William White all about his stunning handmade jewellery - especially to find out more about the design process of his engagement rings! Coming from an engineering background, Will's talent and preciseness have enabled him to create simple designs that really have the wow factor, centring all the focus on the gemstone being used.
Dominated by Etsy sales from America, Will shares how his working day is influenced by this and gives an insight into how to secure those sales on Etsy, where he has over 2,900 sales.
Is a diamond still the stone for an engagement ring, what's the best thing about being a jeweller in Cornwall and what's the secret to the perfect photo? Will shares all below...
I have done all sorts of jobs over the years, product and interior design, engineering etc. all designing and working with my hands. However in my last job as a vacuume cleaner designer I ended up managing more than making, so I started an evening class in jewellery making.
I missed the hands on making and this filled the gap.
My designs are simple and a little scientific looking, this must be from my engineering background. I get inspired by big science projects and space exploration.
A couple of years ago I designed a ring for a lady who’s husband worked on the mars rover project, what a great project!
Simple, contemporary, precise.
I like to design rings around the stone or stones. If the stone is hard or soft, the shape, cut and colour. What gold, setting,
There are lots of factors that can
A large percentage of my orders come through Etsy. As Etsy is a US company, most of my work comes from there. It seems to me Americans are more used to buying expensive items online, they have more confidence shopping that way.
Being American centric affects my whole business, what time of day I post on Etsy,
Because I sell online and don’t need much space, I could live anywhere in the country. That’s why I ended up in Cornwall, it’s a bit like living and working on
Often the customer has a rough idea of what they want, some even send drawings. It’s my job to interpret their ideas
How the client lives their life can be a factor. A pianist will need a different ring design than a gardener.
First thing I
I think everyone wants something different, but if they have come to me they are probably after something very simple. I tend to make single stone rings with a minimal setting, let the stone do the talking.
Have a look at the quality of every aspect of your jewellery business, not just the jewellery. Your photos, customer service, your online presence, if you’re on Etsy get familiar with tags, titles and descriptions etc. It will help your SEO.
I’m
Yes, although I make a lot of Moissanite rings as an ethical alternative. I do think sapphires give you more for your money. If you spend as much on
My partner takes all my photographs these days, though I started out doing it myself. I have a Nikon DSLR camera which is pretty good. We only photograph first thing in the morning before the sun has come over the house. My outhouse has a plastic roof so the light is diffused. It’s all about using
My particle collision ring was very tricky, all the spikes have to be soldered in one go.
Make exactly what your customer has asked for and do a drawing if
Don’t be frightened of setting a diamond, they are the most forgiving stone to set because they are so hard.