Could you sell costume jewelry for a living?

[fiona00004]

I just returned from visiting the private showroom of a costume jewelry store. Basically the owner sells branded inspired pieces...Dior, Tiffany etc...she tries to keep up with the trends and tried to be one of the first ones out there to sell "the look" She has TONS of stuff and they are honestly very cute.
i couldn't get myself to buy anything...I felt like such a snob in a way... but when I usually buy costume jewelry, it is because I feel inspired and have a specific piece of clothing that I wanted to accessorize....for day to day clothing, I tend to stick with my fine jewelry....

At the same time, I seem to go towards etsy vendors who can make the same look with quality material... but this owner I am talking about sells cheaper material but I have to say...decently made and coild pass off as "real" just by looking at it.

Her job seems kind of fun though...teaching people how to payer...giving them advice on how to accessorize...informing them of the latest trends....At that moment, I totally wanted to be her and said to myself:" maybe I should try to do what she does?".. but then I go back to my real self and ask "could i convince people to buy costume jewelry? Pieces that would probably fall apart soon?".. I mean, her pieces sell for under 50$ wholesale...so... I would say not made of quality material....

 

[thecat]

Different customers have different needs and budgets. There's a niche for every budget I suppose. If she's thriving, she must be doing something right

 

[swingirl]

Fashion jewelry gives the wearer the opportunity to match jewelry to an outfit that they may only wear once, like a prom or wedding dress, or an outfit that needs a very stylized eye catching accessory. Those pieces of jewelry are meant to be worn for a short season and then be replaced. Most are cheaply made, fall apart and discolor with months. But that is the nature of fashion— in today, out tomorrow. So there will always be a need.

I don’t think it’s a matter of convincing people to buy costume jewelry OVER the real thing. Very few people can afford real bling much beyond the tradition staples: ering, wedding band, studs, pendant and a diamond bracelet. I think most women outside of PS buy a lot of costume jewelry.

 

[dk168]

I mix costume jewellery with fine ones on a regular basis, such as diamond cluster earrings and tennis bracelets, and I aspire to replace them with the real thing one day.

I bought and wore costume jewellery when I was younger, and have been replacing them with fine jewellery as I grew older and have better paid jobs. Only a few pieces remain, hopefully I shall have the means to replace them eventually.

And no, I could "sell" costume jewellery to anyone, as I would suggest for them to save up and buy a piece of the real thing instead.

DK

 

[Rhea]

No, I couldn't sell anything for a living. I'm not a good salesperson and hated my retail jobs in college.

I don't think of costume jewellery as a replacement for fine jewellery. I've been to a few wedding recently and happily worn huge rhinestone bracelets, large dangle earrings, and rhinestone hair accessories. I don't want to own a 20 carat diamond bracelet. I doesn't suit my lifestyle at all. But twice a year it looks so good with my dresses!

 

[missy]

I'm with Rhea. I couldn't sell any products for a living whether it be jewelry, clothing etc. I am not a good salesperson and would not enjoy working with the public that way. I also could not do something for a living that I am not passionate about and while I appreciate costume jewelry for what it is and it certainly has its place I don't love it and am not passionate about it so could not do anything involving it as a way to earn money.

 

[momhappy]

So when you say "could pass off as real" - do you mean pass off as decent quality jewelry or do you mean pass off as designer brands (like Tiffany, etc.)? Inspired styles are one thing, but selling fakes is another thing entirely and I'm not okay with that.
As far as selling for a living, I could sell things in a commercial/professional setting, but if it was selling to my friends (like those at-home parties that people host where they sell stuff), then no, absolutely not. I would have a serious issue with relying on my friends for my income and I'm not a fan of that concept. I really try to NOT attend those selling parties because I always feel obligated to buy things that I don't want and/or need.

 

[Sunstorm]

I am with Missy on this one, I could not sell anything that I do not believe in or am passionate about. I do have to say though that costume jewelry is crazy popular and it sells itself. I still would not enjoy it at all because it also requires absolutely no expertise and there is no challenge in working with costume jewelry. It would not be motivating or self fulfilling. No way.

I too bought costume jewelry when I was young, I have bags full of it hidden in the back of a closet now and will be gifting it away to some that wear them. There will always be a huge demand for costume jewelry, many people that love jewelry and want to own a collection but cannot afford the real thing collect it.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I have a problem with two things: bad quality and "brand inspired" (generally, a "nice" way of saying faux or copy). I have no problem at all with costume jewelry. Even Coco Chanel wore costume pieces.

Different people have different priorities and they are not wrong per se. If only real, tailored, high quality fabric clothing was sold, I would be in deep trouble (love some tailoring and good silk but my day to day clothing is a lot more basic). As long as people are aware of what they are buying, great!

 

[Arcadian]

higher end costume jewelry maybe, sure. In my profession, have to sell myself every day (get your minds out of the gutter ) so whats the difference between me or a product? well, not much...lol the problem is I have to know exactly what its made of, which means I'd have to do semi custom to custom.

 

[momhappy]

I have a problem with two things: bad quality and "brand inspired" (generally, a "nice" way of saying faux or copy). I have no problem at all with costume jewelry. Even Coco Chanel wore costume pieces.

Different people have different priorities and they are not wrong per se. If only real, tailored, high quality fabric clothing was sold, I would be in deep trouble (love some tailoring and good silk but my day to day clothing is a lot more basic). As long as people are aware of what they are buying, great!

Yes, this is sort of along the lines of what I was saying too. I'm not a fan of brand inspired jewelry, but I have no issue with costume jewelry. In fact, I have quite a collection of authentic Chanel costume jewelry and I wear it proudly (and usually get lots of compliments on it too) I also have a Hermes Clic Clac bangle, which I'm assuming would fall under the category of costume jewelry.