Jewellery and Gift Parties
My guy, Terry and I re-started doing jewellery and gift parties in the local Gloucestershire area this May. They are fun to do and the hostesses and guests enjoy them too. There are a wide range of products on display from the more expensive Swarovski Crystal pendants and semi precious gemstone jewellery to gemstone chip bracelets, mini collectable ornaments and hair accessories. Something for every guest’s purse if they want to buy. I’ve always hated these parties where you feel obliged to buy and there is nothing you really want and it’s all expensive. I don’t want anyone to go away from one of our parties feeling anything but pleased and happy with their purchases or because they’ve just had a good time with friends being able to browse the displays and chat to other guests and to us.
We offer the hostess 10% of the total party sales off her order and if the party sales are £150 or over then I make her a pair of customised sterling silver and semi precious gemstone earrings. We run a raffle for a pair of earrings for all guests and the hostess to enter free of charge and we have the ribbon pull basket for anyone who books another party to pull out a gift. We give out a party pack to our hostesses with invitations, a hints and tips sheet and a pack of wish lists. The wish lists we hand out to guests on the night and after they have browsed the display we ask them to fill them in with items they liked or what they would like to see on display. These are then folded and put into a basket for the raffle at the end of the evening.
The parties vary tremendously, with what sells and in the number of guests. A lot of hostesses worry that enough guests won’t turn up but one of the nicest most relaxed parties we held was one where only four guests came and three made purchases ranging from a hair slide to my newly made Yellow Jade Lily Petal earrings and pendant. I was thrilled that those sold, I’d worn the prototype earrings that evening and I love them. It was a real ego boost to know that someone else saw me wearing them and wanted a set for themselves.
The guests were able to browse the displays, then sit and chat amongst themselves and to us and then they went back to the displays and made their choices. After that we sat and chatted with the guests and the daughter of the hotess for a while and then packed up and left the hostess and her guests still chatting.
At the other end of the scale we had one party where the hostess was so worried that nobody would turn up she kept inviting more and more guests and the house was full to bursting. The guests and the hostess enjoyed it and I did too in a different way to the smaller party. At one point I didn’t come up for air while guests were queueing for me to write their orders and gift box their purchases. Terry fortunately was able to keep everyone happy and said to me afterwards that when I looked up he saw panic in my eyes, he was right I felt I was taking too long. It worked out OK though and we got another party booking and also spoke to a lady who was organising the local school’s summer fayre, which we booked a stall at.
Originally posted Webjam 1st November 2009
