Saloukee

I sent emails out a while back to jewellery suppliers and designers, asking for feedback on my pieces from a professional perspective. This is important as these people are established and have made it in the industry so know what sells and what doesn't. I need to constantly be developing and moving myself forward to not only meet the needs of my consumer but also keep up with competition.

I have heard back from Sally from Saloukee - http://www.saloukee.com/ who makes amazing, intricate paper jewellery and has won many awards for her work - 'Excellence in Jewellery' 2009 by the British Jewellers Association, 'Shell Livewires 'Grand Ideas' Award'.

Here is what she had to say:

Hi Katie,

Good to hear from you!

Your work looks fantatic and very accomplished for a second year project :)


Some feedback:

-Great use of colour- good combinations and sensitivity...something I always find difficult :)

- I think perhaps you could consider changing the scale of the pieces? More diverse sizes might create a more dramatic collection?

-Great photography- gives an idea of your target market/puts your jewellery in a fashion context (which I'm sure you'll know is important for a designer) personally I think it's important to also get some shots of the product on it's own- you may have already done this?

-Have you used origami papers for these pieces? Obviously I realise this allows them to be folded and bought easily etc and I'm sure you have trialled other papers but the problem with this sort of paper is that it limits your creativity. Perhaps it could be worth experimenting using softer papers too or ones that you have made yourself? Perhaps this would give the work more fluidity? I just think this may allow your shapes to be gentler on the skin and sit more naturally with the curves of the body?- But this is only a suggestion and may be worth considering should you use paper in a project again.

- Great composition and form, I love the tesselating pattern and I feel the two chosen shapes are really complementary of each other, adding good dimensions to the pieces.

I also think it's fantastic that you have taken the initiative to get in touch. I hope my feedback have been useful and I wish you the very best for the future.



Kindest,



Sarah Kelly



Saloukee.com


Different papers are something I didn't really consider in depth as I was just looking for specific colours in a lightweight paper (if they are too thick by the time it has been folded they are too stiff and less accurate). Since I made the jewellery I bought some new paper with different transparency, thickness and texture as I am looking at devloping a range of eco-friendly wedding flowers over the summer. I love Sarah's idea of making my own paper as it gives a more personal touch and I can tailor this to the customers needs - perhaps even making paper with them so they can play a part in creating the flowers for their special day...

Changing the scale of the pieces is also something i would like to develop - i was limited by the size of the paper before. Something to consider is that the paper will need to get thicker as the shapes get bigger or they will be too floppy and not stand up - or i could find a way to treat the paper to make it stiffer?

Sarah's comments have also encouraged me to pursue the idea of a look book using the close-up shots i took and individual ones of each piece on the stand - if i do not have time to do this before i hand in this project it is something else i will develop outside of uni time. This will allow me to post to possible suppliers, and it's always nice to have something physically to look at rather than pictures online!