Choosing a Name For Your Jewelry-Making Business

June 2, 2010 by  
Filed under Articles

By Susan Purcell Platinum Quality Author

The jewelry-making business is a large and competitive one, and it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. An attractive and creative name will help you differentiate yourself from your competitors and catch the attention of potential customers. If you call your business The Jewelry Box, All That Glitters or anything containing the word Midas, your work will be perceived as bland and unoriginal, just like the name.

[Hidepost=1]

Sources of ideas

To find a good name for your business you need to set aside several hours. Start by looking at a thesaurus and make a list of words that are related to jewelry, precious stones, metal or other materials that you use, as well as occasions when jewelry is worn or given as a present. A traditional Roget-type thesaurus with words grouped by themes rather than by alphabetical order is better for this exercise as there are more cross-references to follow up.

Look at the names of other jewelry-making businesses on the internet, in magazines and in phone directories — not to copy, but to identify words and phrases that you like, and words that are over-used (you will want to avoid these as they will make you look unoriginal and lacking in creativity). Read magazines and websites for products and services that are not directly to do with jewelry, but that have some link eg weddings, fashion, beauty. Again, jot down words that you like. By now you should have well over a hundred words.

Other reference books contain words that, although not specifically jewelry-related, might appeal. Try books on these subjects:

* Flowers, particularly local and dialect names

* Mythology

* Magic

* Textiles

* Dictionary of girls’ names

* Religious books eg the Bible, Book of Kells

Points to bear in mind

When you have a long list of possibilities, go through the list, eliminating any unsuitable words. There’s no point in having Diamonds in your name, if you don’t sell diamond jewelry, or calling yourself Celtic Dreams, if your work is not inspired by Celtic mythology or tradition. Eliminate any words which do not evoke an appropriate image; Baubles and Trinkets say “cheap and tawdry”, for instance. The words Sparkly and Sparklers, or any name containing the word Bling will suggest to customers that you make jewelry for balls or parties, not understated pieces for the office.

Identify words that you could use in your name. Try combining two words, perhaps joined by “and”, to produce a unique name that sounds melodic and rhythmic.

Do you want to include your own name in your business name? Say it together with the words you have picked out to see how it sounds. Remember that your name doesn’t tell customers anything about the jewelry. Moreover, studies have shown that people make judgments about others based on their name, so think what your name says about you. Does it give away your age? Your socio-economic background? Your ethnic origin? Could some people be turned off because they do not feel you are relevant to their tastes?

Certain letters are considered feminine and, since jewelry is considered a feminine product, you might like to find a word which contains them. These tend to be the curvy letters of the alphabet – S, C, B, for instance. These letters, as well as lower-case letters with curvy tails, such as y or g, lend themselves to ornate fonts which will look good when written on your gift boxes and packaging. Choose an ornate or curvy font if your name contains mostly Ls, Ms and Ns, as this will give a more feminine impression. Don’t use initials or abbreviations, such as Gems 4 U or Gr8 Ideas, unless you are appealing to the youth market or people whose main method of communication is via SMS. Initials and abbreviations suggest speed and brusqueness, not tenderness and romance, so think of your target market.

Don’t rush the job of finding a name. When you’ve whittled down your list, ask friends, family and customers for feedback. Your name will be with you for the long haul, so it makes sense to invest time in thinking up a good one.

For more ideas on choosing a winning name for your jewelry-making business, start reading Susan Purcell’s Choosing a Winning Name for Your Business now by clicking here http://www.winningnames.co.uk/businessname.php For up-to-date ideas and news, go to the Winning Names blog http://www.winningnames.wordpress.com

Article Source: here

[/Hidepost]

+

Comments are closed.