Since the beginning of Kristen Baird® Jewelry, my yearly workflow has fallen into a reliable pattern. The pace of orders and commissions starts to pick up in September and builds momentum through the fall. By the holidays, we’re slammed. Everything comes to a hard stop in January and eventually levels off to a moderate late winter and spring.
This year, however, has been… a little different. January came and went, and the pace never slowed down! In fact, we’ve gotten busier and busier, leading to the most action-packed spring we’ve ever had. I am so grateful! (Also tired, but that’s what the coffee’s for.)
Follow along for a week in my life as a jewelry designer during the (unexpected) spring rush!
Monday
I kick off the week with my regular Monday morning meeting with Emily and Jeana. I recap the amazing weekend I had at the Honey Horn Art Festival and plan for the week ahead. My biggest priority: the Grand Reopening of the Grand Bohemian Gallery in Asheville.
Immediately after our meeting, I get to work unpacking, organizing, and cleaning all the jewelry from the show. Most of it needs to be immediately repackaged and sent to Asheville. While I’m doing this, I make sure to take lots of photos and videos to send to Jeana, as well as a quick series of voice-over recordings, so she can publish several great Instagram reels.
Later, Emily helps me shoot off thank-you emails to everyone who bought a piece at the show. One new client wants to schedule a personal shopping experience for her friend group, so we make sure to touch base with her right away. Then, we reconcile my inventory and balance my books, making sure every piece is accounted for.
Once I’m sure everything is correct, I rush to the post office with my shipment for Asheville - 81 pieces total! I get the package out right on time and head home to make dinner for the boys.
Tuesday
It’s a studio day! I’ve been off the bench for a bit, so I have a backlog of ring resizings waiting for me. There are 8 pieces from Artful Home, Gallery 209, and the Grand Bohemian Greenville, plus a few online orders to finish up. Abby is in today, so I have her prepping castings for tomorrow’s builds. We also order all the parts, pieces, diamonds, and gemstones to get ready for two upcoming shows: The Hilton Head Art Festival and a Trunk Show at the Grand Bohemian Greenville.
Later, I have a meeting with Emily to plan social, blog, and newsletter content for next month. Over the next couple of days, she’ll write and prepare that content while I’m in the studio.
I finish off the day by meeting with a high school student who’s interested in jewelry design. We discuss various possible career paths, and I give some insight into the industry. It’s an honor to provide a little mentorship to the next generation.
Wednesday
Today is a HUGE day, divided into three parts.
First: Studio time. I finish up a commission piece that’s been on my bench for a very long time. I’m so proud of how it turned out. (You’ll be seeing this one on social media soon!) Then, it’s a diamond-setting frenzy! I set dozens of small diamonds in a slew of statement rings that I’ll be finishing up tomorrow. Meanwhile, Abby is using the laser welder to test a new Tidal Trio ring stack combo.
Second: Gallery 209 Rotation! Abby and I head down to Gallery 209 for our Spring case rotation. Every four months, we switch around cases and displays. This is a great opportunity for us to update and refresh the pieces in the gallery, so they are always seasonal and exciting. I also have Abby take some fun videos to pass along to Jeana. Never miss a moment for content!
Third: Playing Bookkeeper. When I get back in the evening, I meet with Emily on Zoom to reconcile inventory and last month’s gallery sales. I finish off the day by filing my sales taxes… not the most exciting part of the job, but so important!
Thursday
Today is some serious studio time. I set the central gemstones on my new statement ring designs: the Zinnia Petals, Moonlit Stream, and Sunshower. I also set the central stones on restocks of the popular Starry Night and Primrose rings.
Every time I complete a new ring, I take a photo in my lightbox and drop the photos into our team Drive. Emily and Jeana use the photos for the website, social media, and blog content. I also price out all the new rings and add them to my inventory software.
At the end of the day, I email the new images to the Grand Bohemian Greenville to be used in the promotional material for our upcoming trunk show.
Friday
Friday is all about communication. Emily and I kick off the day with a flurry of client emails. My commission calendar for June and July is almost all booked, so we follow up with anyone who may want one of those final spots. We also update anyone with an ongoing commission on the status of their project. Finally, we reach out to several gallery directors about any restocks they might need.
While I head to the studio to put some finishing touches on a few pieces, Emily adds all our new designs to the website while Jeana works on social media for the weekend. Abby stays busy tagging all the pieces we finished this week and laying out and prepping new work for Monday.
Finally, Emily puts up my email out-of-studio message, and I turn off the lights.
It’s time for some much-deserved family time!
