How ForgeHillSculpture got started
Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?
I started my business, Forge Hill Sculpture, with a $13 bag of clay! I sculpted horses and other animals on pottery pieces and traveled up and down the east Coast to exhibit my wares at horse shows and art markets. In 1994, I began making miniature versions of my clay and bronze sculptures, which was the start of developing my jewelry line. Through 11 years of doing equestrian market trade shows, I was hired by large catalog companies to create exclusive horse related designs for their companies both in jewelry and home decor.
I work in three sculptural areas: original clay sculpture, bronze sculpture, and jewelry. I never know when or where the client commissions will come from, and sometimes all my time is concentrated on fine art and less on home decor and commercial design, and sometimes vice versa. The constant clientele has always come from the jewelry. Being a one-woman show, I dedicate my time wisely. Selling the jewelry on Etsy took a load off my back in regards to daily sales and marketing. Granted, it is still time-consuming because I am always creating new pieces and the listings are often updated. I am not a vendor who buys jewelry and resells it. All of the pieces in my Etsy store are my designs and come from my studio in Walland, TN. This makes my company unique in the equestrian market.
I create my jewelry the "old school" way. Each design is carved and modeled in wax, like a miniature sculpture. Then the wax is cast in silver or bronze. I also have gold pieces cast, but they are by order. The metals are finished with rotary tools, tumbling, polishing, and old-fashioned hand burnishing. In fact, I’m so "old school" that I'm still using tools I’ve had for 32 years!
I realize the increase in jewelers using 3-D scanning and printing has enabled just about anyone to create beautiful jewelry pieces. Still, there’s something nice about the "organic" quality of a truly hand-made piece. I sign each of my jewelry pieces while they're in the wax stage. Therefore, each pendant has its own unique signature.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
My favorite items in my shop are the sculpture pieces. Understanding that not many customers are ready to pay $100,000 for a life-size bronze sculpture, I’d say the most popular items in my shop are the mid-priced sterling silver pendants. I also have an inexpensive pewter accessory line. I use pewter for the hair barrettes and keychains because it’s a very affordable way for people to still get a realistically sculpted design. Below is a link to my all-time best-selling piece, the Four Horses Barrette. I have been selling this barrette every week since 1998!
Getting sales on Etsy
How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?
I honestly don’t remember when I got the first sale. I had tried Etsy a few years prior to 2012, and I did not have much luck selling anything. So I closed the shop and focused on the home decor company I was designing for. After I re-established my Etsy presence in 2012, I was surprised at the frequent sales. However, when I would do a "search" for my store on the Internet, or Etsy, not many of my items showed up. This has always been an issue, up until recently. I have heard over and over from new customers that they just "discovered me" I am aware of the uniqueness of my work, and it’s safe to say that the main cause of slower sales is simply being out of sight. To be honest, the entire Internet Search Engine result set is a complete mystery to me. I have even tried to hire people to boost my visibility online, with no proven success. Still, out of the blue, I get commissions for sculpture and jewelry pieces from people claiming they found me on Etsy’. I currently attract people to my Etsy shop through other social media avenues and, of course, the Etsy ads through Search Engines.
Managing ForgeHillSculpture
How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?
I’m a one-woman show. For 32 years, it’s just been me. I do all shipping and fulfillment for four e-commerce sites and social media sales.
The future of ForgeHillSculpture
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
This year, there will be more sculptural pieces offered on Etsy.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Find a niche and cater to it. Obviously, my niche is the Equestrian Market. Although I work in several different media and areas of design, my foremost clientele are horse enthusiasts. I am capable of sculpting almost any animal, and I have jewelry designs ranging from African animals to Sea life. But I do the variety for fun and for great examples of my sculpting diversity, not as a constant source of business.
Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.
Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: Etsy is the only entity I sell on, and the monthly sales fluctuate drastically.
ForgeHillSculpture
Horse and Animal Jewelry, Horse Sculpture
