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A podcast not only for Jewelry Makers, but all Creative Movers and Shakers, connecting entrepreneurs and aspiring creatives in with the resources, knowledge, and mindset support they need to achieve goals they once thought impossible.
72 Episodes
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Send us Fan Mail Courtney Gray, metalsmith educator and host of The Jeweler’s View, shifts into practical jewelry industry guidance, starting with gemstone sourcing and buying stones online. Using a real engagement-ring story about a misrepresented “natural” tanzanite that turned out to be synthetic, she explains that lab-grown gemstones aren’t inherently bad; the real risk is lack of transparency. She covers essential stone-buying safeguards for jewelers and clients: always confirm return po...
Send a text Courtney Gray introduces The Jeweler’s View and shares a past conversation with a student who had six months to make her jewelry business work before returning to a full-time job. Courtney explains that whether six months is enough depends on starting skill level, available hours and focus, pricing and required sales volume, existing audience, comfort with selling and follow-up, consistency of visibility, and most critically, defining what “working” means as a specific incom...
Send us Fan Mail Courtney Gray shares the second major crossroads in her business: during COVID, she had to choose between storing and waiting out the shutdown of Creative Side Jewelry Academy or selling it, and she sold after recognizing her real capacity, health, and energy could not sustain that version of the business while building what was next. The transition was messy and painful, involving community abandonment, slander, and a prolonged period of depression, illness, and multip...
Send us Fan Mail Courtney Gray explains that stalled momentum doesn’t mean a maker isn’t talented or worthy, it usually reflects the sustained effort required to build something from scratch and the work needed to restart after interruption. She recounts starting her jewelry business at 24, then dismantling it to complete a welding technology internship in Germany, and returning home to a year-long struggle to regain traction, which triggered self-doubt. The turning point was a cl...
Send us Fan Mail Finding Clear Direction in a Changing Jewelry Market Courtney Gray, a metalsmith educator and creative business strategist, introduces The Jeweler’s View and shares guidance for jewelers navigating rising metal prices and broader market shifts. She explains that what many jewelers feel isn’t only financial pressure but “directional pressure,” raising questions about pricing, scaling, narrowing collections, pivoting, and defining success. Gray argues that market changes...
Send us Fan Mail Rising Metal Costs: What They’re Revealing (and How to Stay Grounded) Courtney Gray reframes rising metal prices as information, not a reason to panic and shares how cost pressure exposes weak spots in pricing, design choices, and thin margins. She explains why gold and silver behave differently (including silver’s industrial demand), and how constraints can sharpen creativity through more intentional design, smarter metal use, and stronger pricing logic. Courtney shares an ...
Send us Fan Mail Harnessing Constraints to Enhance Your Jewelry Business In this episode of The Jeweler's View, host Courtney Gray, a seasoned metalsmith and business strategist, delves into how rising material costs can actually drive clarity and improvement in the jewelry business. Courtney emphasizes the value of working within limitations to refine design and pricing, shedding light on building a resilient business structure. She advocates for intentionality in material usage, confident ...
Send us Fan Mail Mastering Your Jewelry Business: Pricing, Marketing, and Financial Strategies In this episode of The Jeweler's View, host Courtney Gray draws from her extensive 25-year experience in the jewelry industry to share invaluable insights on transitioning from a hobbyist to a creative business owner. Joined by guest Erin, the discussion covers strategies for pricing handmade jewelry, understanding financials, leveraging tiered products, and effectively marketing to different custo...
Send us Fan Mail #64: How to Find Your Real Number: Financial Clarity for Creatives In this episode of The Jeweler's View, host Courtney Gray speaks with Erin, founder of Hexagon Strategy Group, about the importance of financial planning for creatives. They discuss how to understand and manage personal and business expenses, emphasizing the value of creating a sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle. Erin shares resources including 'The Psychology of Money' by Morgan Housel, 'I Will Teach You t...
Send us Fan Mail Navigating Creative Crossroads with Courtney Gray In this unique podcast episode, jewelry educator and tool expert Melissa Muir steps into the interviewer role to explore key questions about focus, direction, and aligning one's work with their life stages. Muir opens up about her journey, struggles with time management, and lack of clear direction in her business. Courtney Gray discusses how her program can help creatives like Muir zoom out, identify their priorities, ...
Send us Fan Mail Making Informed Decisions During Rising Costs: A Jeweler's Guide In this episode of The Jeweler's View, Courtney Gray shares insights from her 25 years in the jewelry industry to help creators navigate rising costs effectively. She emphasizes the importance of focusing on what is currently working in your business, identifying top sellers, and understanding replacement costs. The episode discourages adding more to your workload and advises making informed, refined deci...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Jeweler's View, host Courtney Gray, a seasoned metalsmith educator and business strategist, addresses the current challenge of rising metal prices. Courtney shares her personal experience and offers strategies for managing uncertainty and maintaining a sustainable jewelry business. She introduces the 'STILL' framework—Stop, Take a breath, Investigate, Listen, and Learn—as a method to make thoughtful, rather than panic-driven, decisions. Courtney also pr...
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 60 of 'The Jeweler's View,' Courtney Gray delves into the universal experience of rejection within the creative industry. Drawing from her own journey, she emphasizes that rejection is often a form of protection and redirection, rather than a personal failure. Gray offers practical steps to emotionally and strategically manage rejection, encouraging artists to reframe setbacks as opportunities for growth. She stresses that rejection teaches valuable lessons in resi...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of 'The Jeweler's View,' Courtney Gray, a seasoned metalsmith and creative business strategist, addresses the common fear jewelers face when approaching galleries and retailers. Sharing a personal anecdote about her own fears, she encourages jewelers to view gallery outreach as mutually beneficial. Gray offers a simple, effective email script for submitting work to galleries and advises on follow-up communication. She stresses the importance of professional pr...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of 'The Jeweler's View,' Courtney Gray, a seasoned metalsmith and creative business strategist, shares insights on how to create a cohesive jewelry collection without becoming overwhelmed. With over 25 years of experience in the jewelry industry, Courtney emphasizes the importance of focus in designing a collection that reflects a unified style. She introduces a 'three to five piece cohesive collection framework' and outlines actionable steps, including select...
Send us Fan Mail "How to Sell Jewelry Without Doing Shows (5 Proven Methods)" IA huge thank you to Gesswein, today’s episode sponsor. If you’re a jeweler who geeks out on precision tools the way some people geek out on vintage vinyl, Gesswein is your candy shop. They’ve been equipping makers for over a century, and their tools are the quiet partners behind so many beautifully crafted pieces. Check them out at gesswein.com and start upgrading the way you work, one brilliant tool at a time. n t...
Send us Fan Mail Courtney Gray, a seasoned metalsmith and creative business strategist, introduces 'The Jeweler's View' podcast. With 25 years of experience in the jewelry industry, Courtney aims to share hard-earned lessons to help artists build a sustainable creative rhythm. The episode addresses common obstacles artists face, like the hesitation to send newsletters due to self-doubt or heavy world events. Courtney emphasizes that newsletters are tools for connection, not marketing, and off...
Send us Fan Mail Courtney Gray, a metalsmith educator and creative business strategist, shares insights on the importance of connection in building a successful jewelry business. She emphasizes that genuine relationships and consistent, personal interactions with collectors, peers, and mentors are more valuable than viral moments or optimized posts. The episode encourages jewelers to reach out and reconnect as a way to cultivate a supportive and thriving creative network. Support the sh...
Send us Fan Mail In episode 54 of 'The Jeweler's View,' Courtney Gray, a seasoned metalsmith and business strategist, shares insights on maintaining balance amidst the chaos of a busy creative life. Gray narrates a story about her friend, Rita Marie Ross, and how they navigate hectic times through grounding rituals. She introduces three simple grounding techniques: a 'bench reset,' a five-sense check-in, and an evening sweep, emphasizing the importance of presence and awareness in daily creat...
Send us Fan Mail Celebrating One Year of The Jeweler's View: Reflection and Planning for the Future In this milestone episode of The Jeweler's View, host Courtney Gray celebrates one full year and 53 episodes of the podcast. She reflects on the lessons learned, the importance of consistency, and the growth of the community. Key topics include the value of looking back to shape future directions, the three key lanes for planning next year (creative, connection, growth), and the impact of ritu...
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