Gemscapes Blog

It’s here! Our first scheduled, serious foray into the world of marketing our products begins next week! We have our sample products and their beautiful tags explaining where the imagery comes from. We have our brochure showing the larger pieces that I don’t want to carry on an airplane (the smaller products are pictured there too, of course). We have our product description flyer with pricing (along with suggested retail prices). We have a list of contacts that are willing and wanting to see us – we are SO EXCITED! What in the world are we talking about? What products? Isn’t Sherris a gem carver? Yes. Sherris is a world renown gem carver BUT she’s always wanted to have blown-up images of the intricately carved gems that would help to show the close-up world that she sees when she’s wearing her loupes to carve. Over the course of the last year, I (Amy) have been taking close up photos of the gems and we decided to group several of them together in what we call “The Chakra Series.” This grouping consists of 7 different images that are named for the Chakras and are representational of the colors associated with each Chakra. There is also an image inspired by the idea of Nirvana, as well as horizontal and vertical rainbows created by taking slices of the other images and placing them together.

Chakra Series Designs

Some of you may have seen the boxed notecards that we had made with some of these images. The response to those was so great I started to research what sort of products we could put these same images on in hopes of creating a new income stream for Gemscapes. After much investigation, research, and luck, we happened upon a company that produces “blanks” – all sorts of different products that printers can put images onto. We were lucky enough learn that this company will also print onto their blanks for us. This means avoiding a “middle man,” which in turn enables us to offer lower costs to our retail partners. We will be embarking on marketing trips to various cities around the country to find great retailers to carry our line of products. This new Gemscapes line of printed products include: suncatchers, cutting boards, café tables, coaster sets, tiles, tile-inlaid boxes, mirror compacts, chromaluxe photo panels, shoulder bags, laptop/messenger bags, wallets, and crystal jewelry. (of course there are also the boxed notecards!) I’ve done my best to show-off the images to their fullest when designing the templates for each product. We think that these products offer spectacular ways to show off the beauty of Sherris’ carved gems and we hope you do too!

All of our products can be ordered in any of the nine designs we have. The shoulder bags/laptop bag/wallets all have front flaps that are connected with Velcro so that they are interchangeable (for that particular bag). This means you could have 9 different looks with the same bag or wallet! The laptop/messenger bag has a padded sleeve inside to fit up to a 15″ laptop, along with lots of small pockets for your cell phone, iPod, etc. The shoulder bags have a lovely black satin body, adjustable shoulder strap, inside pocket, and a zipper closure. The leather-like wallet features six credit card slots and a zippered change pocket.

The café tables feature a tempered glass top with a non-stick, brush-stroke texture. Each table is 22.5” tall with a wrought iron base and non-slip rubber bumpers on the feet. The multi-facetedcrystal jewelry is an affordable way to get the “Sherris look”and are available in four popular shapes and sizes. They can be used as necklaces, chokers, earrings, or even small suncatchers! Each comes with a silver-tone bail for attaching to chains, ropes, wires, or chokers. The coasters are a quality hardboard with cork backing. They come in sets of four with a solid oak coaster holder. The chromaluxe photo panels are a stunning way to hang our art without needing a frame – they have a high gloss finish on the front, black edges as a finishing detail, and are pre-drilled on the back so that they are ready-to-hang. Available in two sizes: 11″x14″ or 16″x20″ These silver toned mirror compacts are available in either square or round shapes. The image appears on the front, with a patterned texture on back. Inside are two mirrors of exceptional quality. The boxes come in two versions: a small mahogany box and a larger, piano-finished box. Both have ceramic tiles inlaid in the top,  are lined in velvet, and have hidden-hinges. All of the designs are available on ceramic tiles in a choice of glossy, satin, or matte finish. (either 2″x2″ or 4.25″x4.25″) The cutting board is made of tempered glass with a non-stick, brush-stroke texture and is a convenient 8″ x 11″ (aprox.) in size(includes bumpons). The suncatcher is frosted glass and is quite large, at 9″ wide by almost 7″ high, with a pre-drilled hole for hanging. Not to forget our boxed notecards, of course.  Housed in a sturdy box with a clear top, they come in sets of 8 cards with envelopes. The cards are blank inside and have a shiny UV coating on the front. They are available in the set of 8 Chakra cards or also in a Rainbow set (4 each of vertical and horizontal rainbow). (sorry – no photos of the rainbow cards at this time) We are SO excited to have these gorgeous products in our hands as samples, and even more excited that soon others will be able to purchase them as fine gifts. This week, the trip to Eugene, Oregon and to the Oregon coast will find me hitting some bookstores, some gift shops and some art galleries to seek out our new partners in this, our really exciting first venture into the world of retail gifts! Keep an eye out for us in 2010 when we’ll be coming to a town near you, or maybe even YOUR town!