Our neighbor Mike stopped by today and I got some shots of him wearing a basic rectangular steel pendant. One of my pro photographer friends is going to shoot some stuff of him soon so keep your eyes peeled for that!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Mike Stops By
Our neighbor Mike stopped by today and I got some shots of him wearing a basic rectangular steel pendant. One of my pro photographer friends is going to shoot some stuff of him soon so keep your eyes peeled for that!
News on 6 Web Exclusive Feature
Spexton was featured on Channel 6 News' new dotcom.
Click Here to Read the Full Story and Watch the Video Clip
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Kayla and I went out on the roof for a while yesterday as it has warmed up a bit here. She modeled some of the upcoming pendants of the month and they look AWESOME when worn all together like this! A lot of people ask if we do stuff specifically for girls, and this is a great casual look for women. We'll be adding these pendants to the site soon.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Steel, Copper, and Diamond Ring
Here's a new ring that turned out very cool. It is stainless steel with 3 copper dot inlays set with 3 point diamonds. It is the same as this ring, but with diamonds added. I had a hard time getting a good photo of it, but it is absolutely stunning in person! These go for $490, and you can substitute the copper inlay for silver, as well as change the width and finish if you'd like. It will be added to the website shortly, or call 877-981-6060 to pre-order.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Spexton on Oklatravelnet.com
Greg and I were interviewed by Oklatravelnet.com, an online news show highlighting cool things here in Tulsa. In the video you can see me blab about us, but also see the manual lathe as Greg cuts a ring, and me at my polishing station!
New Stainless Steel Necklaces
Here's one of our new pendant designs that I wanted to show off. This one was hard to photograph, but I think it is awesome. It is a 3 inch long by 1/4 inch wide piece that was dropped out of a custom cuff for a client in LA. We added a 5 point diamond in the bottom to keep it interesting. There are only TWO of these, one without the diamond for $150, and the one with the diamond for $250. If you want one email sales@spexton.com, or call Nate at 877-981-6060.
Here's a pic of it on me so you can see the scale of it. Just a really cool piece, it would look great on a girl or a guy looking for something more forward.
Here's a pic of it on me so you can see the scale of it. Just a really cool piece, it would look great on a girl or a guy looking for something more forward.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Customer Review
Dear Nate,
Just a little message to say that my order arrived today and I love it! The note was a fantastic personal touch that I never would have expected. It made the necklace feel much more personal and I can't wait to give it to my boyfriend. I really feel that he'll appreciate that little bit of extra effort that went into the packaging and presentation.
I have to admit, I had my doubts about whether or not the magnet clasp would work well (he's a fidgeter, I can just see him accidentally pulling the necklace off and losing it somewhere) but it's great. It's definitely strong enough to withstand even the worst fidgeting!
Thanks again,
Mel
United Kingdom
Sunday, January 13, 2008
How Do Come Up With Your Prices?
"Spexton customers, by default, are very much indeed Trend Leaders."
This is a great question, and one that comes up now and then so I'd like to take some time to talk about it. The short answer is that you're paying for our existence by buying our jewelry. For the past 4 years, every dime that has come into our account is from selling our jewelry professionally so I'd like to break it down a bit for you by comparing what we do to a few steel jewelry types and some major jewelry designers.
It is important to understand that Spexton, unlike virtually ALL other stainless steel and titanium jewelry, is made with manual tools, not computerized ones. That is why we call it "handcrafted" or "manually fabricated." This means that everything you buy from us is an original with no two being exactly alike. We are basically carving our jewelry on a manual lathe, and then hand sanding and polishing it. We as artists have spent a lot of time on your jewelry.
When you see a stainless steel ring in a store for $10-$20, that ring was mass produced on a computerized lathe in China or India with little to no contact with human hands. There are a few steel jewelry houses here in the US and Canada that hand polish, but they too use computer controlled lathes to do all of the work. These items often have much sharper edges than Spexton, and overall, have a contrived or "cheesy" appearance. They are purchased by wholesale buyers for around a buck a piece, and then marked up to that $10 range--a pretty good profit for a retailer in a low-end gift shop, body jewelry store, etc.
Designer steel companies from Germany like Xen and Teno use the same types of mass computer controlled production, but upgrade the items by adding gold, diamonds, etc. Although I don't know for sure, I'd pretty much bet my life they're using the same Chinese or Indian manufacturers. The difference is in the advertising they buy to promote their brands, and thus the higher cost. The last time I checked, a full page ad in Dwell magazine, for example, was $30,000 for a one-time insertion. Teno consistently runs full page ads in magazines like GQ, Architectural Digest, among others. This obviously factors into the price you pay as the end buyer. Furthermore, Teno is distributed in the US by a parent company who buys it at a distributor rate, who then marks it up and sells it to wholesale buyers, who then mark it up and sell it out of their retail stores to end users like yourself.
David Yurman Jewelry is another great example. When they first began they touted themselves as a completely made-in-America brand. Now they have started outsourcing to factories in China. This is because they have to keep their production costs as low as possible so they can spend scores of millions on advertising. A simple $350 David Yurman sterling silver chain has MAYBE $10 or $15 worth of silver, but you pay for the Name, and the Name exists because of advertising, which leads me to one of the most important points: Intrinsic Value.
Ask yourself, why would somebody spend $350 on a chain they could get for $30? Why would someone spend $2000 on a handbag? Or $500 on a pair of Jeans? The answer is simple: Status. And what is Status about? FITTING IN. Today a customer came on the chat and was confused by some pricing on our website. He thought a necklace was $150, when it was in fact $250. When he realized the correct price he told me it was "too expensive for me, I'm going to get a David Yurman instead." David Yurman offers no products less than $250, so what he really meant by saying it was too expensive was this: "I'd rather spend the same amount and get the made-in-China-by-the-thousands-name-brand. That way, when I go out people will notice I have on the brand that is popular, which is much more important to me than having a one-of-a-kind-made-by-hand-in-America-purchased-directly-from-the-artist item." That is because this potential customer is a trend follower, and not a Trend Leader. I'm by no means knocking him, there are way way way more followers than leaders. I just want to give you an example of how pricing plays into the emotional value of our jewelry and how we factor that in when we decide on a final price.
Trend Leaders stay ahead of the game simply by doing things differently. Had that customer purchased Spexton, I would once again bet my life that when he went out wearing it he'd have gotten a LOT more attention from our jewelry than any other brand because nobody else would have it but him. In other words, you pay us to make you stand out from the crowd. Spexton customers, by default, are very much indeed Trend Leaders.
So, what do you pay for when you buy Spexton? You pay for the rent on our retail store, rent on our jewelry studio, utilities for both, insurance, accounting services, web hosting, internet connection, mass email marketing, online chat, raw steel, raw titanium, raw leather, magnets, sand paper, buffing wheels, lathes, mills, just bought a new air compressor today, jewelry displays, 800 number, phone lines, merchant account fees, office supplies, part-off tools, end mills, drill bits, coolant, abrasives, gold, silver, copper, diamonds, photography equipment, computer equipment, travel expenses, Print Advertising, Internet Advertising, shipping costs since we don't charge you on the website, mileage on our work truck, and on and on and on. ON TOP OF THAT you've got the amount we've got left over to feed, clothe, and insure myself, my partner, and his daughter and I'm sure I'm still leaving a ton of stuff out but you hopefully get the point.
In conclusion, the cost of Spexton is the cost that supports the modest lifestyle of a talented, hardworking couple who've turned the dream of self-employment into a reality by creating the finest, most unique steel jewelry product on the planet.
This is a great question, and one that comes up now and then so I'd like to take some time to talk about it. The short answer is that you're paying for our existence by buying our jewelry. For the past 4 years, every dime that has come into our account is from selling our jewelry professionally so I'd like to break it down a bit for you by comparing what we do to a few steel jewelry types and some major jewelry designers.
It is important to understand that Spexton, unlike virtually ALL other stainless steel and titanium jewelry, is made with manual tools, not computerized ones. That is why we call it "handcrafted" or "manually fabricated." This means that everything you buy from us is an original with no two being exactly alike. We are basically carving our jewelry on a manual lathe, and then hand sanding and polishing it. We as artists have spent a lot of time on your jewelry.
When you see a stainless steel ring in a store for $10-$20, that ring was mass produced on a computerized lathe in China or India with little to no contact with human hands. There are a few steel jewelry houses here in the US and Canada that hand polish, but they too use computer controlled lathes to do all of the work. These items often have much sharper edges than Spexton, and overall, have a contrived or "cheesy" appearance. They are purchased by wholesale buyers for around a buck a piece, and then marked up to that $10 range--a pretty good profit for a retailer in a low-end gift shop, body jewelry store, etc.
Designer steel companies from Germany like Xen and Teno use the same types of mass computer controlled production, but upgrade the items by adding gold, diamonds, etc. Although I don't know for sure, I'd pretty much bet my life they're using the same Chinese or Indian manufacturers. The difference is in the advertising they buy to promote their brands, and thus the higher cost. The last time I checked, a full page ad in Dwell magazine, for example, was $30,000 for a one-time insertion. Teno consistently runs full page ads in magazines like GQ, Architectural Digest, among others. This obviously factors into the price you pay as the end buyer. Furthermore, Teno is distributed in the US by a parent company who buys it at a distributor rate, who then marks it up and sells it to wholesale buyers, who then mark it up and sell it out of their retail stores to end users like yourself.
David Yurman Jewelry is another great example. When they first began they touted themselves as a completely made-in-America brand. Now they have started outsourcing to factories in China. This is because they have to keep their production costs as low as possible so they can spend scores of millions on advertising. A simple $350 David Yurman sterling silver chain has MAYBE $10 or $15 worth of silver, but you pay for the Name, and the Name exists because of advertising, which leads me to one of the most important points: Intrinsic Value.
Ask yourself, why would somebody spend $350 on a chain they could get for $30? Why would someone spend $2000 on a handbag? Or $500 on a pair of Jeans? The answer is simple: Status. And what is Status about? FITTING IN. Today a customer came on the chat and was confused by some pricing on our website. He thought a necklace was $150, when it was in fact $250. When he realized the correct price he told me it was "too expensive for me, I'm going to get a David Yurman instead." David Yurman offers no products less than $250, so what he really meant by saying it was too expensive was this: "I'd rather spend the same amount and get the made-in-China-by-the-thousands-name-brand. That way, when I go out people will notice I have on the brand that is popular, which is much more important to me than having a one-of-a-kind-made-by-hand-in-America-purchased-directly-from-the-artist item." That is because this potential customer is a trend follower, and not a Trend Leader. I'm by no means knocking him, there are way way way more followers than leaders. I just want to give you an example of how pricing plays into the emotional value of our jewelry and how we factor that in when we decide on a final price.
Trend Leaders stay ahead of the game simply by doing things differently. Had that customer purchased Spexton, I would once again bet my life that when he went out wearing it he'd have gotten a LOT more attention from our jewelry than any other brand because nobody else would have it but him. In other words, you pay us to make you stand out from the crowd. Spexton customers, by default, are very much indeed Trend Leaders.
So, what do you pay for when you buy Spexton? You pay for the rent on our retail store, rent on our jewelry studio, utilities for both, insurance, accounting services, web hosting, internet connection, mass email marketing, online chat, raw steel, raw titanium, raw leather, magnets, sand paper, buffing wheels, lathes, mills, just bought a new air compressor today, jewelry displays, 800 number, phone lines, merchant account fees, office supplies, part-off tools, end mills, drill bits, coolant, abrasives, gold, silver, copper, diamonds, photography equipment, computer equipment, travel expenses, Print Advertising, Internet Advertising, shipping costs since we don't charge you on the website, mileage on our work truck, and on and on and on. ON TOP OF THAT you've got the amount we've got left over to feed, clothe, and insure myself, my partner, and his daughter and I'm sure I'm still leaving a ton of stuff out but you hopefully get the point.
In conclusion, the cost of Spexton is the cost that supports the modest lifestyle of a talented, hardworking couple who've turned the dream of self-employment into a reality by creating the finest, most unique steel jewelry product on the planet.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Spexton Necklaces Explained
I was chatting online with a customer from Germany today who asked me to put up some pics of the different types of necklaces we sell with our pendants. I'd mentioned earlier I wanted to show everybody the magnet claps so I thought this would be a great time to do it!
All of our pendants include a stainless steel ball chain that is 24" long. These are the exact same chains the military uses to hang dog-tags on. You can use clippers (or even an old pair of scissors you don't care too much about) to cut these chains to whatever length you need.
We also carry stainless steel link style chains. The links are about 2mm wide, and they include a lobster claw clasp on the end. These are great if you're wanting a bit more of a dressy look and you never have to worry about taking them off. They're not as easy, however, to put on as our magnet clasps on leather. Also, if you want to remove your pendant, you have to bend open and take off the ring that the claw is hooking into in order to slide it off. It is harder than it looks, and requires 2 pairs of pliers to bend the very strong steel ring. This chain is a great choice if you don't want to swap out your pendant and you don't want the leather one instead!
And finally, the reasons why our magnet clasps are just so very very cool. In November of 2006 we set out to make the strongest, smartest, best looking stainless magnet clasp in the world and we've done just that! The clasps use a neodymium magnet for a freakishly strong hold so you won't lose your necklace. The really cool thing is that they simply screw on and off of the leather. The inside of the open end is threaded, and when you screw the clasp onto the leather, the threads start to cut into it giving you a 100% reliable hold without glue. The best part is that you can cut the leather to make it shorter if you need to, or simply call us and get new leather all together and screw your clasps back on! WARNING: The neodymium magnets are so strong, that those who are fitted with a pacemaker or similar medical device should never handle them as they may interfere with these devices. Also, although we use the finest Grecian leather, it should not be worn in water as that will sharply cut down the lifespan.
All of our pendants include a stainless steel ball chain that is 24" long. These are the exact same chains the military uses to hang dog-tags on. You can use clippers (or even an old pair of scissors you don't care too much about) to cut these chains to whatever length you need.
We also carry stainless steel link style chains. The links are about 2mm wide, and they include a lobster claw clasp on the end. These are great if you're wanting a bit more of a dressy look and you never have to worry about taking them off. They're not as easy, however, to put on as our magnet clasps on leather. Also, if you want to remove your pendant, you have to bend open and take off the ring that the claw is hooking into in order to slide it off. It is harder than it looks, and requires 2 pairs of pliers to bend the very strong steel ring. This chain is a great choice if you don't want to swap out your pendant and you don't want the leather one instead!
And finally, the reasons why our magnet clasps are just so very very cool. In November of 2006 we set out to make the strongest, smartest, best looking stainless magnet clasp in the world and we've done just that! The clasps use a neodymium magnet for a freakishly strong hold so you won't lose your necklace. The really cool thing is that they simply screw on and off of the leather. The inside of the open end is threaded, and when you screw the clasp onto the leather, the threads start to cut into it giving you a 100% reliable hold without glue. The best part is that you can cut the leather to make it shorter if you need to, or simply call us and get new leather all together and screw your clasps back on! WARNING: The neodymium magnets are so strong, that those who are fitted with a pacemaker or similar medical device should never handle them as they may interfere with these devices. Also, although we use the finest Grecian leather, it should not be worn in water as that will sharply cut down the lifespan.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Copper Diamond & Steel Medallion
Here's a fresh pendant idea. We've been cutting off solid round bars of stainless steel into little medallions and adding inlay. Greg had done this one a while back and we really loved the way it looked but decided to put in a diamond and it really makes the copper pop out. It is about the size of a quarter and looks great on a guy or a girl. I'll be adding it to the website soon, if you want to pre-order, just call or email. They go for $280.00 including the necklace.
Handcrafted stainless steel necklace pendant with copper and diamond inlay by Spexton.
Monday, January 7, 2008
"Harris" 22k Gold, Steel, & Rubber Ring
Here's a great new stainless steel ring we're doing with inlay of 22k gold and rubber. Designed by one of our clients as a wedding ring, we're excited to start making different variations of it. I have a stainless ring with one of these rubber inlays I've been wearing daily for 2 years and the rubber looks brand new. If you keep it clean and moistened (from daily hand washing) it pretty much lasts forever. This ring goes for $580 and you can get it here: Harris Stainless Steel Ring by Spexton
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Necklace of the Month
Howdy! We're doing a featured necklace this month. You see the cylinder a lot in stainless steel jewelry design out there and it looks really nice on. We've made the look a bit more Spexton by adding a brushed copper inlay. There is a lot of texture and glimmer in the pendant and it is about an inch long.
It comes with a dog tag chain and a leather necklace with one of our new magnet claps (which, by the way, are awesome and I'm gonna take a pic of them and put them on here so you guys outside of Tulsa can see how they work because they're killer.) It looks good with either black or brown leather so grab this pendant now at $40, it'll go back to normal price next month.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
New Stainless Steel & Silver Cuff
We created this as part of a suite for a man's wedding set. It matches this ring and has a matching necklace pendant as well. The pic looks pretty good but it is just a killer cuff in person. It is stainless steel with 2 sterling silver inlay stripes. I want to make one with copper or gold in it, and maybe add some more texture by hammering the center. It retails for $490 and the Spexton product page is here: Knurled Steel & Silver Cuff
Friday, January 4, 2008
New Stainless Steel & Gold Cuff
Here's a new cuff we made during the holiday season. It is hand-hammered stainless steel with two 22k gold stripe inlays and a brushed finish. It turned out really nice. I'll post the matching necklace to it soon and maybe do a a ring. It can be yours for $1000, and the spexton product page is here: Spexton Steel & Gold Cuff
New Year, New Spexton
Here's a glimpse into the new Spexton store. We're thrilled to have our permenant design/production studio, retail lounge, and residence all in the evolving East End of downtown Tulsa's Virginia Lofts building. We're located on the corner of 3rd and Lansing and are in the studio and store daily from Noon to 7.
Greg and I have long wanted to find a great location to live and work and we've finally found it: Downtown Tulsa is an elegant, classic, beautiful place filled with amazing architecture, an enveloping ambiance, and genuinely great people.
Because I've been admittedly terrible at coming up with content ideas for blogging, I want to take a more personal approach with the Spexton blog this year with photos and commentary of our lives as designers in the not-so-big-but-we-love-it-that-way city of Tulsa. Aside from showcasing new and custom steel jewelry we're making, I'll be introducing you to all there is to see and do in our downtown world.
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