Behind the Scenes: An Interview with Alison Antelman

Jewelry Education

Olivia Shih: Congratulations on celebrating your thirtieth year as a small business owner and jeweler! Can you share what your jewelry education was like?
Alison Antelman: I went to Emerson College [in Boston] for mass communications, television production, and film for my bachelor’s. Afterwards, my partner Eric and I moved to San Francisco, and I waited tables to pay the rent. In 1991, I could pay rent by working in restaurants part-time. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life, but at twenty-one years old, I started making jewelry out of driftwood from the beach and played around with FIMO polymer clay.

Someone suggested I take an affordable [jewelry] class at City College in San Francisco. My first jewelry teacher was Roger Baird. I took his class for three semesters, then took workshops at the Mendocino Art Center. There, I took Susan Wood’s chain-making class, and learning from her was like watching a surgeon work. I also learned metal-forming from Jack da Silva. This period of five years was really a time of playing with techniques and letting it all sink in to and form in my mind. 


Olivia: Do you think your degree in mass communications was helpful when you started your business?
Alison: Yes, and I also did technical writing. This fed into writing newsletters for my business. The degree also came in handy with teaching workshops and giving lectures. Mass communications is basically communicating via mass media, so oration and speaking to a crowd is very important;... all of it helps me sell my work. I can confidently present my work to different customers.


Alison Antelman portrait in the studio, 2023. Photo: Eric Smith.



Talking to Customers

Olivia: What’s your advice on how to talk to customers about your jewelry?
Alison: Early on, I was too technical. I love the process, but when selling, you have to focus on the story. Not everyone understands the time, work, and thought process that goes into making jewelry, so you have to communicate. We might call ourselves artists, but we’re also small businesses, and it’s important to connect with the customer. 


Alison Antelman: Architectural Layers Mini, 2024. Oxidized sterling silver, 18k gold, 22k gold, gem silica, tourmaline, hook clasp. Photo: Eric Smith.



Finding the Right Customer and Marketing

Olivia: And how do you find the right customer for your work and market to them?
Alison: In the beginning, I didn’t have a studio, so I called Pro Arts [an artist organization] and asked for help. They introduced me to jeweler Susan Brooks, who ran open studio events [in Berkeley, California]. She found me a space to rent temporarily in someone else’s studio [where I could] do open studios. That was in 1995, and I did open studios regularly for twenty-five years, until the pandemic.
I built up a clientele at those events and collected addresses for a mailing list. I send out monthly emails, making sure they’re personable and not generic. I’ll write about my move from Oakland to Santa Fe, about the flowers blooming in my garden, and other things in my daily life. It’s labor-intensive, but it doesn’t cost much.
When someone signs up for my mailing list, I also send a thank-you email where I mention where they saw me and include a picture of me at my booth or studio. This way they recognize me. On top of that, I offer free shipping as an incentive to purchase something.

Alison Antelman. Monzogranite Ring, 2024. Oxidized sterling silver, 18k gold, 22k gold, aquamarine, diamond. Photo: Eric Smith.


Olivia: That’s a really great tip! The follow-up email strengthens their memory of you and your work, so they’re more likely to remember you in the future. 
Alison: Exactly, and if I’ve collected physical addresses, I’ll send a snail mail postcard once a year. We don’t get much mail anymore, so a card has a big impact. If I sell something at a show, I’ll handwrite the customer a thank-you card, not selling anything [additional]... just thanking them.


Olivia: Do you have any additional marketing advice?
Alison: Besides showing up at in-person events and building a mailing list, you should submit work to exhibitions. Even if your work doesn’t sell, it’s another way to get exposure.

Olivia: Because you’re getting eyes on your work.

Alison: Yes, and another thing is keeping an up-to-date portfolio. This goes for your own website and membership websites. Search engines might pick up on this information and boost search results for your name. Showing up, whether in person or online, has a cumulative effect. 


Alison Antelman: Glimmering Sunshine Necklace, 2014. Oxidized sterling silver, 18k gold, 22k gold, tangerine garnets, stainless steel cable neck wire, tension clasp. Photo: Eric Smith.


Olivia: You’ve also built recognition through winning contests like the 2014 Lewton-Brain Foldform Competition and having work in publications like the Lark Books 500 jewelry series.
Alison: It provides credibility for your business. And it shows that your business is still active. 
It’s also a good idea to send press releases to the style section of local publications. I suggest writing a short and sweet blurb about your work, including a picture or two, and adding contact information to the email. And I’m prepared for last-minute press opportunities. I have an artist statement, a short bio (and a long version), and good images ready to go. Publications want content. 
And showing up in person is important because it can pay off in the future. An example is the time I went to a friend’s gallery opening and talked with a photographer who specializes in shooting products on models. Six months later, she contacted me asking to borrow a bracelet for a magazine article highlighting Santa Fe artists. Later on, a couple who saw the feature called me to arrange a studio visit and ended up buying two expensive pieces.
Sometimes I’ll meet someone at art fairs multiple times before they call me to make an appointment for a studio visit. So, in-person events can function as marketing, too.


Alison Antelman: Mod Bob Mini’s Earrings, 2025. Oxidized sterling silver, 18k gold, 22k gold, Peruvian opal. Photo: Eric Smith.



Funding a Business

Olivia: In the beginning, how did you fund your business? 
Alison: It took years before I started working with gold, and in the beginning, I worked with sea glass, which didn’t cost anything. As I sold things, I bought more materials, but I never bought a huge amount. It was incremental purchases, baby steps. 


Running a Business

Olivia: And how did you learn how to run a business? 
Alison: I learned a lot from my community. When I shared a studio, my studio mate was a jeweler who ran a production jewelry business. I also learned about doing open studios from Susan Brooks.
I think it’s important to take criticism. I was at an art fair, and the sister of the artist across from me said my crooked posters were driving her crazy. I didn’t feel insulted. I heard what she said. She was right. People will volunteer advice, so just say thank you, and take what’s useful. You have to keep an open mind. 


Finding a Community

Olivia: How did you find your community?
Alison: I was lucky to be in the Bay Area, because there’s such a strong metals community. The Metal Arts Guild in San Francisco has been around for over seventy years, and when I joined, cofounder Merry Renk still came to parties. I learned so much from these people.... I embedded myself in the community and learned what was going on in our field. I volunteered to write newsletters for the Guild and was president for a few years. 

Olivia: The common theme I’m hearing is that you show up in person, and you’re talking and connecting with people at all these events. 

Alison: You have to try things out. If it doesn’t work out, that’s okay. 


Alison Antelman: Metro Power Bracelet, 2022. Oxidized sterling silver, 18k gold, 22k gold, lapis, sapphires, diamonds, rutilated quartz, pyrite in slate, handmade box clasp. Photo: Eric Smith.



Forms of Support

Olivia: What forms of support did you receive while starting and building your business? This could be mentorships, spousal health insurance plans, familial support for education, scholarships, etc. 
Alison: Eric and I have been together since I was twenty-one and he was twenty-three. We’ve been together all this time, so sometimes I worked when he went to school, and vice versa. He’s a commercial photographer, so he takes photos of my work. He also goes to art fairs with me, so we can set up and tear down together, and I can take breaks. 

Like I mentioned previously, I met my mentor and friend, Susan Brooks ,when I tried to find a space to do open studios. She’s in Berkeley, and even though I’ve moved to Santa Fe, we still call each other and ask for advice. Like, Hey, I have this customer, how should I handle this situation? You can meet potential mentors by joining artist organizations. Volunteering for the board is another fantastic way to meet people. 

You also asked about health insurance. I’ve had insurance through jobs that Eric had, but it’s always very precarious. And before the Affordable Care Act, sometimes I had no health insurance. The ACA has been the best thing in the world. I also have a health savings account (HSA).


Consignment, Wholesale, Retail

Olivia Shih: When you do art shows, you’re selling retail. What’s your take on consignment and wholesale?
Alison Antelman: The truth is, I could not survive if I was depending on galleries. When I was starting out, I had work in ten galleries, but the majority of them were consignment relationships. So it’s my money out there, invested in the jewelry sitting in those galleries, and I often had to chase them down for my consignment payout, which was not fun.

Eventually, I tried wholesale in 2015. I did a program with the American Craft Council, where they connected me with a mentor. I was assigned two great mentors, and I changed my prices to fit the wholesale model, then put together line sheets. There was one man at an ACC show who looked at my work and said, “I love your work, but I know I just can’t sell it in my shop.”
I prefer to sell my work directly, because that’s how I learned to do it. I learned from Susan Brooks and her business model in a studio jewelry habitat, where people come to open studios for the experience. I can easily spend an hour and half talking with people. It’s not just a transaction—it’s about the relationship. 

Olivia: There’s this feeling of intimacy when visiting a studio and seeing the artist in their environment. 

Alison: Yes, and interestingly, sometimes I do better at art shows that don’t have a huge attendance. Because I can spend more time with each visitor.


Alison Antelman in her booth at Santa Fe Artist Market, 2025. Photo: Eric Smith.


Positive Mindset

Olivia: What roles do you take on as a small business owner?
Alison: I say this jokingly, but I’m the puzzle-solver, curator, food Yelper, and gambler. It’s always a gamble to do a show. On the practical side, I’m the director, bookkeeper, salesperson, merchandiser, stone-setter, repair person, and shipping and receiving department. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m an artist, dreamer, optimist, and “possibilitarian.” I saw that word on a poster, and it stuck with me.

In this world, you can feel like you’re never going to sell anything again and be very discouraged, but then an opportunity comes up because you’ve been churning. You have to be optimistic. I just did a show, and it was lousy. I only made one sale, then the next day I wiped the slate clean and started again. You can’t carry that with you.

If you have a negative attitude, that’ll push people away. And there are challenges that will push you down. But you just get back up. Eventually you look at the wake of your past and you see this long career you’ve built.

Olivia: You’re someone who is constantly trying new things out, seeing if it works out, then evaluating the results and adjusting your future plans. And failure is just part of your process and not the end result you hold on to. 

Alison: Right? And one of the things about getting older is realizing I don’t want to be one of those people who are stuck in their ways. I’m a modern thinker. 


Open Studios Versus Art Fairs

Olivia: Why do you say doing art fairs is a gamble?

Alison: When you apply, it’s a gamble if you get in. There’s a show in Denver where two thousand people apply, and maybe thirty jewelers get in. The jurors will need to cut out someone, even if there are more than thirty fabulous jewelers. It’s sometimes a numbers game.
Then there’s the weather. Who knows? Maybe there’s a hailstorm. Even if it’s drizzly, nobody comes out. Then there’s COVID, which hit and closed down art fairs. People had to take down the booths and displays they had already set up.  

Olivia: It sounds like a lot is up to chance.

Alison: Which is why I’m a fan of open studios. It’s a long-term business model, where you build relationships. But I know people who only sell work online, and that works for them. So there are different ways to run a jewelry business. 


Annual Schedule as Professional Artist

Olivia: What does your yearly schedule look like as a professional artist? 
Alison: It changes every year, but I start designing in December. I need this ambiguous time to just sit and play with stones, setting up each design. I fabricate jewelry throughout the year, but I really focus on making from January through March. Then I do local shows in the spring, from March through May. 

My busy season is June through September, when I’m traveling and doing art shows out of state. For the holiday season, in October and November, I do open studios or local shows. But the second and third quarters are the strongest in terms of sales for me.  

Oddly enough, the first quarter in 2025 has been better than ever. I started doing Zoom virtual appointments, where I set up my cases of jewelry and show the customer. I took things out and held them up, so my client could see the scale. It’s a more efficient use of time compared with doing shows, and the clients get more information. 
And part of it was just luck. I did a little open studio in February and only had two visitors, but both made big purchases. Every year is different.

Alison Antelman. Hanging Garden Brooch, 2025. Oxidized sterling silver, 18k gold, 22k gold, ruby, diamond, tourmalinated quartz. Photo: Eric Smith.



Emerging Artists

Olivia: You’re a professional artist with many years of experience, but how can emerging artists get their foot in the door?
Alison: There are a lot of art fairs with emerging-artist booths. They’re not only less expensive, they often also have mentorship programs. The Saint Louis Art Fair has a two-year program. And Cherry Creek Arts Festival, too. They also have different definitions of what it means to be an emerging artist, so it’s not always based on age. And if you have limited funds, start with doing local events. 

When it comes to applications, the National Association of Independent Artists (NAIA) has free resources. There’s also a Facebook group called Jury-image-evaluation, run by Larry Berman. He’s a photographer and helps people shoot or edit their photos. Often, the art fair application will ask for four images of work and a shot of your booth. You can ask the group which photos are best, or how you can improve your booth shot.
I’ve been on juries, and sometimes I’m shocked by the images I see. The work is phenomenal, but the images are terrible. And that’s the reason they’re not getting into shows. 

Olivia: It sounds like professionally taken photos are the way to go.

Alison: Yes, and you want a photographer who knows how to shoot your medium. If you’re a jeweler, the photographer has to have experience shooting jewelry. They need to understand what types of images you need for show applications. 

Olivia: Thank you for sharing all your valuable information with us!


General Advice

Olivia: Do you have general advice for young folk starting a business?
Alison: Start a SEP IRA (Simplified Employee Pension IRA), which is a retirement account for self-employed people. It’s important to consider your savings because business does ebb and flow annually and from year to year. We don’t get the same paycheck every month. 

Olivia: Any more tips for our readers? 

Alison: Artists have that reputation of being flakes. A working artist can’t be a flake. When I apply to a show, I have to apply by the deadline, right? Then, if I get in, I have to pay my booth fee by a deadline. I also have to show them my show insurance, fill out an agreement, and get a sales tax license for that state. You can’t be a flake for any of these things. If you don’t meet a deadline, that’s terrible for your reputation. But if you’re timely, say, with an editor asking for photos, it really does pay off. The editor learns that you’re easy and fast to work with, and they’ll want to work with you again. 


Alison Antelman in her studio at her workbench, 2025. Photo: Eric Smith.

 

About the author

Olivia Shih (she/her) is a jeweler, artist, and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born to Taiwanese immigrant parents in the USA, she grew up on the subtropical island and is interested in cultural nuances and family dynamics. In addition to running her jewelry studio, Olivia teaches at the California College of the Arts and works as the assistant editor at Metalsmith.

Instagram: @oliviashihdesigns