Famous Jewelry Collections: THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

How to Make or Makeover a Mannequin for Jewelry Displays

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 04:00 AM PDT

Do you remember my body mannequin called Lola from my past post? Well, I try and dress Lola up so she is more like a model for my jewelry. I use neutral and plain clothing so I don't distract from the jewelry.

Karin over on the Waltzing Gypsy blog also has the same type of plastic mannequin as I do. Only she calls hers Marie. Like the ultra "tanned" Lola, Marie also has a strange skin tone and the fine striations on the surface don't really help either.

Karin also observed, "My other concern was that if potential customers didn't identify with the clothing, they may opt to not buy my jewelry." Good point.

As the mannequin looks really weird without clothes, she decided to decoupage it and make it more like a vintage dress form. Check out her tutorial and see how she did it!

If you are game to make your own mannequin entirely from scratch, then take inspiration from Laura over at Cook On Strike. Her tutorial is based on the technique sewing enthusiasts sometimes use to make casts of their own torsos starting with good old duct tape. She shares all kinds of tips on how to make this mannequin work specifically for jewelry photography. It was well worth the effort!