Art in Cyberspace?
I’m hearing a lot right now about one-of-a-kind and custom work. In an age when independents (and most designers, for that matter) truly need to differentiate themselves from online and chain-store competition, this is one area that many are discovering as a way to stand apart from the crowd.
Interesting, then, the juxtaposition when I came across objectfetish.com, a website dedicated to art jewels. It seems to me that this is one category in which customers would ESPECIALLY want to see, touch and feel the pieces they are buying. But, on the other hand, we once said that about all fine jewelry. Just a little food for thought… Is this a viable e-commerce concept? Or is a one-of-a-kind creation something that requires a hands-on sales approach? If not, is it an e-commerce idea that independents can tap into? I hope you’ll check out the link and let me know what you think.
ObjectFetish commented:
Hi Carrie, We wondered the same thing, whether art jewelry
collectors or occasional jewelry buyers would buy work, untouched
by them, simply based on an image and words on their monitor.
That's why we added artist videos, selected exhibitions and so
forth, to add a little depth to the presentation. And it seems to
be working, even in a very down economy. We launched less that six
months ago, and we are already getting a great reputation - and
some really truly fabulous press is coming out soon. That said,
we're not just offering one of a kind pieces. The new work from
Karola Torkos in the UK is quite inexpensive and fantastic. I tried
adding a link, but your blog doesn't like it - so, just paste this
into your address bar:
objectfetish.com/jewelry/fools-gold-double-p-1883.html Thanks much
for checking us out! Best, Jeff Goldsmith Co-founder
