The Beauty and Heart of Craftsmanship: Part 3 - Costs

After discussing the issues in the previous article, we will, in all transparency, begin a discussion on a little-known or fantasized point: Costs.

No craftsman will reveal his real costs to you and rightly so because today it is very difficult to talk about prices. We understand that the price is both a sensitive and debatable figure but everyone must understand that craft work has a figure that many people do not take into account: time.

• Time has a cost, it is valued in relation to the working time devoted to the making of an item, in our case, an Abarings jewel. This time is also valued in relation to the talent of the craftsman . What differentiates one craftsman from another is both his seriousness but also and above all his mastery. His mastery allows us to obtain premium finishes and a treatment of metals that respects our rigorous technical specifications and as a result, our master craftsman is practically part of the family : )

• The cost of raw materials is completely overlooked by too many buyers. Bronze has a cost per gram as well as silver which are the metals we work with. There are several qualities of bronze including the worst of all: spelter . Our bronze does not contain lead or antimony or other metals that can become toxic. How do you differentiate bronze from spelter?

Then, silver which has several classifications that will influence the costs. We use 925 grade silver which is the best quality in jewelry especially for strength, flexibility and result.

In any case, metals are subject to the vagaries of the market and their prices have only evolved over the years and this is not about to stop.

The exclusivity of the product and therefore its prestige is a notion perceived by many people but as creators we have difficulty understanding the reasoning of some. Some of our creations have patents and are therefore protected unlike others and each patent has a cost. We take a lot of time to design and launch a reference both in its schematization and in its development.

• Packaging and promotion are points that we are not too focused on for the simple reason that normally, these points represent up to 1/3 of the cost price of many references in the trade. Promotion is very expensive for both a product and a service and packaging is very demanding in financial resources. We prefer to focus financially on the very essence of Abarings, namely 100% handmade jewelry designed in an artisanal way, respectful of our environment and the development of our various partners.

• Energy I think we can all agree that since 2018 , energy costs have only increased but with the war in Ukraine it has become untenable for many hence the explosion in the number of bankruptcies in the world. Less money in the pockets, less consumption, more charges, less turnover (or at best it is maintained) therefore less profits and therefore it is finito. Metals cannot be worked cold, they must be melted, softened and worked several times even after the final shape has been given to the jewel. There are treatments that are applied that also require electricity and therefore all this implies energy costs that only increase even in Senegal.

All this to say, think about it when you see in the trade products sold for hundreds or even thousands of euros when they are products assembled on a standardized chain by a workforce of practically slaves with a ridiculously low cost price with the only distinguishing elements being the appearance of belonging to a community which is only a company which *spoiler alert* ... has to make money.

Making money is ok but what is the direct contribution to the community?

The question is asked, I am not targeting any company in particular, I only want you to react on the understanding of the concept of price which must be taken from several angles especially when it comes to creators who face fierce and often unfair competition.