A lot of people are making jewelry at home now and many of those people are trying their hand at selling the jewelry they make. And if your jewelry business is easier to run that means you can have more time doing what you love best: making jewelry!

Here are a few pieces of software that every beading business or jewelry making business owner should consider buying:

Bookkeeping Software – This is where a basic piece of bookkeeping software will make your life a whole lot easier. Most basic software will allow you to keep track of income from a variety of sources (selling jewelry, selling jewelry repair services, etc.) and allow you track just about every type of expense imaginable. As long as you take the time to enter everything the right way you’ll be able to press a button and immediately see where you stand. Depending upon your banking situation you may even be able to have your bookkeeping software automatically synchronize with your bank statement to avoid errors. You can expect to spend $200 – $400 for bookkeeping software, depending upon how much sophistication you need.

Office Software – You will probably need a basic word processing program as well as a basic spreadsheet program. Even if you don’t have an immediate need for them right away you may find yourself needing to produce simple letters to vendors or working out a list of supplies with this software very quickly. There are some free versions of office software available and they work pretty well if you’re computer savvy enough to install them. If you want to go with name brand software then you might want to budget $200 – $300 to get the latest and greatest versions.

Inventory Software – You might not think this is important at first, but you’ll soon be swamped with jewelry pieces, beads and findings of every type and about a million other items that are difficult to keep track of. You may at first only need software to keep track of the jewelry you’re creating, but if your business gets large enough you’ll probably also want software that keeps track of all the pieces and beads you may be using. There are lots of different options to choose from with some of the more sophisticated bead jewelry being able to tell you exactly how much each piece cost you to make. Depending upon your needs you may want to consider setting aside about $500 for inventory software.

Graphic or Digital Photo Software – If you’re going to sell your jewelry online then you’ll most likely need to post digital photos on your website for everyone to see. Most digital cameras come with some basic software and there are plenty of free versions of software for graphics editing available. You may want to hold off buying any digital photo editing software at first and trying what you can find for free. If that doesn’t work then plan on spending about $100 on software to edit digital photos and make computer graphics.

As your business grows you may find your jewelry business has even more needs beyond these. Most software can be upgraded for a price that is lower than buying new, so once you make the initial investment you may be able to keep up with the current versions for less than you think. The amount of time many of these software applications can save will make them worthwhile.

A certified diamond is a diamond that has been graded, tested and examined by a team of independent fully trained gemologists who then issue a Diamond certificate for that diamond.

Nothing beats seeing a diamond in person to determine the true quality visibly. Diamond appreciation is a very personal thing and different people will prefer different things about different diamonds. At the end of the day all the numbers, certificates and photos in the world mean nothing if you do not like the look of the diamond and it does not sparkle displaying excellent Brilliance, Fire and Scintillation.

Many jewellers and diamond dealers will use terms like Hearts and Arrows, Ideal, Excellent, Russian Cut, Belgium Cut, Fine Make and others to describe their diamonds, with the intention of portraying them as ‘better’ than others. Be wary of accepting these terms as is. They are especially dangerous when assigned to diamonds by the jeweler or diamond dealer themselves without third-party independent support such as a diamond certificate or diamond grading report.

It is important to remain aware of the facts and differences with certification and the process, as well as the different grading standards each diamond grading laboratory offers. While it might be possible to find certified diamonds with the same grade stated on a certificate that appears notably cheaper. As a potential diamond buyer you must be aware that there is no single set of parameters diamond laboratories grade to and every laboratory has a different set of standards. There are no huge bargains within the diamond industry so remember, if a certified diamond sounds too good to be true, it probably is and there usually is a reason.

Not all diamond grading laboratories are as well respected or as stringent in their grading as each other. Diamond grading laboratories should always be independent of any diamond retailers or wholesalers, to avoid any conflict of interests or bias. Diamond Certificates are only of value when they are issued by an independent accredited diamond grading laboratory. Always make certain to identify the source of the certificate or diamond grading report. If you have not heard of the laboratory, it could very well be associated in some way with the store, jeweler or diamond wholesaler itself, and so have a vested interest in aiding the sale.

Just comparing diamonds on a diamond price match policy alone is not nearly good enough you have to visibly compare the diamonds next to each other to truly see which diamond is the better quality diamond.