I see so many new products that it's hard to leave any sort of impression. Occasionally, I'll see a product that makes my jaw drop. It's usually something simple that solves an annoying problem. This is one of those products.
The Old Way
You don't need a special tool to make cards for regular, French hook-style earrings. You may remember that I made earring cards for my show last winter. I punched the little holes by hand, using a 1/16" hole punch that I bought at a craft store for around $5. Some of the holes weren't quite even, especially those I worked on the night before the show. (I seriously underestimated the amount of time I needed to price everything.)
The New Way
The post earring punch tool would have saved me time, as I wouldn't have gone through that trial-and-error of figuring out where the punches should go and could have punched both holes at once. But it was the lever-back earring punch tool that really caught my attention. I love the lever-back earring style. Those are the earrings that have pieces of metal that fold up in the back, securing the earring and making it practically impossible to lose. (See my All Abuzz earrings as an example of this earring style.) It was agonizing trying to figure out where to punch holes on the card. Plus, the way I did it (with two separate holes per earring) meant that the customer had to fuss with the earring to remove it from the card, rather than slipping it off easily.
Business Cards = Earring Cards
In addition to the earring punches, the company makes pretty earring cards, mostly with nature-themed designs. It's
also easy to personalize the cards with your business name by using a
stamp or label. (Of course, you can also use these punches on your own
business cards or paper.) I
could see using some of the holiday ones next season. These look much more "gift-y" than my normal earring cards.
The Bottom Line
Currently, the punches are only sold together as a kit, along with a package of earring cards. For the price ($58), I think these are most useful for designers who are selling their work at shows or galleries and need a professionally packaged look that's easy and fast. If you occasionally make a pair of earrings for your friends, you'll likely get more use and enjoyment out of another jewelry-making tool (or more beads).
Required Legal Disclaimer
I won this earring card system from Bead Trends in a random drawing late last year. I received no compensation for this review. All thoughts expressed here are my own honest opinions.
Today's the last day to sign up! I'll email everyone tomorrow and confirm that you're on the list. If you don't hear from me by the 3rd, feel free to email me or post a comment and I'll make sure you're added.
Update April 21, 2014: I'm turning off comments on this blog post from 2011. If you have more to say on this topic, I highly recommend you write your own blog post or find another outlet to express yourself. Thanks for understanding.