What I Look for When I Buy 3D Jewelry Models on CGTrader

When you scroll through 3D models on CGTrader it is clear that a lot of jewelry designers are working hard to offer a wide range of original designs.

But while the quantity and creativity are remarkable, the commercial practicality of the designs isn’t always there. And that impacts their “sellability.”

My name is Nicolas and I am the founder of Vivalatina, a pure play jewelry brand that focuses on high-end jewelry products and custom-made jewelry. I started in this business back in 2012 with my French website and launched the English version in January 2018 as I continue to grow internationally.

I have used CGTrader since May 2015 and since then have purchased more than 200 3D jewelry designs to sell in my shop. In 2019 I sold €100,000 of jewelry and generated more than half a million unique visitors on my French website, all thanks to organic inbound marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

As a jewelry maker and online retailer, my only source of web traffic is through content marketing and SEO, so it is very important that my product descriptions meet Google’s requirements. I therefore analyze carefully the keywords on the internet used by jewelry buyers. I also analyze the jewelry designs of my competitors as well as their price ranges to create better, more competitive offers on my website.

As a small brand with no marketing budget, I always try to create compelling reasons for shoppers to purchase products on my online boutique. Those include better prices, better services and much better designs. Obviously, every time I can offer a better design with a great price, that’s an easier sell.

Keywords are Key

I use the CGTrader catalog to find original designs that match shoppers’ requests. When I scroll through the 3D model jewelry designs, I usually have a specific product keyword in mind. If I don’t have a keyword, and I find a unique design I could show off in my boutique, I always check what would be the best keyword to describe this piece of jewelry. For that, I use SEOCockpit to help me find the keywords I need. After analyzing the keywords with SEOCockpit , I already know if this jewelry design has any commercial potential, which is a key reason for me to buy it or not.

Let’s Not Get Too Heavy

The second most important point is the weight of the product, which is often created in gold. For example, I see a lot of signet ring designs for men on CGTrader that are too heavy to be commercially practical when made in gold. 25 to 40 grams of gold for a ring is too much; the gold weight of the men’s rings I sell ranges from 8 to 18 grams on average. It is very unlikely that I could sell a 30 gram gold ring on the web. The odds are not zero but I cannot build an e-Commerce business model with such high priced jewelry. Those kinds of designs require brick and mortar shops with sales staff and extensive marketing.

This is why I focus on jewelry designs with reasonable gold weights that allow me to stay within a €2000 price tag without including gemstones.

Rendering a Verdict

Another important factor when evaluating a 3D model for jewelry is the rendering created by the designer. While I cannot use those same renderings on my boutique as I need to present all the designs in a similar manner, the rendering helps me to appreciate the beauty of the design. I ask myself if I were a potential buyer, would I be “seduced” by the design. The better the rendering, the easier it is for me to imagine the final rendering views of the ring on my online boutique.

Your Description Should Include…

Finally, the description of the product on CGTrader is critical. It should include the silver or gold weight, a few words about the design including the inspiration for the design. This can help me identify relevant keywords to describe and sell it. Another important piece of information is the number and size of the stones which enables me to check if I will be able to source the stones and make the ring in my jewelry shop.

Note that the price of the design is the LAST thing I check as a design with no visible sales potential has no value to me. Even a high priced design with clear sales potential could be sold easier.

Finally, to summarize, here are the key questions 3D jewelry modelers should be asking themselves:

• Are you working on a jewelry design with commercial potential?
• Is the gold weight of the design in line with other similar known products on the market?
• Can you create a hollow version of the same design to save gold weight?
• Are the gemstones in your jewelry design cut standard, in strange shapes, or in difficult to find sizes? Standardize the stones to make it easier for a jeweler to source the stones and sell your design.
• Do you offer quality rendering pictures of your designs that make people want to see them and see more views?
• Do you provide enough informative description of your design including the inspiration, the weight, and the stones?

About Nicolas Tranchant

Nicolas Tranchant is the founder of Vivalatina. Originally from France, he now resides in Mexico where he set up his online jewelry business in 2012 to make on-demand jewelry for French customers. Nicolas graduated as a mechanical engineer and had no business or marketing experience before setting up Vivalatina.