What does hand made mean to you?

[Skyblue]

This really is a can of worms ! I make some chain maille jewellery which sometimes involves hours of work and approx 500 jump rings put together. I dont make the jump rings or the clasp , but do spend this time putting them together to form a bracelet or necklace. I would say it was handmade by me , as it wouldn't be a bracelet if I didnt sit and laboriously put all those jump rings together with my hands. I do fine it rather annoying though when I do a craft fair and there is somebody selling cheap imported jewellery next to me, for a few pounds a piece and people comparing the prices to mine. I make my beads,ear wires, sometimes clasps etc. I have a picture frame that slides through the images and am now in the process of doing a little film show so as I can put this on my stall for people to see me in the process of making a bead, chain , etc. Hopefully it will help them see the difference between bought in and hand made. Brilliant subject by the way !

[Redhotsal]

Just thought I'd throw this into the pot - or can of worms.
When I see the words "hand made" I don't think "oh, a beautifully unique crafted item", I tend to think "this greetings card was made in a factory but a human being stuck on a couple of pieces of ribbon and a sparkle at the end" because to me sadly, the words "hand made" now epitomises all the worst aspects of churned out junk. "Hand finished" - there's another one - it can mean that you're buying some faceless machine made cobblers that some poor sap had to polish up and put in a box so that they can claim it was "hand finished".
I think the problem is there are so many poor quality items that claim this that the original intention has been lost.
I hate "hand made", I hate "artisan" I'm even starting to dislike "artist". Stupid labels. Sorry - I really had nothing useful to contribute, did I? 

[Shirley]

Somebody described me as a jeweller and lampworker the other day. I thought, yes, that's it

[Moira HFG]

Interesting topic.
For me the important issue is 'quality'. I've seen genuinely handmade articles at craft fairs that cover the whole range; from heart wrenchingly lovely, to Oh dear why did you bother.

What tempts me to buy an object is good design, originality, and competent execution. An artist/craftsperson's function is to add something that wasn't there before. That can work at any level, from making beads and findings to making original designs from existing components.

Cheap mass-produced stuff does sell - it's all some people want. And some beautiful things are made in factories, using a combination of skilled hand and skilled machine skills - like Waterford crystal glass. But it is always slightly impersonal, whereas good craftwork always seems to carry something of the soul of the maker. That will always cost more, but discriminating people will see the difference and be prepared to pay for it.

That's my twopence worth on the subject!