Mimickry is a form of flattery...

... is what my OH has just told me. I've discovered yet more people selling resin fruit jewellery which I originally started making about 2 years ago now, and for less than I sell it for. Thing is it's an easy thing to do, buy polymer clay canes and stick pieces in resin, so I don't know if I can state ownership of the design, but it's still very annoying.I suppose this means I am always one step ahead?A few months ago I had similar concerns over a magazine article that was very similar to the way I'd written one in my book with a few additions which were actually pretty good. I sent the relevant pages of my book to the editor of the magazine and asked for her opinion on the matter. It then got dealt with in the wrong way and turned out that the author of the article who used to be a regular customer of mine got upset by the accusation, of which it wasn't- it was a concern to be addressed by the editor only- and as a result of the editor passing the buck, this lady no longer references me as her supplier for moulds in her articles anymore. Very annoyed and I would truly love to name this magazine now but I won't!I guess there's nothing more to do than keep exploring the limits of the medium and try to stay ahead of the game through being an experimenter and taking onboard the wants of the wider public, sharing the ones in books and articles that I don't mind giving away and keeping the others to myself. I do like people learning to make resin jewellery themselves, this is why I wrote my book in the first place and chose to import the moulds from the States so that we have better supplies in this country for practising the craft. I just think there's a difference between an artist explorign different designs, techniques and then making them reflect their own personality and style, and a crafter copying existing designs either directly from tutorials or from other people's work.I'm thinking about seasonalising my jewellery, rather than having it available constantly for years in the same designs, not only to reflect fashion trends but to make it more exclusive. What are the important factors for you when buying jewellery? Style? Price? Something unusual you've not seen before? Materials? Craftsmanship? Please share your thoughts and hopefully there will be a nice assortment of ideas from you that I can learn from and build upon for the next collection!