It's not easy being an indie jewelry designer. Trust me. I've been there done that. Luckily, I found this writing gig to help ends meet when I'm not out peddling beads.

But, for those who really want to sell their jewelry on the Internet, what's a designer to do?

That's where a new coop hopes to fill the gap. Blue Karat Inc. has just opened its virtual doors, so to speak. I went and took a look, and I think it looks promising. Yes, the site is under construction a little, but so far it has seven jewelry designers signed on, and I would bet there will be more to follow soon.

One of the big problems most creative types have is that we aren't necessarily techie types. There are only so many hats one can wear, no?

Here's how Blue Karat Inc. describes their vision:

Bluekarat.com, a unique virtual cooperative jewelry gallery, allowing artisans and designers to collectively display, promote, market and sell their jewelry directly to consumers.

We recognize the challenges faced by the independent jewelry designer, such as audience outreach, sales cost constraints, consignment difficulties and competition for display space among inappropriate partners.

This web-based sales tool was created by jewelers for jewelers, allowing our members to determine their own destiny. Whether designers want to use Bluekarat.com to achieve designer name recognition, establish a national web presence, or to simply generate their main source of revenue, Blue Karat, Inc. nurtures each member's goal of achieving what is most important - selling and creating more jewelry!

Like I said, this site is pretty new, but it's one to bookmark and keep an eye on. I'm definitely curious.