Liv: Finding My Own Style

When I started on this journey a year ago, I had no idea where it would take me. I wanted to make gemstone jewellery, and that's about the only direction I had. So I set out making anything and everything, with some vague idea about what I wanted my pieces to look like.

Teaching myself to wrap with sterling wire took some time and patience, but was relatively easy. Once I

knew it, I knew it. Photography was a bigger challenge, but again, with lots of practice and a few choice pieces of equipment, this became easier too.

What I didn't expect is the long road I would take to finding my own style. As I said, I was so excited about making jewellery that I just made anything. I used stones and findings that I liked, played around with them until I liked the design, and assembled it. Done, and onto the next piece.

But how was I going to make myself seen in the huge ocean of jewellery sellers? Any given search for "earrings" on etsy alone yields thousands of listings. How would buyers find mine, and if they did, why buy my jewellery over the others?

Developing my personal style evolved over several months. I honestly don't think that it's something one can force, or speed up. My style showed itself slowly, as I looked at the pieces I'd made. I compared the old ones, like the citrine and pink amethyst bracelet above, and the newer pieces, like these blue topaz earrings: