So much has happened in the last three months.
I finally, after a year and a half of planning, researching and creating, opened my jewellery shop on etsy. I threw myself into my shop and barely came up for air.
Before I knew it, three months had gone by - how did that happen?
While jewellery isn't flying off the shelves, I am pleased and surprised with my success so far. I have met some wonderful customers; worked with brides, boyfriends and Moms; held several jewellery parties and grew my little shop to almost 300 pieces.
My photography has definitely improved. This is one of my earlier shots:
I thought this was pretty good. After all, it had only taken hours of work and countless shots. (No joke). I had no lightbox, no tripod and no daylight bulbs. But once I got those tools in place, things started to look up. This is the same pair of earrings now:
I knew that if I was to be successful on etsy or any other online venue, I had to have decent photos. Photography is still challenging for me, but thank goodness there has been some improvement. Where I used to take about 50 shots to get four good ones, I now take 5-10. What a time saver! I can't tell you how much this changed my life. Now photography is not the dreaded chore it once was.
Another surprise is that I am doing more custom work than I thought I would. Sometimes customers are just looking for sterling instead of gold, or a longer or shorter bracelet. But other times I have designed a piece specifically for a customer. My most recent order was for a Toronto bride getting married in Hawaii. Her dress is strapless, gauzy, floor length, and swirls of bright blue, purple and pink. It was the most colourful wedding dress I've seen, and perfect for a wedding in Hawaii. The bride is 5'8" and wanted some really long, bold earrings. Together we designed these to match:
Swiss blue topaz, aquamarine, amethyst and hot pink topaz. She is so happy with them! Wish I could accompany them to Hawaii . . .
So in all, the last three months have been wonderful. My Spring goal is to work on my marketing and promotion. Like all etsy sellers, I am always looking to be seen. Now that I have a full shop, there's certainly lots to see!
Bring on Spring!
