…Jewelry was my hobby for 10 years before I actually started to turn it into a business in 2012, selling both handmade jewelry and supplies. The inspiration from my products comes from my own taste, what I like in aesthetics in general, things that I wished I could find and I was not able to. I love color, and you can see that clearly reflected in my products.

…I consider myself an artist I can make anything I see, I have been doing things with my hands since I was a little girl of 11 or 12 years old. I started by making my doll clothes. Then I started knitting and crocheting from the age of 13 to 16, then I tried painting I love doing that. Then one day while in my 50’s I started making jewelry, I sold several pieces to friends, co-workers, and family. I found that all I had to do is think of it visualize it in my mind and I could do it no matter what it was.

…We price our products as fairly as possible. If we counted all the hours we put in to one piece it would just be to expensive. We try to price to a point where the customer is happy with the price for the item that they are buying.

…We have a selection of bohemian style jewelry in our store. Each piece has a unique story and tradition behind it whether it be a pair of handwoven metal earrings with natural pearls or a copper piece of jewelry with floral carvings on it.

… I paid a lot of attention to photography and making sure it catches a clear image of the features of the products. For example, if it comes with engraving, making sure to get a clear shot of the engraved message, etc. As for the lesson, I learned the hard way was that there’s a lot of copycats on Etsy and other sites like Wish or Alibaba that try to pretend like they are you and to divert your customers away. That’s why I started using watermarks on my pictures too.

… Advertising is the largest impact on profitability, it can either make or break your shop. Copper is the material that my products are made from which is pretty expensive. I price my products by taking all of my average costs and putting a comfortable margin of profit on them.

… I use brass based metal that is plated with either rhodium, rose gold, or gold finish. I also use Swarovski crystals and pearls and mainly work with cubic zirconia crystals. I make a simple line of jewelry, a lot of which can be used for other events after the wedding.

… To have a successful, online business was my ongoing, 90’s dream. Other than our local, physical shop, I craved to have an online presence that would be smart. elegant and articulate. Etsy made this a reality for me, for us, my husband, and my self. So we started ‘Arktos Collectibles’, our Etsy shop in the summer of 2012.

… You must have either a strong motivation like supporting your family, quit your day job, or really love what you want to do. Both (being motivated and loving what you want to deal with) would work even better because you will work free for some time for sure and you will have to take a risk of the first step.

… In the supply business, I see trends change very quickly. I will have an item sell 10,000 to 20,000 units in a month sometimes. Any time I can, I take my huge shipments from the gem cutters and other suppliers I use, and pre-package them into Solo Supplies packaging, just like you’d see on a brick and mortar store shelf. My office is literally lined with peg hooks holding little packages in nice neat order, ready to be picked and shipped.