Want to work with me this year?

It is NEVER too early to get your order in! Seriously! I am currently taking appointments for end of February and suggest getting in touch as soon as possible if you would like custom work or if you would like to order for a special event this year.

Here are some deadlines to keep in mind!

Mother’s Day: order between now and deadline of April 8th.

Graduations: order between now and deadline of May 13th.

Father’s Day: order between now and deadline of May 13th.

Wedding Bands: order at least two months ahead of wedding.

2021 Gratitude and Donations

What a year it’s been and I have all of you to thank for it!

I tried new business opportunities, met new people via online networking groups, took on projects I wasn’t sure how I would complete but got them done and learned new skills along the way, had a baby, kept working… what a year indeed!

I always spend a day at the end of the year goal planning and thanks to 2021, I have a pretty clear vision of where I want to take my business in 2022.

This year I was able to donate just under $1000 to various charities thanks to your support and love for my jewellery. Every year I list my donation receipts for full transparency (you can see them below).

My donations are usually tied to my jewellery collections and or special sales, but this year with having a baby, I wasn’t able to make as many collections as I would have liked. So instead I donated $5 from every sale and split the funds amongst different causes.

Thank you again for all your support! I look forward to what 2022 brings!

Christmas Deadlines

SHIPPING

Last year there were shipping delays. This year, they are predicting even bigger delays.

To make sure orders arrive in time, the last day to ship both nationally and internationally is December 1st and shipping costs will be more than usual.

After December 1st, there are NO GUARANTEES and shipping WILL COST MORE.

These aren’t just my rules! You will find that most people are in the same boat! So please, please get your orders in early if you intend to support my business over Christmas.

CUSTOM ORDER DEADLINES

The last day to place custom orders for fine jewellery is November 15th. Why? A piece that normally takes 3 weeks to make, may take an extra week or two because of how busy everyone is during this time of year.

The last day to place orders for sterling silver jewellery is December 1st. Why is this later than fine jewellery? Because sterling silver jewellery is less complicated. If you want a complicated silver piece, I might not be able to get it done in time. So please don’t wait last minute to ask!

After those days I may still be taking orders but whether I can get your request done in time will depend on what you want made or how many other orders I have. I already have 6 Christmas (that were placed by mid-October).

Questions?! Don’t hesitate to ask!

Blogtober: Green initiatives I practice in my business

People often ask what green initiatives I practice aside from recycling metal and donating to environmental charities. The question inspired me to make a list for blogtober!

  1. As already mentioned, I recycle metals whenever I can. I have always done this and it is one of the cornerstone’s of my jewellery-making process.

  2. Proceeds from each sale are donated to charity and I always post a list of my donations here on this blog because transparency is important to me. You can see a list of my 2020 donations here. I also donate to other charities at random throughout the year and will post it to my blog!

  3. I use less packaging and recycled options when possible.

  4. I don’t take plastics bags when buying supplies and opt for less bags whenever possible.

  5. I recycle bags when I do get them (I take them to the grocery store or any place that recycles bags).

  6. I recycle all batteries. I keep a box in my office and when it’s full, I drop it off somewhere that recycles batteries!

  7. I use consciously-mined stones.

  8. I purchase supplies locally whenever I can.

Want to do:

  1. Collect rain water

  2. Continue to find greener packaging solutions.

  3. More ideas to come…

10 year jewellery anniversary

Happy jewellery anniversary to me!

It’s been 10 years since I left my publishing career to start making jewellery and boy does it feel like time really does fly! Thank for your being here and supporting me on this journey!

Here are 10 things I’ve learned about switching careers and running my own business:

  1. I used to constantly wish I had started making jewellery sooner but I’ve come to realize that wasn’t what I was meant to do. After highschool, I thought about following in my dad’s footsteps and becoming a jeweller but I didn’t. I often think about how much farther along in my jewellery career I would be if I had started ten years sooner. I would be celebrating 20 years in the industry now! But my life wasn’t meant to be that way and I love a lot of the experiences I had in my publishing career days so I’m happy things worked out the way they did.

  2. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to be as good as my dad but I’ve realized that his skill level is something that took him a long time to learn and as such might take me a long time to learn!

  3. Adding to that, I may never be as good as my dad. That used to really make me stress about not starting my jewellery career sooner. I felt like I wasted ten good years. But here’s the thing, I don’t have to be as good as my dad! I can be good in my own way!

  4. My style is evolving and that is ok! Sometimes I wish I had a more pronounced jewellery style but I think my lack thereof is what has taught me what I know and what has helped me succeed. Because I haven’t stuck to a certain style, I can do and learn more!

  5. Although we learn through trial and error, it’s also ok to ask for help. Why spend 50 hours doing something when you could cut down that down to 20 hours simply be asking for help?!

  6. It’s ok to admit to people when you have no idea what you are doing. I used to be scared to tell people I didn’t know how to make what they wanted because it made me feel and sound like an amateur. But here’s the thing, a) there are people who specialize in certain aspects of jewellery making which means it’s actually smarter for me to contract them out as it saves me time and money, b) it actually gives customers peace of mind knowing that you’re bringing another expert on board , and c) it’s crazy to think that everyone can do everything!

  7. You can’t let peoples scarcity mindset get you down! I used to get really bummed when I tried making friends with other jewellers but they weren’t interested at all. Like why don’t they like me?! WHO CARES! The way they react to me is their problem, not mine.

  8. Which leads me to: GROWTH MINDSET! It really is the only way to succeed in business. I’ve gotten farther along in my jewellery career being positive, building relationships, and helping others than thinking I should keep everything I learn to myself because there isn’t enough pie to go around.

  9. Never take your peers for granted! This might seem obvious but over the years I have seen many people ask my dad for favours but then not return them. I have also seen how often people help my dad because he does people favours but more importantly, respects their time and pays them on time.

  10. Don’t forget to work ON your business! Sometimes we get so busy working in our businesses that we forget to work ON them. Working IN your business means getting the actual work done. Working ON your business means working on backend tasks like marketing, education, etc. You can only grow your business so much by working IN it. At some point you need to work ON it to successfully manage growth. As an entrepreneur, sometimes you might be embarrassed that you let certain aspects of your business go so long without managing them. It’s ok! You were working and getting the job done! But eventually those backend tasks have to get done and you can ask for help. Furthermore, don’t be surprised if those backend tasks need to be revisited every couple of years. When your style changes, maybe your website will too, etc. It’s all part of the entrepreneurs journey!

Do you have any important business tips/wisdom to add for anyone starting or resetting a business?