Em's gEMs Blog!

I started my own Etsy shop, Em's gEMs, and wanted to also have a blog to post photos of my handmade earrings and to meet other jewelry makers. I am still a newbie, and need some words of wisdom, constructive criticism, and technique improving advice. Plus, I just LOVE looking at jewelry... so the more I get to do of that, the better.
My new Etsy shop features hand made earrings. Mostly, the earrings are Sterling Silver, and I prefer to use natural stones, semi-precious gems, Swarovski crystals, and glass beads. I have always loved nature's little treasures, and I wanted to see if others did too.
There is a very specific reason why I started to sell earrings. A few weeks ago, my Mom and I went out on a shopping "spree". We were in a retail store and there was a lovely pair of Sterling Silver earrings with red Swarovski crystal beads. I loved them immediately. Then I looked at the price and as my jaw hit the floor, I thought to myself, how in the world can these be $35.00!!!??? They were not gold, they were not diamonds, they weren't even more affordable natural gemstones like amethyst or blue topaz! There were just 2 (that's right, only 2) crystal beads, and two small spacers. They were not much longer than an inch. Now, I would NEVER have bought them, but my Mom had money burning a hole in her pocket and after lots of discounts and savings, they were much more reasonable and I got them.
Some of the first pairs of earrings I made were so similar, you could hardly see where there would be a $30.00 difference (I charge $7.00 for mine).