THE PERSONAL GEOGRAPHIC: Indica Jewelry: Handmade is Better

I'm super excited to have Robine from Indica Jewelry here today!

Her beautiful shop features gorgeous one-of-a-kind hand made accessories.Today, Robine shares her story about how Indica was born! She is also offering a little special for everyone ;-)

So without further ado, here she is!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During my life, I have done a lot of crafting, including (but not limited
to) sewing (hate it), drawing (unfortunately I suck at it), molding
polymer clay (not too bad at it, but it's not my favorite thing in the
world), needle felting (yup, also not a keeper) and many, many more. Until
two years ago, when I finally found something I truly love (and doesn't
require me to take nerve relaxing pills or shower afterwards); making
jewelry.

When I started, I didn't know anything about the business. I did not
realize there are thousands on thousands of people doing it. So I just
went to the craft store, only to come home less than disappointed (and
quite frankly, a bit overwhelmed). I soon realized this was more than I
expected. This is such a broad field. What type of jewelry did I like?
What kind of material? Silver? Copper? Did I like bead work? Or something
with natural stones? How does it all work?

I started out with silver (no, not the real kind, but the kind that turns
your fingers and earlobes green) and I didn't like it. I just didn't. If I
wanted to turn this hobby into a full time job, I needed to offer quality
items. And if I want to continue with silver, it has to be real silver.
And real silver doesn't come cheap. I would have to build a stable
business on the back of just three different necklaces (I could not afford
more variety).

This seemed to me like a giant mountain which I wasn't willing to climb.
Same thing with gold. It is pretty, but done wrong, it can look too campy
and the expenses are way to high. So I decided on brass. And I have never
regretted my choice. Brass is a little cheaper to put in stock and
develops a beautiful patina over time. Brass can be classy, yet earthy.
And it looks well on everyone. No matter if you are fair or dark skinned,
a redhead or blonde. So I stuck with it.

I made jewelry with talismans and I sold some at a local handmade market.
It was great. But I always try to place myself in the position of the
customer. For example: if I see a bag that I like, but I do not like the
zipper or handles, I am not buying it. And so I build a website, where
customers can choose their own image for the talisman. It sky rocketed and
I still love to do it. With now more than 600 choices for talisman jewelry
(and also charms and beads), it has turned into a solid business.

The downside: it messes with my creativity. I am just putting elements
together, chosen by others. And no matter who much my customers love it, I
did not want to do just that for the rest of life. I wanted to make
something special, something I have come up with. One of a kind items mean
less stock and more fun. It is also nice not to feel like living in a
stockroom.

So that is when Indica was born. One of a kind, 100% handmade items. My
baby. I really love working on new pieces, promoting my web shop and
getting to know my customers better. It is so much fun to see which items
are popular online and how people react when they first visit my shop.
Some of the feedback I got about my jewelry is that it is like a look
through a gypsy's jewelry box (and that's exactly what I'm going for). I
make a lot of pieces with feathers, turquoise, brass (sometimes a little
gold) and leather. Customs requests are always more than welcome & I do
recycle on jewelry (if something isn't sold or I see jewels on a flea
market).

I can now say that this is definitely the path I am staying on and I hope
my jewelry will inspire a lot of women, even if it would just be that they
finally found a piece of my jewelry that will go with an already bought
outfit (or shoes, for that matter). Have a look in my web shop (I am on
Etsy too!) and let me know what you think! Feedback is the best, one can
not grow without it!

I am also offering a 10% discount on all my items (on
Etsy) for the readers of Justina's wonderful blog, just use coupon code:
"geographic" upon checkout. Oh and by the way; worldwide shipping is only
$4! I hope you all have a great week!