It's my 1st birthday!

'Christina made it'  is celebrating its 1st year in business. Firstly I'm amazed that a whole year has past since I started and secondly I can't believe I've made it this far. When I first set up I wasn't expecting to be able to go full time and I definitely wasn't expecting to sell as many pieces as I have.

I'll admit I did panic in the first two months that my business plan wasn't going to work out when I'd only sold about 20 pieces (I think I was expecting instant success without trying!) so I decided I was going to go travelling Instead and booked a month long tour around New Zealand. Ironically sales jumped straight after that and I broke even in October - three months to break even for a start-up is pretty good going.

I realised at this point I would be able to go travelling and run my business at the same time (with a lot of help from friends and family to post the orders) and as a result made this year my gap year/jewellery making year. I think it's important sometimes to just do all the things you've always wanted to to, so that's what I did.

My favourite place we visited in New Zealand; Lake Pukaki (print available in my shop!) 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/232995801/photography-print-framed-new-zealand

The first piece I ever made was a salt spoon, I didn't actually realise a salt spoon was even a thing, but it looked cute in the instructions so I picked that one to make.

I got a bit ahead of myself and photographed it next to a tiffanys box (not pretentious in the slightest!)  Seriously though check out those twists.

Unfortunately the first piece I made on my own got stolen, which was also one of my first batch of hallmarked pieces. It was a set of drop earrings for my mum, I even made the hooks.

I set up my hallmark quite early on, hallmarking is a nice touch but it's also quite costly for a new designer (and It takes ages to send away) so now I only get pieces hallmarked when it's needed (if it's over a certain weight). It's a shame really because I would love to have my name stamped on everything I make. I've noticed a lot of shops  stamp the number 925 on their jewellery which is under the weight restriction. You can do it yourself for free and it means people will know it's silver rather than having nothing on it, so I might go down that route.

CMI maker's mark along with the year and assay hallmark

The first custom made piece was for my brother, which was a plain silver D-shaped band for his wedding ring.

My brother's wedding ring I made

After setting up an etsy shop I now ship all over the world. Based on the etsy figures which is my main selling site, 50% of the orders are to UK customers and 50% are to the rest the word, with the majority going to  America. I definitely wasn't expecting to have customers in places like Russia, Slovenia and Hungry.

Last month I reached my 500th order, which is pretty good going when you take into account I was out of the country for 9 weeks of the year! I made a short clip to celebrate my 500th sale, head over to my Instagram to check it out

https://instagram.com/p/5PKYW6TdcP/ ) 

500 sign made from silver chains, beads and earrings

Since starting I've opened up online shops on Etsy, Folksy, EBay, Dwanda, Amazon and Asos Marketplace. Some have worked amazingly some not so much, but it's all a learning curve and you have to try them to know. 

My most recent online shop Asos Marketplace, I sold a piece the day I launched. 

I've had a number of market stalls, the most successful being in my home town during the summer and a Christmas pop up shop I set up in a pub. 

Pop up shop at the Big Society, going for the rustic look.

Local craft market where everything blew away and landed in puddles...

My current stall layout using picture frames and fake flowers. 

My biggest sellers are ear cuffs, I sell one almost every day. I have about 6 different designs and make them in rose gold, yellow gold and sterling silver. I think it's because I designed them to fit better around the ear compared to others you find on the high street. I've had a lot of great feedback and repeat customers, so I must be doing something right!

9ct Solid gold ear cuff  

I recently made the first engagement rings. It was very scary to have such a big responsibility but equally an honour to have been asked. I was working with materials I had never worked with and setting stones which I'd never done before.

First engagement ring, the proposal was snorkling in Australia.

First Platium ring made with 3 diamonds

What does the future hold? I have no idea, I'd like to see my business grow and expand into more areas of jewellery design and to work on some high end collections and gallery pieces. My aim is to cover all aspects of jewellery making such as enamaling, ceramics, acrylic, resin and all the other remaining metals.  Most of which I can learn through YouTube so I'm optistic that I can cover everything. My dream is to become the next Michael Kors or Channel with celebraties wearing my pieces. For now I'll just settle with trying to get a bigger customer base and having more people wearing my work.

I'll leave you with a couple of custom pieces I have made over the year. 

Adjustable feather ring

Bird on a branch necklace  

Laser engraved wedding Cufflink from the bride to the groom

Chain ring made on the spot for a customer at one of the market stalls. 

Maple leaf stud earrings

Dancing in the moonlight ID bracelet  

First keyring that a customer designed with the lines making up the letters 'I Love You' 

First 9ct gold piece with fresh water pearls  

If you would like to see some more, take a look at the custom section on my website. Or just follow me on social media as I usually post a new piece everyday. 

DIY Ring Holder Diplay

If you have a stall or shop selling jewellery, you don't need to spend lots of money on the display. Most display items you can make yourself for much less and they will look just as good.  

This ring holder is the perfect example. The finished result looks very professional and no one will be able to tell that you made it. Its a great way to display rings so that customers can take them out and try them on. 

The items you will need before you start: 

Box photo frame (8x10 or 7x5)

Some kind of tubing

Felt 

Ruler

Scissors

Double sided tape

Sharpie

For the rows I used white pipe cover which I found in the garage (I think it was from B&Q or Homebase) it's made from plastic and wraps around thin copper pipes. It came in a long tube which I cut to size. But you could use anything that is cylindrical and fits in the size of your frame.

I felt that eight rows would work best with the frame I had. I measured the length of the frame and marked on the pipe with the sharpie and cut the pipe using the scissors (the pipe is made from a thin plastic sheet so you can un roll it and cut it quite easily - if you use something else you may need a saw)

I stuck double sided tape along the length of the pipe and rolled tightly the felt around the tube. If you are using something thin such as a pencil or a wooden dowel you can just keep rolling more felt to thincken the row. You want it thickly padded out so that when you press the ring in it stays in place. Although not too thick that your rows are too high over your frame. 

Make sure you know how much felt you use to keep the rows all the same thickness. Its a good idea to roll them all out first and check how thick and how many you need to make, before you stick them with the double sided tape. 

Cut off any excess felt - just enough so that it can wedge tightly in the space of the frame.  once you have completed all six felt rows you can add them to your frame.

When I got to the last one there was a slightly bigger space left so I made a thincker row just to make sure all the rows were secure. I then added double sided tape to the felt rows and attached them to the glass. 

I actually made this the night before I was doing an event so I was slightly limited on materials. With some more preparation you could fill the inside with foam padding or use leather for a more luxurious look. 

I'm really happy with the finished display, it fits in well with the rest of my stand and it looks professional. Everyone who has seen it has just assumed it is something I have bought. I don't have too many rings at the moment but even with just eight rows you can fit quite a lot of rings.

If you make your own, send in a photo via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook (or you can comment below)