Every piece of jewelry I make and list in my shop has a story. Each one has hours of work put into it, not because of the assembly or the design or the time spent choosing the base materials, but because of the attention I give towards finding and choosing the barite rose(s) featured in the piece.
Earrings, especially, are a challenge. No two Rose Rocks are the same, varying in size, shape, hue, texture, and definition. I meticulously sort through thousands of tiny pieces to find Rose Rocks that meet my standards for jewelry. On average, I'll spend 4-5 hours searching through the Rose Rock "gravel" that I've collected and will find maybe 2 or 3 that are beautiful enough for jewelry. After they are sorted by size, shape, texture and color, i decide what kind of jewelry they'd work best for. Larger roses with a pleasing round shape and flatter backs usually are made into pendants for necklaces, charms, or keychains. Tiny roses that are symmetrical with a classic rose appearance and intricate details are set aside for earrings, with the hopes that I'll find another one that will match it. In 8 years of collecting, and countless hours of sorting, I've managed to make 4 pairs of earrings!
I'm a perfectionist Libra, I can't make and sell things I'm not proud of.. the things I craft are a reflection of my standards, values, and care. Of course, I couldn't logically sell them at a price that was based on my time and efforts ($10/hr x 100+hrs?!).. plus, to be fair (another Libra trait), I thoroughly enjoy collecting, sorting, and organizing! So instead, the price of the jewelry I make is based on other factors:
- The level of satisfaction I got from completing the project, or how well I think it turned out
- The rarity of the roses I used
- The level of difficulty it took to make
- The cost and quality of the base materials
- The item's purpose or meaning.
I want people to be able to afford an item if they love it. I'd rather sell a piece I spent years working on to someone for $10 that would cherish it, rather than make $100 dollars selling it to someone that just thinks it's cool. My heart overrides my business sense, but that's ok.. I love what I do and that's what makes it all worth it.
it.afford an item if they love it. I'd rather sell a piece I spent years working on to someone for $10 that would cherish it, rather than make $100 dollars selling it to someone that just thinks it's cool. My heart overrides my business sense, but that's ok.. I love what I do and that's what makes it all worth it.
I want people to be able to afford an item if they love it. I'd rather sell a piece I spent years working on to someone for $10 that would cherish it, rather than make $100 dollars selling it to someone that just thinks it's cool. My heart overrides my business sense, but that's ok.. I love what I do and that's what makes it all worth itI want people to be able to afford an item if they love it. I'd rather sell a piece I spent years working on to someone for $10 that would cherish it, rather than make $100 dollars selling it to someone that just thinks it's cool. My heart overrides my business sense, but that's ok.. I love what I do and that's what makes it all worth it