Joy necklace by Spiraling Forward

I just finished mass updating the prices in my Etsy store. There are pieces that are more than 50% off! Go take a look now!

Why the huge sale you ask?

I started Spiraling Forward (originally Amanda Michelle Moon Designs) in December of 2011, right after I quit my job, before I started working at Whole Foods. I’ve been making jewelry for as long as I can remember and people always told me I should sell it, so I read a few articles, took a few pictures, and opened a store.

I registered for two craft fairs in 2012 and, while I didn’t sell much, they both forced me to really sit down and produce so I had enough items to sell. My business degree and years in the corporate world meant that I meticulously tracked everything I made, how much time I spent, and how much each of the individual components cost. I used that information to determine my pricing based on articles I had read about retail and wholesale pricing. I knew exactly what each item in my shop was “worth.”

Because of that, I wasn’t wearing much of what I was making. I was looking at each piece with the price tag on it, like I had to buy it if I wanted to wear it. While I still believe that this isn’t a bad way to think (you’d lose a lot of money if you wore everything and never sold anything) I realized that buy not wearing anything I was making, I was losing my aesthetic. If you asked me who my target customer was, I couldn’t answer you. I had way too many styles going on.

In 2014 I won’t have a lot of time to devote to Spiraling Forward, because I’ll be in school. But the time I do have I want to be making things that I truly love. I don’t want to make jewelry just because I think it will sell, or it’s a popular style. I want to make it because I want to wear it, and people I know would want to wear it.

I pulled a bunch of stuff out of my shop. Some of it I’m adding to my own personal collection (and wearing all the time.) Anything that I wouldn’t wear got put back into my supplies to be broken down and reused in a new design. What is left are pieces that I love, that I believe in, and that I want people to wear. So, in honor of my new focus, I’m having a sale! I hope you find something you like, and maybe something for a friend.