Cranial Meltdown Revived

Wow, I think this is the longest I’ve ever gone without writing in my blog… I definitely shouldn’t make a habit of it.

I am part of a new team on Etsy called Etsy Mentors. We have volunteered our time to help mentor other Etsy sellers. We have set up a blog, where I have already written two posts: http://etsymentors.com

Here is the first post I wrote for Etsy Mentors: (To see my more recent post, you’ll just have to visit the Etsy Mentors site!

In the two years I’ve been an Etsy shop owner, I’ve been asked to do a number of shop critiques, and on many occasions, I’ve asked the requester to do a little homework before I spend my time and energy giving a thorough critique. Why? Because I’m a big meanie? Well, perhaps I am, but I also want to help get your shop in the best possible shape. These steps will help you get ready for your critique:

1. A little light reading
I ask that everyone who approaches me for a critique read all of Etsy’s FAQs, Do’s and Dont’s, and Terms of Use first. I know that it seems like a daunting task, but it is all written in very simple, straightforward language, and it won’t take as long as you think. It’s well worth the time. It’s probably not possible to memorize everything in there, but at least you’ll have a familiarity with what is included in Etsy’s policies and guidelines.

2. Fill in all of your shop sections
Make sure that you have a banner and an avatar, a shop announcement, a profile, a shop policies page, shop sections, a message to buyer, and at least a few listings. It’s difficult to evaluate a shop that isn’t complete.

3. A tiny bit more reading
After setting up shop, check out the EtsyWiki for advice to shop owners. There’s a ton of great advice on photos, pricing, and on successful selling.

4. Make improvements to your shop based on what you’ve read
This step might seem obvious, but be sure to use what you’ve learned. You’ll find that improving your shop is a constant iterative process. There’s always more to learn, and there are always ways to improve.

Now that you’ve completed these four steps, you’re ready for a detailed shop critique. Contact the Etsy Mentor of your choice, and we’ll be happy to give you pointers based on our own experience.

About the Author: My name is ‘Chel, and I’m the owner of Lava Jewelry and Zbella. I’ve been a member of Etsy for just over two years, and I’m available for mentoring in the following areas: Etsy Policies, Shop Critiques, USPS Shipping, and Gemstones.

Please take a moment to fill in this poll. I’m interested in what your favorite gemstones are. What gemstones have always been your favorite? What gemstones are your latest favorites? Please feel free to leave comments below, especially if you answer “None of the Above.”

Poll Answers

Lava Jewelry is fully stocked on July’s gorgeous birthstones: ruby and carnelian. I have tons of styles available in both stones, and remember that I love to do custom work, so please contact me if you’d like something different in ruby or carnelian for a July birthday.

Ruby is one of the five precious gemstones (diamond, emerald, sapphire, and tanzanite are the other four). Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum. Sapphire is also a variety of corundum, and it includes a huge array of colors, including blue, white, green, and pink. Ruby owes its color to trace amounts of chromium in its crystal structure. Corundum has a hardness of 9 on Moh’s scale, second only to diamond. Corundum is found in a variety of geologic settings.

From mineralminers.com: “Ruby: is said to inspire love, and to enhance creativity, wisdom and spirituality. It is also said to give confidence, self-esteem and courage, and to stimulate leadership qualities. Ruby is also said to have been helpful in treating heart and circulatory disease.”

Carnelian is a beautiful, more affordable, July birthstone. Carnelian is a form of chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz) which is orange in color. The color of carnelian is often enhanced by heating. Carnelian ranges in color from bright orange to a deep, almost red, orange.

As a jewelry-maker, I have the unique privilege of working with some really tiny tools. I wanted to share a picture of one of my tools with my blog readers. It is a drill bit that I use in jewelry-making (see photo below). Yes, indeed, I have to do some very tiny, detailed work at times.

In other news, I will soon be moving into my new studio. I’m excited to have a space entirely devoted to my work. I will be posting photos once I set up shop. I hope to be able to offer metalsmithing lessons from there.

Question of the Day: What are your favorite gemstones?

I went to Yosemite over the weekend with a couple of friends. I have spent a lot of time at Yosemite in the past, doing geology. Two of my professors at San Jose State had a grant studying the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite in the park. (Feel free to ask me about the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite. I’ve spent a lot of time around Tenaya and May Lakes, as well as near Tioga Pass, on the eastern part of the park, but I hadn’t spent so much time in the touristy areas.

My friends and I went to Glacier Point, which is probably the most scenic part of Yosemite. From Glacier Point, you can peer down into Yosemite Valley, and you can see all the Yosemite landmarks with famous names: Half Dome, El Capitan, Sentinel, Bridalveil Falls, etc.

It was really hazy (and there was a lot of smoke from nearby fires), but luckily I brought along my handy dandy polarizing filters for my camera, which were able to cut back the haze in my photos fairly nicely.

My brother and I hope to go on a camping trip next month, possibly in Yosemite. Maybe we’ll go visit some of my favorite spots near Tioga Pass this time. We’ll see.

Question of the Day: If you could go camping for several summer days in any part of California, where would you go?

I hit 1000 sales in my Etsy shop this week! Woo hoo!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my wonderful customers. Seriously, I must have the best customers in all of Etsyland. You’ve been an absolute delight, collaborating to make custom jewelry for you, and providing me with extremely generous and valuable feedback. Thank you so much!

And now, a non-Etsy-related Question of the Day: How can Tigh have been a Cylon if he’s been with the military for 40 years? Is this a discrepancy they are going to explain? (Is it possible that Tigh was one of the very first human-form Cylons, created around the time Adama discovered that Cylon lab during the first Cylon war?) Oh, and if the Final Five have been to Earth, when? Are the Five models really old?

June’s birthstones include moonstone and pearls. Lava Jewelry has beautiful pearl and moonstone jewelry for those June birthdays. Because pearls are not a stone, and volumes and volumes could be written on pearls, I’m going to focus on moonstone today.

Moonstone is a form of a mineral called adularia, which is an orthoclase feldspar. (Was that all Greek to you?) It is a potassium aluminum silicate. Moonstone is known for the unique way it reflects light. It occurs naturally in a variety of pale colors, including white, pink, yellowish grey, green, peach, and grey. White/colorless moonstone with a Schiller effect (like labradorite) is called rainbow moonstone. The Schiller is usually blue in rainbow moonstone.

Moonstone has a hardness of 6 on Moh’s hardness scale (quartz is 7, diamond is 10). Unfortunately, moonstone fractures readily, so I prefer not to use it in jewelry that tends to get knocked around a lot, like rings or bracelets. It’s a beautiful stone to use in earrings, necklaces, and pendants.

I do not know any of the metaphysical or healing properties of moonstone. If someone would like to contribute this information, please write in the comments below.

Another of June’s birthstones is alexandrite. I do not currently have any alexandrite. It is an expensive and beautiful gemstone that changes color depending on the light source. It appears a different color in sunlight than in incandescent or fluorescent light.

Question of the Day: Who is the final Cylon?

Poll Answers

I had been wanting to learn to etch copper for quite some time, then recently I ran across a tutorial written by Etsy seller Copperheart that made it seem so easy. Check out her tutorial here!

So now, I’m happily etching every piece of copper, brass, and nickel silver I can get my hands on. You’ll see quite a lot of it popping up in my Zbella shop soon. I’ve already made butterflies, gingko leaves, bamboo (like the example above), and fun little abstract patterns. If there’s anything you’d like to see in my shop, just write your suggestion in the comments below.

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite current tv show?

The Spring Beading Challenge has now officially ended. Come see all of the amazing entries on our Flickr page!

Linda Chandler will be judging the entries, and announcing the winners later this month.

I plan to create a treasury of entries on Etsy soon. I can’t wait! The entries are GORGEOUS.

I still have quite a few bead sets left, so if you’re interested in purchasing them for personal use, please swing by my shop.

Emerald is May’s beautiful and precious green birthstone. Yes, indeed, Lava Jewelry has emerald in stock for those May birthdays! Emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl. Emerald is one of the five precious gemstones, along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and tanzanite. (As I write this, I ponder why alexandrite isn’t included as a precious gemstone. Anyone knowing the answer, please feel free to comment.)

Other gemstone varieties of the mineral beryl include aquamarine (light blue to greenish blue), heliodor (yellow to orange), and morganite (pink). Less common varieties are goshenite (clear) and bixbite (red). Emerald is a 7.5 to 8 on Moh’s hardness scale.

Emerald is found in mica sheets in metamorphic-hydrothermal zones where a pluton or pegmatite has come into contact with low-silica host rock. Associated minerals include calcite and dolomite. Perhaps the best-known emerald locality is Columbia.

Emeralds are often treated with oil to eliminate the appearance of fine fractures that often occur in the gemstone. Because of this, emeralds should never been cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner or with jewelry cleaning solution. If you have emerald jewelry that needs to be cleaned, the safest thing to do is to take it to a professional jeweler who is knowledgeable about emeralds.

From mineralminers.com:
“Emerald is said to give confidence, peace and harmony and to enhance one’s creativity and mental capacities. It is also said to instill and nurture mutual love and loyalty in marriage, and to ensure honesty and success in business dealings and other relationships.”

“Emerald is also said to help strengthen and heal the heart and kidneys, and to help remedy circulatory and neurological disorders and eye irritations, and to help eliminate free radicals from the body.”

Question of the Day: Non-emerald related… Who is the final Cylon?