The Blog of Lava Jewelry & Fresh Picked Candles

I’m excited to announce that I have just started a new line of handmade candles, available for sale on Etsy!

My new collection is called Fresh Picked Candles. I am offering candles made using all-natural waxes, top-quality fragrances, and 100% cotton wicks. I have 12 fruity scents as well as unscented candles for sale. (Blackberry Sage, Blueberry, Cranberry Citrus, Cucumber Melon, Juicy Pear, Lemon Verbena, Luscious Lime, Mandarin Orange, Peach, Pomegranate, Succulent Strawberry, and Wild Cherry.)

I am offering wax melts/tarts, tea lights, votives, pillars, and container candles.

In addition to the 12 fragrances I will be carrying on a regular basis, I am offering two limited-time-only fragrances seasonally. This spring, my Limited Edition fragrances are Pink Grapefruit and Green Apple.

I can also custom-create palm wax or soy wax candles to your exact specifications. Just contact me to let me know your needs.

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2009
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Pizzaiolo Restaurant
Street: 5008 Telegraph Ave
City/Town: Oakland, CA

I will be selling my jewelry and candles at Feria Urbana again. The designers there are AMAZING, I promise! It’s a handmade shopping paradise!

Feria Urbana is an urban fair made up of local artists and designers selling a range of items at accessible prices. Clothing, jewelry, home accessories, ceramics, fashion accessories, baby items and more! Shop locally for amazing items made right here in the bay area.

It will be happening in the back outdoor area of Pizzaiolo (in Temescal.) The restaurant will be serving coffee & toast with Blue Bottle Coffee & Blue Chair jams, Yummy! Come support your local art community, buy something for yourself or buy someone a gift. Grab a bite to eat
or a drink as you take a little shopping break.

This will be the last Feria Urbana at Pizzaiolo, so don’t miss out!

I’m reposting this article I wrote for Sellers Assisting Sellers a year ago. New advice coming soon, I promise!

After product photos, product descriptions are the most important element in successful online selling. Because your customers cannot see and feel your items in person, you need to provide that experience in your description. Your description can be what turns a browser into a buyer. You might not be the next Nobel Laureate in literature, but with a little time and practice, you can write great product descriptions.

Write your description as if your buyer were blind.
When you write your description, pretend that your customer cannot see your gorgeous photos. Describe the shape, size, color, luster, feel, etc. of your item. Don’t leave anything out. Think about what information you would want to know if you were shopping. Always include what materials your product is made of. Remember that most people aren’t going to take the time to write and ask you about something you’ve omitted; they’re much more likely to just move on to the next shop.

When possible, include a little information about your process.
Etsy is all about handmade. Unless you are selling commercial supplies or vintage, you should be able to provide a sentence or two about your process. People love to know a little bit about what went into making the piece they are buying. Don’t leave someone wondering if you made that gorgeous silver pendant, or just bought it and put it on a chain.

Include measurements in Imperial and metric.
Etsy is an international site. Most of the world uses the metric system, but many Americans are unfamiliar with metric measurements, so include both. 1 inch equals 2.54cm exactly.

Avoid abbreviations and technical terms.
There may be terms that you use every day in your business that your buyer is unfamiliar with. Sometimes you can use this as an opportunity to educate your buyer, but if you define every technical term you use, your description will become long and will most likely turn buyers off. Also, be careful about using abbreviations that are not universally known. An example I often see on Etsy is “convo.” New Etsy users are not generally familiar with this term, so I recommend saying, “Please contact me,” instead of, “Please convo me.”

Add a little of your personality to your descriptions.
For me, this is the most challenging part of writing descriptions. If you can do this well, it will draw people to your shop. If you do this poorly, you can lose sales. Make sure the tone of your writing matches the type of item you are selling. For example, if you are selling fun, colorful, whimiscal costume jewelry, go ahead and write something cute, fun, and whimsical in your description. If you are selling a $10,000 emerald necklace, a different approach is needed.

Make sure your customer isn’t surprised.
When your customer receives an order from you, there should be no surprises. Be extremely clear in your listing what your buyer will receive. Your buyer should know the color, size, shape, quantity, etc. before ordering. If you are selling an item with a flaw, however small, be sure to disclose that.

Get a second pair of eyes for proofreading.
It can be difficult to find your own mistakes. Have someone else read your description to check for spelling and grammatical errors or omissions. I also find Firefox’s spell check feature to be extremely helpful. (For those of you unfamilar with Firefox, it is a web browser that includes a built-in spell check. Firefox will underline incorrectly spelled words in red for you.)

I hope you will be able to use some of these ideas to improve your listings on Etsy. If you have further advice about writing descriptions, please post in the comments below. I’d love to hear your ideas!

Andalusite is an aluminum silicate mineral (Al2SiO3). Two minerals with the same composition but different structure (polymorphs) as andalusite are kyanite and sillimanite. Andalusite is one of my personal favorite gemstones because it is generally brown in color (there aren’t too many brown gemstones and I love to wear brown!) and it exhibits a property called pleochroism – it appears different colors from different directions. Andalusite can appear orange, green, or brown (all colors that I love to wear!), depending on what direction you view it from.

The transparent variety of andalusite that I use in my jewelry is somewhat uncommon. The opaque variety is more common, and it is often known as cross stone or chiastolite. When viewed down the c-axis, it displays a cross. This stone can be quite striking when cut en cabochon.

Andalusite has a hardness of about 7 1/2 on Moh’s hardness scale, but it is fairly brittle (easy to break). Andalusite is a metamorphic mineral, which occurs in schists, gneisses, and placers. Deposits are found in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia, Spain (Andalusia), Sri Lanka, and the US (Schumann, Gemstones of the World).

There is a dark green variety of andalusite called viridine, which contains iron and manganese.

Google image results for andalusite.
Andalusite entries on webmineral and mineral galleries.

What: De Anza Flea Market

When: Saturday Sept. 5, 2009, 8am to 4pm

Where: Space 50C, De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino, CA

Cost: $5 parking, free admission

I will once again be selling my handmade jewelry and candles at the De Anza Flea Market. Come by booth 50C and say hi!

I’ve been completely inundated with requests for Etsy shop critiques recently, so I’ve decided to repost this article that I wrote for Sellers Assisting Sellers a year ago. I plan to write another advice article soon, based on the questions I am most frequently asked. Enjoy!
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In the three 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 experiences.

Traditionally, blue sapphire is September’s birthstone, but since sapphire can be so many different colors, I say why not break from tradition and choose your favorite color?

Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum. Ruby is the red variety of corundum, and the term “sapphire” applies to any other color of gemstone corundum. Sapphires form in just about every color, including white, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black. Blue sapphire gets its color from trace amounts of the ions Fe2+ and Ti4+. Corundum is an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) mineral , and it forms in aluminum-rich, silica-poor geologic environments such as pegmatites (very coarse-grained granite), and contact zones between limestone and intrusive igneous rocks.

Economically important deposits of sapphire are found in Australia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Thailand (Schumann, Gemstones of the World). Large sapphires are rare.

Corundum is one of the hardest gemstones, with a hardness of 9 on Moh’s hardness scale (where diamond is a 10). It is also a tough mineral (difficult to break).

Some sapphire exhibits an optical property called asterism. This type of sapphire is called star sapphire. It is sapphire with silk (tiny long mineral inclusions – usually rutile) growing in all directions, so that a 6-rayed star of light appears when viewed from certain angles. Star sapphire is best cut en cabochon. Because star sapphire is not worth as much on the market as traditional faceted sapphire, the gemstones are often heated to remove this beautiful optical effect.

Both heating and dying are common treatments applied to sapphire to increase its beauty and value.

Google image results for sapphire.
Sapphire on webmineral and mineral galleries.

Spinel is a beautiful, and in my opinion, greatly underappreciated gemstone. It forms in a large variety of colors (red, pink, blue, violet, yellow, orange, green, black, brown), and it is a very durable stone. It has a hardness of 8 on Moh’s hardness scale, and it does not fracture easily. Spinel is a magnesium aluminum oxide (MgAl2O4).

Spinel is actually a family of related minerals. Types of gem-quality spinel include flame spinel, balas spinel, pleonaste, hercynite, gahnite, gahnospinel, and picolite (chrome spinel).

Historically, spinel was not known as a separate mineral. It was usually called ruby, and many famous rubies were later found to actually be spinel. The Black Prince’s Ruby in the English Crown and the Timur Ruby in the English Crown Jewels are two such examples.

Spinel is found in placer deposits, along with ruby, in many locations around the world. Important sources include Burma, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. Like ruby, spinel is a metamorphic mineral found in limestones, dolostones, and low-silica alkali igneous rocks.

Synthetic spinel was first created in 1919. Synthetic spinel has been used as a imitation for many gemstones including diamond, ruby, and sapphire.

Google image results for spinel.
Spinel entries on webmineral and mineral gallery.

I’ll be selling my jewelry and candles at two events in the next two days:

Art on the Square, Redwood City

Redwood City is fast becoming the peninsula’s epicenter for the arts with new galleries and great places to hear live music. Art on the Square fine art and craft shows return this year with the Friday night concert series and summer festivals, where artists and artisans exhibiting their inspirational work will transform the streets surrounding Courthouse Square into an outdoor gallery. Presented by Redwood City and its Civic Cultural Commission and Redevelopment Agency, these six, juried art shows from June 19th until September 26th will bring artists exhibiting painting, jewelry, photography, glass, fiber, sculpture, and more.

At each of these art shows, you can enter a drawing to win gift certificates good to spend in artists’ booths of your choice! During Art on the Square you can find high quality work for yourself, your home, and for gifts – all while supporting the local economy and the best of handmade American craftsmanship from 5-8:30pm on Friday. You’re invited to join friends, family, neighbors, and the entire community to enjoy Courthouse Square – your new “Downtown living room” – for Friday evening and Saturday festival art shows and concerts.

Meridian Square Bazaar

Date: Saturday, August 29, 2009
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Meridian Square Shopping Center
Street: Intersection of Meridian and Branham
City/Town: San Jose, CA

I will be selling my handmade jewelry and candles at this fun outdoor event! Lisa Amato (of photoamato.etsy.com) will be at my booth part of the day, selling bookmarks and note cards of her own original photography.

Why: We shall beat the economic downturn that looms around us by participating in strength and working together to make it successful and profitable for all, shopping center tenants and vendors and give our community something to look forward to.

Mark your calendars! I will be selling at two different events this upcoming week:

Date: Friday, August 21, 2009
Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Downtown Campbell
Street: E Campbell Ave
City/Town: Campbell, CA

The Downtown Campbell ArtWalk is a casual, “tour-on-your-own” style art walk. This is a great opportunity to visit with the artists and view their exciting new works in a friendly, casual atmosphere; just get our map and brochure at any of the participating galleries.

FREE ADMISSION

I will be selling my jewelry there (I won’t know the exact location until a few days before the event). It’s sure to be a pleasant evening with music, food, and shopping.

There are so many wonderful little shops, galleries, cafes, (and gelato) – you ought to check it out!

Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009
Time: 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Roe (Bar/Lounge)
Street: 651 Howard St
City/Town: San Francisco, CA
Price: $5

We have created a shopping event for all to enjoy. By combining music, art, style and creative flare, we are taking shopping to another level.
Urban Stitch is a platform for Designers, Artists, and Vendors to showcase their work & An environment for the community to shop exclusive pieces for great deals.
We are all coming together to create a staple in the industry of Creative shopping, and welcome YOU to be apart of the Urban Stitch Family!

Advance tickets @ www.brownpaperbagtickets.com/event/73878

Gift bag with RSVP only: UrbanStitchRSVP@gmail.com