Etsy Seller Interview with Irith of rioritajewelry

How rioritajewelry got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

My name is Irith Rita Mashiah, and I design and handcraft my jewelry from sterling silver and gold. I have always loved to watch people who wear unique jewelry pieces. especially when it was handmade. I believe that when a woman wears a piece of handmade jewelry, she actually makes a statement: "This is me, and this is how I like to show myself to the world!" In my shop, you will find personalized handmade jewelry, including silver and gold-plated earrings, rings, bracelets, bangles, and necklaces. My inspiration comes mostly from nature: flowers, leaves, the sea, as well as geometric and free-form shapes and tribal art.

I love to use various stones in my designs. Most of these stones can be found abundantly in many areas of our world. Others are more rare, such as Australian or Ethiopian opal and tourmaline, which come in variations of forms and colors. Most of my pieces are for everyday wear, but sometimes I like to play with a new idea and see if my enthusiasm for it is shared by other people too. All my jewelry is designed and created with great love and care. What I keep in mind when I design my jewelry is to interpret global trends in it too.

I work from home, where I have a small workshop. My work includes designing, sewing the metals, hammering, soldering, stone setting, and finally polishing and taking photographs. In my shop, you will find personalized handmade jewelry, including silver and gold-plated earrings, rings, bracelets, bangles, and necklaces. I work from home, where I have a small workshop. In it, I design, sew the metals, hammer, solder, set the stones, and finally polish and take photographs. Before signing up with Etsy, I had a small shop in an artists’ shop area not far from where I live in Haifa, Israel. When I found the Etsy site, I decided it was the best place to show the world what I do. So I decided to upload photographs and begin to try to sell.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

I actually love all my items. These are just a few of them:

I like these items not because they sell well but because I loved creating them. Two of them are one-of-a-kind items. The earrings shown here received many likes and were purchased. The following earrings have been best sellers in my shop:

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

It took about one month for my first buyer to show up and purchase. I celebrated it. Currently, I renew a few items daily and try to refresh them either by improving the photographs or refreshing the descriptions. I use SEO by sharing my Etsy shop on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, and with the help of bloggers who share my products every once in a while. Promotions have brought many customers to my shop.

Managing rioritajewelry

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

As I work from home, I run my shop alone. Most of my items are "made to order," and I simply sit at my work table and create them. Mostly, I take my own photographs. Sometimes I take up to 40 photographs before I decide which will be the ones that show my jewelry best. I use Adobe Lightroom to edit them. Shipping to my customers is as follows:

Most of my customers are from the US. Shipping to the USA is done with the help of USPS.
I pack my jewelry in pretty, carefully wrapped gift boxes with my logo.
Shipping from my country takes approximately 5 days before it arrives at the customer’s door.
Customers from other countries outside of the US have their orders shipped by FedEx or DHL.
I take great care to safely ship the jewelry with tracking numbers. I also let my customers know their tracking numbers in advance, so they can follow their packages.

The future of rioritajewelry 

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

As I enjoy being creative, I hope to be able to produce new designs in my shop that people will love, buy, and enjoy wearing.

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

I know how important it is to have great photographs of what you sell. I believe in online training, and many times I use the help of professional photographers.
Keep checking for new keywords and tags.
Post items and keep searching for more tags. You can list an item more than once by using new photographs, new descriptions, and new tags.
Share your SEO products on social media websites.
Always reply shortly after a potential customer contacts you. Be kind at all times!