Etsy Interview with LunaCielo

I grew up by the coast in California. I backpacked around the world when I was in my 20's with money I saved from working as a waitress. I LOVE Africa and bought tons of beads when I was there. Although my current jewelry line you find at lunaCielo isn't that style, I still like it.

I currently teach ESL (English as a Second Language) to Adults (used to teach kids~love them but they just suck my energy!) I've been doing this for 10 years. I taught in Barcelona for 2 years and now have been back home teaching in California for the past 8 years.

I've always had a good eye for design and a need to express my artistic side. I LOVE designing and creating jewelry~it makes me so happy. When you buy a piece from lunaCielo, rest assured it was made with the best energy and attention to detail

I love speaking Spanish! Hence the name of my jewelry brand, lunaCielo. In Spanish, luna means moon and cielo means sky or heaven. I just thought it sounded cool so went with it!

How and when did you start making jewelry and your other items?

I've been making jewelry as a hobby since I was a teenager. I used to visit a little bead shop in Laguna Beach near where I grew up. At that time, I liked making earrings from various beads and charms made of shells. I remember making silver hoops with a dolphin carved out of mother of pearl. I made it look like the dolphin was jumping through the hoop. I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

As far as designing my current jewelry brand~ lunaCielo~ I started last summer. I had always designed jewelry for gifts and for fun and decided to take a class on wire wrapping. I took the class showed my creation to a friend. Her boyfriend who is the CEO of a very successful jewlery brand saw it and said, "Wow, you made this?" "Yes," I said. "You could totally sell your designs~ their really nice." he said. And that's how the ball got rolling.

When and how did you originally find Etsy?

While discussing with another teacher at work my wanting to sell jewelry on-line, thinking of Ebay, she asked if I had heard of Etsy. I hadn't but once I took a look I was hooked! I personally don't like the whole bidding thing whether I'm buying or selling. I like the format A LOT ohow the Etsy stores are set up. Many Etsy sellers also buy from other sellers on Etsy, it's a great community. (Rachel, this kind of answers the next question so if you want to put it there- that's fine)

What is unique about Etsy and what about the website do you like the most in regards to your shop?

Esty is a wonderful community of many talented artisans. On Etsy you can find homemade vegan lipgloss and other makeup, hand painted glasses, hand painted silk scarves, homemade shampoo and yummy smelling bath stuff, and of course the most awesome jewelry not only from me at lunaCielo, but from so many...the list goes on. It's so worth it to support handmade~ the product is usually great quality AND so much cheaper than what you would buy in a store because there is no middleman~ lunaCielo jewelry is all made in my home studio which is the case of the majority of Etsy sellers. Also, most Etsy sellers are eager to please and a pleasure to work with. At lunaCielo, if you see a piece of jewelry you like but want it in sterling silver rather than gold filled, a different gemstone, or any other changes, you can use what Etsy sellers refer to as a 'convo' which is a conversation and make special requests. So many Etsy sellers are happy to oblige.

What inspires you the most in regards to your creations?

Making beautiful creations at lunaCielo for women to display as art on themselves, and feel fabulous doing so TOTALLY inspires me! I think I have a great fashion sense. Every piece of jewelry I make is something I LOVE wearing myself. The style at lunaCielo jewelry is very feminine and delicate. When I sit down and create a piece, I truly feel like I'm creating a piece of art. I pay close attention to details such as little crystals at the clasp. My feedback at lunaCielo has great comments about this which I am proud of and honored that my clients notice. Aesthetically, I love creating beautiful art (jewelry)...it just brings me joy. Furthermore, I've always LOVED makeover shows. I think women should treat themselves and wear things that make them feel good. When I create pieces, I think of how beautiful the piece will look on the lucky woman wearing it and I'm so happy for her!

What is your favorite piece you've created and why?

It's impossible to choose one that is my absolute favorite because I love everything so much but I would say my most coveted piece is a long necklace I made last summer. It's a 32 inch long necklace with pink and green gemstones. I made it when I took my first wire wrapping class last summer (the one mentioned previously)and it's the piece that prompted me to actually want to sell the jewelry I design. Wire wrapping gems and crystals onto chain is very intricate and skilled work. It takes lots of practice to perfect. I look back at this piece and see how great my work has become. I wouldn't sell this piece for anything! Besides that, I love my long necklaces. I'm seeing long necklaces everywhere these days on TV by the way~I have a long necklace section of my shop~lunaCielo which I intend to add a lot more to. M Cougar Town necklace is one of my long necklaces with little shiny discs (like the one Courteny Cox wears on Cougar Town) and is really popular. I do custom orders in any length you'd like. A great length is 34 inches~you can wear the necklace as one long or double it and wear it as 2 short.

What do you want to accomplish with your online shop?

Better photos! A picture is worth a thousand words as the old saying goes and I really need better photos. If you check the feedback of my shop, lunaCielo, you see many comments about how the necklace looks so much prettier in person etc... I really wish buyers could see how beautiful my jewelry is in person. I paid a friend of a friend to do some photos but I really need to be able to do it myself. Although lunaCielo jewelry is the quality of designer jewlery, it's not the price. I don't make the kind of profit to be able to pay for professional photography. Great photos really sell help you sell, makes sense.

Do you have any new creations in the works? If so, what can shoppers expect to see from you soon?

You should see my studio! I always have many creations in the works. I have so many gemstones including labradorite, ruby, sapphire, onyx... the list goes on, but have not posted many items wth these because my photos don't show the true beauty of the stones~ NEED BETTER PHOTOS!

Also,I was recently contacted by a client who saw this listing, she asked me if I could do it in pink crystals like a $725 version Tiffany does. It's funny because I hadn't even seen the Tiffany necklace but my design is so similar~ for a fraction of the cost of course. I'm making her custom order and have more of this style with all sorts of crystals in the works. This is the feedback you can see at lunaCielo for this necklace:

" I am so excited to have received such a beautifully elegant and well crafted necklace! Thank you for paying attention to every tiny detail-it shows!"

Where can readers find out about more information regarding your jewelry and other creations and possible special offers (including additional websites, blogs, facebook, etc)?

I have a facebook page for my jewelry. Facebook friends always receive free shipping and are notified of 'secret sales' I do giveaways too. I am not one of those people who do ton of postings so please be my friend I will put more photos as soon as I get better ones. I might try to put video of the jewelry being worn so clients can see how the jewelry glimmers, hangs, etc... I plan to start a blog and my own website eventually but need to go one step at a time.