After making jewelry for three years, senior Eliana Moore decided to turn her passion into a business. Her business, Eliana’s Trinkets, hopes to attract people who appreciate the small things in life.
Moore typically uses nature as inspiration for her pieces. According to her, she prefers a more worn-in and vintage look for her jewelry.
“Vintage brass is really good for that effect so I use it a lot,” said Moore. “I love Czech glass and searching for unique beads with interesting colors and shapes.”
The majority of Moore’s pieces are one of a kind, but she also takes custom orders from clients. If she thinks one piece will be more popular than others, she’ll create a few extra to keep in inventory. Everything in her collection is carefully handmade to assure the best quality for her pieces.
“My hands get quite sore sometimes but that’s the life of a maker,” said Moore.
According to Moore, she likes to start working on a new project as soon as inspiration strikes.
“The feeling before starting a piece is kind of just a desire to make something I will enjoy and want to wear,” said Moore. “Then I pretty much work nonstop until it’s done. I don’t like working on things in little bursts unless I have to.”
Almost all of Moore’s customers are local, so she doesn’t have to worry about shipping her pieces. She usually packs customers’ orders and then delivers to their front door.
“When I do [ship] though, I start by designing the packaging,” said Moore. “I like each piece to match the packaging so I draw or collage on thick paper and then hole punch it so I can attach the jewelry. I charge a little bit of money for shipping with the purchase and then it gets sent out.”
“It feels good and purposeful to work towards something,” said Moore. “I love making art and things on my own but having a business is kind of a choice people make and it requires more energy and work and motivation.”
According to Moore, she hopes to continue running her business. Next year during her gap year, she will be expanding as much as possible, but understands that her career will take over soon after that.
“My main career path is currently visual arts and drawing, so the jewelry business might end up being a side job,” said Moore.
Moore advises up-and-coming business owners to double check that their prices match their efforts. She encourages them to be bold and charge prices that reflect their hard work on handmade items.
“I would start small in the beginning,” said Moore. “Make things that require minimal effort and time to sell at lower prices and then work your way up to higher prices once your business is built up more.”
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