How luxezen 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?
At luxe.zen, kindness drives us. Kinder gemstone jewelry for a better you Founded in 2016, our Etsy shop has grown steadily to a top 1% shop globally by crafting gemstone talismans to honor your journey. Handcrafted in Canada with ethically sourced gemstones and recycled and Fairmined Certified metals using traditional metalsmithing techniques. We offer a variety of raw and polished gemstone styles in size-inclusive sizes, shipped to your door in sustainable packaging. Kindness without compromise
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
Our favorite items are without a doubt our raw gemstone pieces, particularly our mosaic collection. This collection features gemstones unfit for other pieces, broken stones, and otherwise imperfect stone material upcycled in a pattern reminiscent of ancient mosaic tiles. Our goal is to use all the gemstone materials we purchase in some way.
Raw Herkimer diamond mosaic ring—our #1 bestseller—features perfectly clear Herkimer diamond quartz points arranged in a mini crystal cluster, available in sterling silver, 14k yellow, or rose gold fill.
Pink ombre mosaic bar necklace—our founder’s favorite color is pink, and this beautiful gradient bar necklace features rose quartz, pink tourmaline, and ruby arranged in a mosaic pattern, available in sterling silver, 14k yellow, or rose gold fill.
Raw purple sapphire solitaire ring from our Moyo Gems collection, with a purple Umba sapphire ethically mined by Tanzanian women. Moyo Gems provides training and assistance to female (and ally) artisanal and small-scale miners in Tanzania and Kenya. Customers receive the name of the miner who mined their gem with their piece.
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?
We began making sales quickly, as we offered a wide variety of gemstones at affordable prices. As we have grown and pushed further into our ethical sourcing journey, we have carved out our own niche of highly ethical gemstone jewelry on Etsy. We are one of the only jewelers offering Fairmined metals and the only seller offering gemstones as traceable as Moyo Gems on Etsy. We have invested in quality professional photography and continue to keep up with Etsy’s optimization suggestions. We refresh keywords, tags, and titles regularly after monitoring buyer and search trends. Your Etsy storefront is a living organism that is continually changing.
Managing luxezen
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?
We use a few tools to manage the store:
- Alura helps us spruce up listings and research which keywords are trending in search.
- Shuttle helps manage inventory and data between our Etsy shop and our website.
- Chit Chats and Inxpress manage our standard and express shipping. They connect directly with Etsy, so it’s easy to fulfill orders and share tracking with customers automatically.
- Canva to create banners and add icons to images and other graphic design work.
- Later, we will schedule posts on all our social accounts at once at optimal times.
- Quickbooks helps us manage our bookkeeping and taxes.
The future of luxezen
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
Our goal is to continue to educate customers about the challenges in the traditional jewelry supply chain and to establish ourselves as Etsy’s most ethical jeweler.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Don’t expect results to be instantaneous. You need to train the algorithm on what your products are about and who your target customer is. Fill in all relevant sections in item listings, and take the time to research keywords that resonate with your target customer. There will always be a lot of competition on Etsy for clicks, so a clear understanding of your unique selling proposition is key. If customers see the value in your work, they will purchase it regardless of whether there are other sellers selling it for less.
luxezen
Kinder gemstone jewellery for a better you.
