Spotlight: Daniel M. Jewelry

I guess it's unofficially Couples Month here in the Spotlight, as today I have another amazing husband and wife team! So, what do you think? Could you work with your significant other or would you kill each other after the first week? Dan and Caren of Daniel M. Jewelry admit that running an Etsy shop together has its difficulties, but realize they could not achieve such great success without each other.

Read on to learn more about how this duo got started, who does the creating, who does the laundry and just who is the boss. You can also enter to win one of their gorgeous Rainbow Bezel Necklaces!

Where are you from - originally and currently live?
We both grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts and currently reside in historic Salem, MA…we absolutely love it here!

How long have you been selling on Etsy?
We’ve been selling on Etsy since March 31, 2009.

Do you sell on Etsy full time or do you have a day job?
We both have full time jobs…Dan works full time as a jeweler for a retail company…and Caren would love to work fulltime in the industry some day :)

What, if any, formal training have you had in your craft?
Dan: I’ve been working in the jewelry industry for nearly 20 years. I started out stocking shelves and wiping counters at a jewelry store. After taking some interest in the craft, I completed an apprenticeship and slowly moved on to specialize in custom design and fabrication.

What made you decide to open up shop on Etsy?
As a couple, we’ve collaborated on jewelry projects for friends and family and have enjoyed coming up with fun designs mostly as a hobby. We eventually decided to take the next step and looked for a venue where we could share our work and receive some unbiased feedback on our designs. Things took off pretty slowly at first but each month has been better than the one before it so we are hopeful that someday this will be full time for both of us.

Being a husband and wife team, who does what for the business?
Caren: Dan makes the jewelry…and I do everything else! No…really, we collaborate 100% on each design whether it’s a custom design project or a new piece for our shop. I primarily take care of the correspondence with the customers, order supplies and keep Dan organized. He calls me “boss” but really we could not be successful if we did not have each other. When it comes to household matters, I agree, I’m the boss :)

Alternatively, who does what around the house?
Caren: Hmm…. I have to give it to Dan that he does most of the cleaning and definitely the laundry (he can’t bare the sight of anything in the hamper!). I love to cook so the kitchen is my domain. Overall we take turns…with two fulltime jobs, our Etsy shop, a vivacious puppy and a baby on the way, we rely on each other to pick up where the other leaves off. We are a true team.

Are there times when it is difficult working together?
Dan: Only when something’s not done Caren’s way. Just kidding…yes, of course, we have our difficult moments but in the end, we consider what is best for our business and usually end up coming to a unified solution. It’s better to compromise and resolve matters in the studio peacefully than to take them home with us.

Do you have any advice for other sellers on Etsy or those thinking about pursuing their craft?
If you love what you do…just go for it! There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing positive feedback and knowing that someone is enjoying your creation as much as you have enjoyed working on it. Explore the site and build some relationships with other sellers as well as your customers. There is a wealth of knowledge and talent out there so pop out of your Etsy shop once and a while and see what else is going on.

Five Etsy Shops you love
jenniferraichman
HopeStudios
opalillusions
FidosFashionCollars
illumienate

Favorite item you have purchased from Etsy
Our favorite item is definitely our wedding Ketubah (marriage contract) by Jennifer Raichman. It was such a personal item and an involved process – the end result was a beautiful piece of artwork and reminder of our vows. This is her new shop.

Five things you love
Travel to faraway places, cookie cookie sundaes, stinky cheese, yard sales, and our red dog, Bali

Five things you don’t
Five is tough…here’s two we really don’t like: rude people, traffic

Where is the coolest place you have ever been?
Japan – we went as part of our honeymoon…it was just amazing.

What is your favorite leisure time activity?
Sitting on the couch after a long day with a glass of wine, cheese and crackers and our favorite hound.

Share some of your guilty pleasures
Reality TV, peanut butter out of the jar and ice cream in the middle of the night

Share some of your favorite music
Stevie Wonder, Radiohead, Frank Sinatra, Dido

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead roles?
Dan: Luke Wilson
Caren: Julia Roberts

What does the future hold for Daniel M Jewelry?
We’ve been very fortunate so far in our Etsy success and hope to see it continue and grow. We’re doing increasingly more custom work, our specialty, but we’d also like to expand more on our own designs in the near future.

You can keep up with new pieces from Daniel M Jewelry by visiting their blog and following them on Twitter.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

One lucky winner will receive their choice of any color Rainbow Bezel necklace with a 16" or 18" chain.

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:
Please leave a comment on this post with your favorite item from Daniel M. Jewelry AND what your favorite gemstone is.

You may enter once per day and YOU MUST INCLUDE your first name -AND- etsy username or email address with every entry. (If you are worried about email spam, you can spell out the 'at' and 'dot' rather than using the standard email format.)

Receive additional entries (one each) if you:

Follow or subscribe to this blog, my Facebook or my Twitter

Follow or subscribe to the Daniel M. blog or Twitter

(You DO NOT need to leave separate comments for each additional entry, just mention which apply)

You have until Sunday, July 4 at 10 pm (est) to enter and I will announce the winner Monday morning. Good luck!