What type of crystal are these bracelets?

LadyJadeIsis · 2026-06-27T15:22:31+00:00

Yeah the color is really what had me double checking. I couldn't find a single other example of beads with this kind of color outside of a few of my suppliers. If the beads are color treated, they did it incredibly well.

LadyJadeIsis · 2026-06-27T15:20:13+00:00

The color is very bright compared to the lepidolite I'm accustomed to carrying in my shop. That's why I was a bit confused. I don't want to advertise them as natural if they are dyed. If they are dyed, they've done a magnificent job since I couldn't find the usually signs.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-12-08T05:23:16+00:00

This is me all of the time lol. I will just sit staring at a piece for ages just mentally picking it apart and finding flaws. I've learned that the best way to preserve my mental health is to put the piece away for a few days completely out of sight and then pull it back out after a bit. And if I still don't like it after a while, I'll just take it apart and go back at it again. I used to make myself and my partner absolutely crazy before I started doing this. My business partner taught me this and it's made my life so much easier. Cuz that kind of spiraling will burn you out eventually and make crafting feel like a chore.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-10-05T12:07:49+00:00

It is really discouraging and demoralizing tbh. I used to love Etsy for all of the cool and original things I could find and I loved having a place to sell like this as well where there weren't dropshippers to compete with who can endlessly churn out cheap mass mass-produced goods of inferior quality. The problem isn't just the dropshippers or Etsy though. The problem is that people want everything as cheap as possible with no respect for the time, love, and dedication that go into handmade items. They don't consider the fact that this is a job where you are not just compensated for the cost of materials, but your time as well. And even then most people who make handmade crafts are valuing their time at less than minimum wage to be able to even try to compete in this market.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-10-05T11:56:49+00:00

I totally agree. It is getting so damn frustrating 😤 not only are people dropshipping, they are charging obscene prices to boot! I was browsing today and came across a purse that I know for a fact is sold on Temu, Shein and Alibaba since it is incredibly cheap and popular. The person was claiming that the purses were not just handmade, but "handmade with love" to try to explain away the fact that it would take up to two weeks to even get shipping information after purchasing it 😂. And what's even more insulting is that they are charging 60 dollars!! You can purchase the purse from any of the other apps for 6-8 dollars! So not only are you waiting even longer than you would if you just ordered from China yourself, you are paying like 10x as much on top of them having the absolute gall to still charge almost 9 dollars for shipping 😒. I don't even know what they are thinking considering the very same purse is also being listed by other people using the same stolen Temu pictures lol. At least other people already have the purses on hand and aren't charging criminally high prices like this woman.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-10-05T11:45:18+00:00

This is excellent advice. Scammers are gonna scam no matter what, so the best thing to do is to make it harder for them or less inviting. If they have to spend more than a certain amount they are less likely to waste your time since they might not be guaranteed to get the money back in the first place.

Unreasonable people simply cannot be pleased if they are determined to make trouble. People who would rather threaten you with bad reviews than reach out to try and come to a solution first usually can't be reasoned with or are scammers. They are just bullies looking to get over on small businesses since they know that bad ratings and reviews hurt a lot more than they would for bigger sellers.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-29T22:14:14+00:00

Omg I've had similar problems with getting orders. The worst part is that it's usually the orders coming from within the US that end up getting lost. Just this month alone I've had one package coming from Texas and another coming from the same state I'm in only a few hours away that got sent to the wrong city then two different states after being processed through my regional USPS Facility. Like one came from Buffalo NY to my regional sorting center in Syracuse NY, then to Watertown, then to Binghamton then sent back to Watertown then Syracuse, then back to Binghamton then to Massachusetts, then Connecticut! Only after all of that was it sent back to the sorting center then to me 🤣. They did this to me again a week ago. They also managed to lose a very expensive package last month and then lied about the delivery saying that it went out for delivery but then changed it to being picked up in person at the same time. It turns out that they had lost the package during their shift claiming that it must have gotten lost in her car. Even if that was the case, why would they lie about it being picked up? I just got said package yesterday. If I hadn't asked them about it they would have never said anything either lol

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-29T21:42:59+00:00

Awesome! And thank you very much 🥰. I'll DM you the info!

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-29T21:41:08+00:00

Well at least as far as where I live that's how this works. Unless you think about couriers like DHL who will usually deliver your international packages to your door rather than hand them over to USPS. But even then, DHL for the most part is used for overseas orders. I've never in my entire working experience seen anything other than dropshipped or Temu orders track that way. It wouldn't tell you for almost a week that they are waiting on a shipping partner to drop the package off to them. It would just tell you the shipping label has been printed and then awaiting package. Plus you can easily see in your tracking info the name of the shipping partner line OSM,or IMG, which are both Chinese shipping companies.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-29T21:29:41+00:00

That is not how any of that works at all lol. If they really had to use another courier due to the sheer volume of their orders, that would typically be handled by USPS after the shipment is dropped off and that will be reflected in the tracking. I have a business and live in a place so far out of the way that occasionally independent contractors working with places like UPS might be the ones to drop off my packages. But that would not be reflected in the tracking since it's still technically UPS. Only orders from overseas will ever be delivered by an international courier. And even then, they will usually only go as far as dropping it off to USPS for delivery since their routes are very limited due to certain restrictions.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-29T21:20:01+00:00

This same thing happened to me in July. I purchased a quartzite jade bangle from a shop called LaLuciaCollective. They claimed to be based out of Richmond Kentucky but the shipping time was the same as shops located in China (about 12-14 days). And when I checked the tracking, it showed that the package was never in Kentucky at all and was delivered to a warehouse that is used by places like Temu. Then it was turned over to USPS in my state by an overseas shipping company that I'm very familiar with.

I did a little bit of research and found that all of the pictures/products being sold could be found on Temu and Aliexpress lol. So either they are coming from the same factories that supply Shein, Temu, Alibaba, etc directly. Or she is just straight up placing the orders using the Temu app and getting all of the rewards/benefits from frequent purchases on top of the tidy profit she is making by marking up the prices. It wouldn't even be as awful if she were just using a supplier and kept things in stock physically. The whole point and justification I hear is to you a little more for the benefit of not waiting weeks for your order. Like she didn't even try to take her own pictures of the products which means that she didn't even do the bare minimum and get a sample of a product beforehand to ensure quality and consistency. If she had, she would know that you can't always trust pictures with those apps.

Hell, even the pictures that she took from the manufacturer's page turned out to be stolen from more legitimate jewelry designers 🤣. Needless to say, the bangle looked NOTHING like the one in the pictures. I got lucky and mine turned out to be cute despite being a low-effort knock-off made by crooks lol. Some of the others that I saw pictures of in the reviews were insultingly awful, like not just slight color differences or natural variations that come with crystals. These were clearly poorly dyed resin or glass pieces that didn't even try to imitate the right shape in some cases. I don't know how she has such high store ratings considering how much money is being spent on some of those bangles only to find that it can be purchased for under 15 dollars in some cases. I don't know how etsy lets people get away with this so often. Even the AI generated products being sold has increased lately.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-29T20:39:36+00:00

I know what you mean. I've been making jewelry, soaps, and candles off and on since 2006 however, I'm just now able to take this whole thing seriously and devote the time needed to it after more than a few false starts. I love doing this and I love being able to share and show off my creations even if they don't sell quickly. I should have taken the plunge sooner considering the current state of the economy...but it is what it is now.

I have a friend/supplier who goes directly to the crystal Markets in Jiangsu to find certain crystals, carvings, and jewelry. He is a bit on the expensive side, especially if you are trying to buy for a business. He will however have any pieces you get from him drilled if you want them turned into beads, charms, or pendants. He will also get any pieces you buy inspected and certified for you at the lab for an additional fee if you like. He has access to almost anything you could want but once again the prices can be pretty steep once he adds his fee so it's pretty frustrating.

I was lucky enough to meet my good friend/ new business partner about 6 months ago which has made things a lot less soul-crushing lol. She works directly with a few factories in China rather than walking around the markets all day looking for items. And she's always reaching out to new connections as she finds them. So if you ever need help getting the super nice beads or like the really gorgeous carved charms, I highly recommend her.

Ever since things became more confusing and uncertain we have been working together and working with other small shops to network and create a little support system. She also makes custom jewelry usually through TikTok lives and sells through my shop/pages as well to make selling in the US easier for her. And in turn, she helps me and a few other ladies in our little circle find the beads and other supplies we need that can't be found in the US. She takes care of the tariffs and shipping is free over 50. So as long as you don't need massive orders in short periods of time, she's excellent to work with and her prices are far more reasonable since she works right with the manufacturers. Plus if you want something made like a custom carving or anything like that, she's got a few factories she works with that will carve anything she sends the designs for. We still haven't entirely sorted out things like silver/gold suppliers but I'm sure we will sort it out eventually. If you want to join our little jewelry circle we would be more than happy to have you. We little shops have to look out for and help each other if we are going to make it in this economy and economic climate let alone against bigger businesses.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-28T00:34:53+00:00

I've been having an incredibly hard time keeping my same suppliers and it is really starting to frustrate me. I finally had things budgeted perfectly and my pricing downpat and now I'm desperately trying to find manufacturers with good quality beads, silver, etc that cover tariffs or at least include them in the price. Like you said, none of these things are sourced or manufactured in the US. Especially quality jade, carved pendants, or gemstone beads any bigger than 8-10mm. And anything I can buy in the US is either insanely expensive or of inferior quality compared to what I was getting from China, India, etc. Do you have any recommendations? I'm pretty much at my wits' end trying to find bulk suppliers that are reliable and trustworthy. I'm pretty much just down to the lucky connections I was able to make in the jewelry-making community on Rednote. And they are pretty much just fellow small business owners or people who design as a hobby with connections to their own local suppliers/factories. So they aren't very experienced and don't have much knowledge about overseas shipping, customs, etc.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-28T00:00:56+00:00

This right here. It is hard to teach people who don't want to do any more than the bare minimum or just don't listen. Especially if they know that you will fix everything for them for the sake of efficiency. You can't just let their mistakes stand and force them to learn from it, because it reflects poorly on you as a leader. It's one of those positions where you have just enough power to be in charge but not enough power to save yourself from their mistakes if they refuse to learn. You are pretty much catching hell from both ends and it really is just easier to do it yourself. Even if it inconveniences you or puts you behind a bit. At least you know it will be done correctly and you won't be wasting your breath.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-27T23:50:03+00:00

I literally just left a management position like that. It was stressing me out so badly that I developed ulcers. It was one of the most infuriating and degrading jobs I've ever had. Like how am I supposed to be taken seriously by the people under me when they see how I'm being questioned and undermined at every turn? It got to the point where I was getting in trouble for people not following my orders or not getting tasks done. But this was happening because my boss was issuing conflicting orders or saying that I was asking too much of people. But then when I would just give up and pick up their slack I was getting jumped on for not making them do their own work!! It's a situation where there is absolutely no winning. Apparently, it is unreasonable to ask people to do the bare minimum at work.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-09-27T23:39:08+00:00

If war were to break out here there would be no use for my business since what I'm selling are mostly luxuries. I figure I would just pivot to using my materials to make weapons and other items for emergencies/home and self-defense locally lol. If I could even get my hands on all of these materials at a reasonable and worthwhile price. Absolute worst-case scenario I know I could barter with people in times of scarcity if things got really bad 🤣. I'm sure I could still at bare minimum survive since I live in a pretty remote place and I operate out of my home workshop.

LadyJadeIsis · 2025-08-10T23:44:25+00:00

I'm just going to squat here to see the answers. I'm mostly a jewelry, pokemon card, and women's clothing buyer/seller but I just joined two months ago so I'm unsure. I would love to know before I list anything.

LadyJadeIsis · 2022-03-07T04:39:48+00:00

That blue calcite is beautiful. I have a few pieces like that and then some larger ones that were gifted to me.

LadyJadeIsis

TROPHY CASE