Happy March! Today I sat down with senior and founder of Jacko Jewelry, Mary Grace Jacko, to talk about her Instagram jewelry business. She sells many cool handmade pieces with beautiful meanings behind them, and takes a lot of care to use symbols and crystals that “have different energies that can raise our vibrations.” She also recently hit 100 sales, which is super impressive! Enjoy! – Chloe 

If you are interested in the products Jacko Jewelry offers, visit the website here and DM to place orders!

Can you explain exactly what you sell?

I currently sell all different types of jewelry including earrings, rings, and necklaces, although I mainly sell wire-wrapped and macrame crystal necklaces.

When did you start selling jewelry & why? 

I started selling jewelry in November of 2020! I had been making my own jewelry since about 2018 and I had gotten so many compliments over the few years and my boyfriend really encouraged me to start selling jewelry so I decided to start a business. It is a lot more successful than I ever thought it would be and I am so thankful for all the support from friends and family I’ve had thus far.

What was the process of setting up your shop?

The process of setting up my shop was pretty simple, my shop works very easily! I post whatever I make on Instagram with the price and a short description of the product and people DM me purchasing the item. I normally just deliver the jewelry and in a few cases, I have shipped some of my products.

What’s your experience with jewelry-making?

My sophomore year at Carmel I took a jewelry class and I absolutely loved it! It was a lot more metal work than I do now, but it definitely is one of my favorite classes I have ever taken. Other than that I honestly was just fascinated with the bead aisles at craft stores and slowly grew my business from there.

Where does your knowledge of different stones come from & why does it interest you?

My knowledge of many of the stones I sell is directly from my own personal journey into crystal healing and metaphysical spirituality! I wholeheartedly believe crystals have different energies that can raise our vibrations and I think my journey with crystal healing has really changed me as a person and I would love to inspire someone else to feel the same way. In my free time I find myself researching stones that I use for my jewelry off of some of my own books or online through metaphysical websites.

What inspires you to make your jewelry?

I am definitely inspired by a lot of different artists I’ve seen wrapping crystals but mainly, I am inspired by people in my personal life, including my boyfriend’s little sisters! They’ve been some of my most supportive customers and because of them, I like to think I could be teaching others about crystal healing and help with others’ spiritual journey.

How many orders do you think you’ve gotten so far?

I just recently have gotten to 100 orders which was a huge deal to me!

How did you decide how much to price your work? What kind of things do you factor in?

I looked into local metaphysical stores that sold jewelry and I always try to price my jewelry more affordable if I can. Because I have to buy the stone, the wire, the chain/chord, and fastenings for necklaces my necklaces range anywhere from $10-$20 depending on the price of the stone and how much time I spend wrapping the necklace.

What would you say was the hardest part of running this business?

I would say the hardest part about running a business especially at this age is time management. For product pictures, I personally prefer to take them with natural lighting and sometimes it becomes too late to take the pictures or the pictures don’t turn out really showing off the beauty of the pieces. I have also pushed off posting until later which really affects how many people even see the post with the Instagram algorithm.

If you had a piece of advice for students that want to start their own businesses, what would it be?

I would say just go for it. I really didn’t expect the amount of support I have and I’m now consistently making almost ten sales weekly which is more than I could ever imagine. I would also say look into how you want to brand your business! My theme has changed about three times now and although Jacko Jewelry is still changing and growing I now really enjoy the brand I have created!

Interested in checking out Jacko Jewelry products? Find their online Instagram shop here.

If you would like to be interviewed and have your small business promoted, please email [email protected].