I have often heard that the more items you list, the stronger your shop becomes in searches and SEO.
With this in mind, I have decided to increase the number of listings more actively than before.
I made a plan in advance and attempted to create and list 12 pairs of earrings and one necklace in a single day. In the end, however, I was only able to list one pair of earrings.
I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and started working at 6:30, but the process of selecting 12 pearl pairs for earrings—which I had scheduled to finish by 8:30—ended up taking an extra hour and a half, finishing only at 10:00. I even skipped my usual Sunday break of taking my motorcycle to the sea for 20 minutes, trying to catch up with the plan.
I did manage to complete the necklace and finish photographing all the pieces.
But in trying to follow the plan, I realized that there was a gap between the order of tasks I had imagined in my head and the actual flow of work. Even after doing this for five years, what I thought would happen and what actually happened were different. That was a valuable lesson.
My basic workflow is: making the jewelry, editing the video, posting on YouTube, adding subtitles, writing product descriptions, listing on Etsy, and listing on my own website. In between, I also create short-form videos for Instagram and YouTube Shorts. I had always felt that those short clips were quick to finish, but in reality, they were taking more than 30 minutes—which also contributed to the delays.
When I’m writing, I often lose track of time. It feels almost like I’m in an “Anne of Green Gables” state of mind—my head drifting away somewhere, with no sense of the hours passing.
I love expressing what I think. In the past, that used to be through conversation, but since I began selling pearls independently, it has become through writing. Because I don’t always think much about the other person, I’ve been able to write product descriptions of 5,000 or even 10,000 words without hesitation. At first, I thought, “No one will read this anyway, so I’ll just write whatever I want. It feels good to put my thoughts into words so freely.”
But recently, I’ve begun receiving messages from people—though not many—who actually read my long texts carefully.
That has made writing even more enjoyable for me.
Among the pairs I worked on this time, about five belong to the Sixty Series—earrings made from pearls harvested more than 60 years ago, obtained from the great-grandson of the man who invented pearl stain removal. There are countless stories connected to these pearls, but this time I didn’t have the time to write them out, so I re-used one of my past articles.
This was my first time planning my work in advance, and it clearly revealed areas where I can improve efficiency and highlighted challenges to overcome.
To maximize the time I can spend making jewelry and writing articles, I plan to streamline the other tasks as much as possible.
Back when I was employed in the pearl industry, I used to dream that by the time I reached retirement age—around 60—I would be able to make a living solely from Flower Jem. That dream hasn’t changed. But since I focus on blue baroque pearls, sustaining myself entirely on pearls feels like a path even steeper than I once imagined.
My current goal is to reach 200 listed items, then expand to 500 and eventually 1,000.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, perhaps because of the Trump tariffs, orders have stopped since late August. Rather than see this as a misfortune, I’m taking this time to increase my inventory.
I wonder how things look from the perspective of people in the United States. When import duties are applied to overseas purchases, do people actually hold back from buying? Online discussions often mention this fear, and I’ve heard that some Japanese retailers have stopped taking or shipping orders to the U.S.
But no matter how much I speculate, I don’t have any plans to make proposals at the White House just yet. All I can do is continue with the work I can do myself.
So with that, I invite you to take a look at the two pairs of Sixty Series earrings I have just listed on Etsy. They will also be available soon on my own website.
If you are curious, please explore the Sixty Series collection here: Sixty Series
Pearl bless you,
Flower Jem
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