FREESHIP50

Chrysalis Too, my shop on Etsy, is being cleared of inventory! This is your chance to save on tribal jewelry, southwestern jewelry, and boho style jewelry as I either sell it or move it to my web store, Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry. Use coupon code FREESHIP50 to get free shipping on any purchase of $50 or more in my Etsy shop!

The selection is still very good with 111 items remaining. Many items have sold in the past three weeks, and as items expire, for the most part I am not renewing them. I may keep a few pieces in the Etsy shop, just so I can inform Etsy followers of my move and hopefully spread the word as the transition continues.

Part of the reason for the move is the decline in Etsy generated traffic. Etsy traffic was the basic reason most artists sold there. Artists, myself included, would much prefer to spend their time creating rather than promoting. At one time, Etsy was an excellent platform for shoppers who were seeking out original work from artists and crafters. Since 2014, traffic has steadily decreased, while fees continue to increase. Where search criteria algorithms were once accurately sorting handmade items, they have now been altered to flood customer searches with imported, mass produced merchandise. It's not difficult to realize why customers lose patience having to view thousands of supposedly "handmade" jewelry pieces and components to find the authentic "handmade" ones. Predictably, they give up after 5 or 10 pages of items that do NOT really fit their search criteria.

So until my wish for a truly "artist friendly" selling platform emerges, I will spend my time promoting instead of creating in order to direct people to my web store, and build a following there. You can find me at three locations online (subject to change), and on social media as well.

Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry
Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry on Amazon Handmade

Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry on Facebook
Chrysalis.HCO on Instagram
Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry on Ello

My thanks to all of my loyal supporters!

Gloria Ewing

Exodus from Etsy

I Don't Have 10 Plagues at My Disposal


My Exodus is actually a mirror of the story in the Bible. The Israelites were desperate to leave Egypt, and I really didn't want to leave Etsy. In this case, the ten plagues are Etsy policy changes that have diminished the artists who gave Etsy its foundation, as opposed to the Bible's plagues being directed toward the tyrannical Pharaoh. The Pharaoh needed convincing to release his Israelite slaves, so God sent him a message through a series of plagues. Artists who have objected to the direction Etsy has chosen in recent years have had virtually no format in which to voice their opinions on the policy changes as Moses did (and not even one plague to throw their way).


The analogy I am using is not intended to be disrespectful of the Bible, or of Etsy. The Biblical story of Exodus was one of total enslavement of the ancient Israelites, an entire race of people. I am not a captive; I am free to leave any time I choose, as hundreds if not thousands of other artists have already done.


The simple motivation for Etsy is financial, as it was for Pharaoh. Pharaoh wanted cheap labor. Etsy has decided that their future depends on volume sellers, and so the independent artists that helped them establish a substantial online selling platform, are no longer a priority. It's a business decision for Etsy, as it is for me as well. The graph below shows the steady decline of my sales on Etsy. I wanted to think the decline would somehow turn around, but it did not.

What This Means for You


- As my items expire on Etsy, I will move them to my web store, at slightly lower prices since I won't have Etsy fees to consider.

- Bi-weekly special offers to highlight new items, or a specific theme. 

- Incentives to subscribe to a informative mail list, so you won't miss the latest news.

- Loyalty rewards for all those lovely people who keep me motivated and inspired.


And For Me


There is always something positive that comes out of life's difficult decisions. In this case, I will be able to devote much more time to making Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry a better shopping destination. But it really is about more than shopping. It's about nourishing what makes each of us an individual, the part that makes me a "one of a kind".


Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry