COURTESY: CLAYOMATIC

Online handmade jewellery shops have always existed, and there's been a surge recently. Their styles range from painted wooden pendants to anime-inspired chokers, and often come with pricing that young people can look into.

To understand what goes on behind the production process, I talked to some of the creators.

The Creative Process

Starting off, production generally takes 3 to 4 hours and varies depending on the designs. The creator of @artsydaisybd is an A Level student who makes quirky pieces with polymer clay and acrylic paint and scrolls through Pinterest for pop culture references. While the creator of @caragach_, another university student and creator from Chittagong who's been working since 2019, looks at local influences like rickshaw art and folk art on nakshi kantha.

The Raw Materials

Everyone I have talked to is a student, and faced the common hassles of sourcing materials and inconveniences during delivering the goods. Polymer clay is imported, and other materials like ribbons can be bought locally. It's better to do your own research regarding accessing as it's risky for small businesses to disclose their particular sources. Being a student also points to a lack of income needed to establish a business.

The Challenges

The creator of @caragach_ says they have dealt with customers changing their minds post ordering. Small businesses have a smaller rate of output and focus on creating specific pieces that are hard to sell if an order is cancelled. The cost of buying materials and the hours lost harm the owner more than it would a larger business that mass-produces uniform pieces. Unfortunately, this remains a frequent problem and some creators therefore choose to rely on advanced payments.

More on challenges, the creator of @clayomatic, who runs the increasingly popular shop with intricate clay ornaments, says, "Customers will often bargain, without acknowledging the effort that goes into details. This isn't the case with foreign markets where similar products are priced double and more." While this is true for complicated bits of jewellery, most of them are extremely affordable, so you need not worry about them being out of your price range!

Supporting Small Businesses

This is objectively important for societal and environmental reasons, so I asked the creators themselves about some of the ways consumers can support them alongside making purchases. As the creator of @artsydaisybd puts it, leaving a positive review or just sharing their posts can be greatly helpful. Since they don't generate huge revenues, it's tough to invest in advertising. Recommending them to a friend can be beneficial for them to grow and overcome the algorithms of social media platforms.

Lastly, if you're reading this as a potential creator, you're asked to listen to your customers and not give up! When I talked about inspiration, @caragach_'s artist explained how they've only come this far because of their mother, who finds them that one small bead they're searching for and advises them on what looks best. The pieces are often made with a lot of care and love, tailored for you. It's never just about monetary support, but also helping these artists hold on to their crafts. So if you want the demon slayer earrings or an artistic mala - you know where to look!

Aahir Mrittika likes to believe she's a Mohammadpur local, but she's actually a nerd. Catch her studying at mrittikaaahir@gmail.com