Here at Designer Jewelry Fashionista, I am very proud to have a loyal clientele that regularly purchases jewelry from me. I have over 50 newsletter subscribers that receive exclusive advance sale information, additional shipping discounts, and merchandise discounts on a regular basis.

We began our business just over a year ago, and we are so very proud to be one of the major PowerSellers on eBay in the designer jewelry arena. We have set aggressive sales goals for 2008 and are hoping to achieve even greater success this year.

Keep in mind, this is not my "day job". I have a career and have this store is a second "career". As a Chico's jewelry enthusiast, I made it my mission to try to bring designer jewelry at affordable prices to more people on eBay. As I've seen the economy struggle, traffic has increased at the store. More and more people are looking to continue the same quality of life and spend less on the things they want (translation - don't want to pay retail - or can't afford to pay retail).

But there's been something that's been nagging me. Of course we are in business to make a profit, but as the economy continues to slide into what I believe is a recession, I've taken stock of everything and what I hope to achieve here and have made some major business decisions.

Just last week, I dropped shipping rates for a second time in two weeks. We (my husband and I) have worked very hard to find sources for our shipping materials (postage labels, padded envelopes, packing tape, and so forth) at better prices so we could reduce our shipping and handling charges. We're so proud to say now shipping on the first item with us is only $3.99. That's down almost 40% over our shipping rates a mere 2 months ago. We're passing that savings on to our clients because it's the right thing to do. I recognize now more than ever, everyone is struggling to tighten their belts, and yet, we all still want to be be able to indulge ourselves from time to time.

We've set a goal to be the best jewelry store on eBay. Won't you help us? We want ratings of 4.6 or higher on all four classifications of feedback. Currently, we are 4.9 on descriptions, 4.9 on communication, 4.8 on shipping time, and a 4.5 on shipping and handling charges. All those ratings are above expectations, but we want better. We're hoping this shipping and handling rate change - first and foremost - helps our clients. Second, we're hoping it will help us improve our feedback ratings. The higher the feedback ratings, the more incentives and credits we earn from eBay - which will generate savings we can pass along to our clients!

So we hope you like the changes you see, and hope to see all of you more often in the store. If you have any questions or suggestions, we're all ears! Thanks as always for your business.

-Christianne

Since this is the first post at my blog, if you are reading this, let me welcome you to the Designer Jewelry Fashionista blog! We have begun this blog to answer any questions that many of you may have about fashion and accessorizing, and also to discuss and relate the many fashion trends of each season. In this post, we'll begin with Spring 2008.

The color is BLUE! I don't know if you've noticed but every major designer incorporated a great deal of blue into their lines this spring. Baubles are still very popular, although we've moved away from the smooth round baubles and are now using more sophisticated faceted or shaped beads. You will still see a lot of lime, coral, and other classic springtime colors, but rich royal blues was not what I expected! What about all of you?

Patent leather is also huge this spring. Patent leather loafers and heels, purses, and belts are huge and it's no wonder why...they are SO easy to accessorize with when you can pretty much get them in any color you want.

As we move forward into later this month, April and May, watch for red to make a major play back into the market. Red smooth baubles, and lots of reds - both the classic blue-based reds and coral-based reds - will start showing up at major retailers. Often, you'll find cute flirty tops paired with a floral print skirt in the same complementary hue. This looks great with those black patent leather belts and heels and is especially well styled when paired with white pendant necklaces or baubles.

Blacks and whites will remain strong themes throughout the spring season, along with some lovely muted browns - mostly in prints. Brown is a great color but is more geared towards fall and winter. The blues will lighten up as spring continues and will move into teals to go with those limes and corals as people start heading for beaches and thinking about swimsuit season.

With regard to jewelry, it too follows the fashion rainbow. Look for lots of bold colors, large chunky baubles, and large linked necklaces. Wood continues to be a theme carried over from last season where lots of beads are mixed with wooden balls or other wood beads. Wooden beads go particularly well with summertime clothes and look good with either silver or goldtones, giving an earthy, calm, yet exotic feeling to any outfit.

As always, if you are looking for that 'perfect' accessory set, or even just a bracelet, be sure to check here first. You will probably be able to save yourself the time and hassle of driving to a mall, you won't have to use any gas, and you can shop from home anytime. We always ship the day after payment (excluding Sundays and holidays) and have many pieces in our store or available for auction that are current up-to-the-minute available now pieces. So check us out first before you buy at retail. You'll be glad you did!