How We Went From Making Jewelry at Our Kitchen Table to Selling Live on Whatnot

Clink Jewelry Studio began as an idea at a gem show and has evolved into the most fun, exciting, sister-owned, coffee-fueled, dream we could have imagined. 

With only a few strands of beads, some quality metal findings, and creative inspiration taken from absolutely anywhere, I started making jewelry. Many late nights were spent at the kitchen table designing products that were filled with love, intention, and just the right amount of sparkle.

There was only one problem: I dreaded listing everything online. 

It felt like I was constantly trying to get the right products in front of the right people at the right time. Between photographing jewelry, writing descriptions, keeping inventory straight, and hoping someone would stumble across my listings, selling online started to feel like more work than actually making the jewelry.

So I started to think about who my dream customer really was. 

She’s the woman who celebrates life’s little moments. The one who buys herself flowers just because. The one who believes a new pair of earrings can completely change her mood. She finds joy in little sparkly things. Honestly, she’s a lot like the women I already surround myself with every day. 

We are so lucky to have customers like this who show up time and time again for us at markets, who will find our website no matter what, but still we knew there had to be a better way to find our people.

What about the customers who can’t show up because our vendor events overlap with soccer games and naptime? What about the women who want something one-of-a-kind but live hours away? 

While noticing this gap in our business, I had also started to notice something about myself: I thrive when I can create one-of-a-kind pieces instead of making the exact same design over and over again. This is not conducive for the price we were hoping to list at in the traditional e-commerce world. 

Then, our friends over at Ro’s Room suggested we give Whatnot a try.

Honestly, we were curious.

We wanted a way to:

• Show the personalities behind Clink Jewelry Studio.
• Answer questions in real time.
• Let customers watch us make jewelry live.
• Build a community instead of just completing transactions. 

Because jewelry is emotional. 

People connect with different stones, colors, and designs for different reasons. Sometimes a piece reminds them of a vacation. Sometimes it matches an outfit they’ve been planning. Sometimes it simply makes them smile. 

We wanted people to experience the story behind the jewelry, not just click “add to cart.”

And then…

Our first live show happened.

Cue the confetti.

The happy tears.

The excitement.

The "What in the world just happened?!" moments.

The nerves before hitting "Go Live" were very, very real. We were learning a brand-new platform, figuring out camera angles, reading chat, talking while making jewelry, and trying not to completely embarrass ourselves.

(*We'll share the five biggest lessons we learned in our first Whatnot shows in another blog soon.)

But something happened that completely changed our business.

Within that very first show, we realized we were generating sales comparable to our in-person vendor events—without loading up the car, hauling displays, setting up tents, or spending an entire weekend away from our families.

We knew almost immediately that live selling was going to become a huge part of our business.

Even better, we got exactly what we had hoped for.

Connection.

Our customers weren't just buying jewelry.

They were telling us about their families, vacations, new jobs, anniversaries, and upcoming weddings. They shared what colors they loved, what styles they struggled to find, and what they wished someone would make.

We listened.

When customers mentioned wanting more cool-toned jewelry, we shifted future collections. We answered questions while designing pieces. We celebrated birthdays, engagements, promotions, and everyday wins right alongside them.

It started feeling less like running an online store and more like hosting our own little craft fair every single week.

Except this time, our customers always knew where to find us.

Their phones reminded them when we were going live.

They could watch from their couch.

And we got to create together.

Today, we've already done four times the sales through live selling that we've done through our traditional ecommerce shop—and in roughly one-sixth of the time.

We've learned that organization matters.

Themes matter.

Preparation matters.

But community matters most.

We're incredibly grateful for everyone who encouraged us to start, everyone who has cheered us on, and every single customer who has joined us live.

If you've been thinking about trying live selling yourself, this is your sign.

The best time to start was yesterday.

Don't wait until your branding is perfect.

Don't wait until you think you have enough inventory.

Don't wait until you're "ready."

Go live.

Talk to people like they're standing in front of your booth at a craft fair.

You'll learn more in one live show than you will from months of overthinking.

Whatnot has completely changed the way we think about selling handmade jewelry. It gave us something we weren't expecting: a community.

And honestly?

We think that's the best part.

We'd love for you to become part of it.

Join one of our upcoming live shows, sign up for our email list, and follow along as we continue building the Clink Jewelry Studio community on Whatnot—one handmade piece and one live show at a time.