Colorado Mother Builds Jewelry Business on Amazon Handmade

When Jane Fuller’s kids were in elementary school, she decided to take a metalsmithing class as a creative outlet. It was in that class that she learned different techniques in jewelry making, and over time she started buying her own tools and materials. Fuller eventually built a little home studio and began to gift her designs to friends. When others began inquiring about her ornaments, Fuller decided to start selling in local Colorado markets, and in 2012 launched Jane Fuller Designs online.

“The first couple of years selling online was a bit slow, as I was still establishing my style and learning how to run a business,” says Fuller. “But over the last six years it has grown to an over $140,000 a year full-time enterprise.”

Her jewelry has a rustic, organic feel, designed to be worn daily and last a lifetime. She uses recycled sterling silver, 14k and 18k gold, which she forms using traditional metalsmithing tools and techniques, incorporating gemstones and American mined turquoise. She also uses an ancient Korean etching technique called Keum Boo where she fuses 24k gold foil to silver. Living in Colorado, Fuller’s designs are inspired by the beauty of the natural world around her – from the smallest leaf to the vastness of the rugged mountains that she can see from her studio.

Fuller started selling on Amazon Handmade in 2016, after learning about the store through an online hand-making group. She was excited about the opportunity to retain the essence of handmade products, while accessing Amazon’s 300 million customers. Amazon Handmade is the premier destination to shop unique, genuinely handcrafted products created by local artisans and makers around the world.   

Since selling on Amazon Handmade, she has seen an increase in her business, especially around the holidays. During the 2017 holiday season, Fuller’s sales increased 250 percent on Amazon Handmade, and this past Mother’s Day was particularly busy for her.

“One of the great things about Handmade is that people can request specific modifications or customizations to their jewelry,” says Fuller. “ I recently received a large order that asked for one of the gold jewelry designs in white gold. Because of the structure of the site, I was able to meet those specs and the customer ended up writing a raving review!”

Fuller has received orders from around the globe, including customers in Australia and India. Her most popular designs include the wedding bands, which have a rustic-hammered look, and the generation necklace which consists of three linked rings representing a mother and her children.

Fuller plans to continue to grow the business, and leverage Amazon features such as Fulfillment by Amazon which allows her to lean on the corporation to pick, pack and ship all of her orders and makes the jewelry eligible for free two-day shipping for Prime members.

More than half of the items sold on Amazon come from small businesses like Jane Fuller Designs. There are currently over 20,000 small and medium-sized businesses in Colorado selling on Amazon. 

“I really love what I do. It’s amazing that I’m able to be a mom and work around my kid’s schedules, while owning my own successful business,” says Fuller. “I’ve got the best of all worlds.”