Curvy Girl Jewelry

by Mara Nesbitt
(Curvy Girl Jewelry)

Specializing in Jewelry
in Larger Sizes

I opened my first Etsy shop a year ago, selling jewelry made from wire, glass beads, stones and other items that I incorporated into my pieces.

I called it Pastiche Jewelry, reflecting the eclectic selection of materials that I use.

Over the past year I've had moderate success in my shop, but not as much as I would have liked.

I started going to workshops in real life and "attended" Etsy workshops on their website.

I decided that I'd have to differentiate myself from all the other Etsy jewelry designers and sellers.

I should tell you at this point that I'm a big woman. Not just big, supersize big.

My preferred descriptor is "fat". I don't take it as a pejorative anymore, although for much of my life people could make me feel like a failure when they used that word to describe me.

I became involved with the size-acceptance movement and learned to embrace the word fat.

It's only one of the words that speak to what I am. I'm also beautiful, sexy, smart, creative and funny.


Are You Tough Enough black chain and
big pearl necklace by Mara Nesbitt.

Understanding the Experience of
Being a Large Person

In my previous profession, I was a Licensed Massage Therapist for 30 years.

I chose to work with other fat people because it can be a cold, cruel world when you've got bulges and creases and you feel like no one wants to touch you.

I've heard former clients tell me that their previous massage therapists would give them diet advice while massaging them or would only touch the center third of their body, ignoring their lumps and bumps.

I wanted to make a peaceful, safe place where a client could disrobe and not feel judged on their size.

I didn't lack for big clients who wanted me to help them feel better.

At the same time in my life, I taught Yoga for Large People classes and made two very successful videos with me demonstrating various poses.

The poses, or asanas, had been adapted to suit big bellies, butts and breasts. When I couldn't find a traditional yoga pose for a certain part of the body, I consulted with other medical professionals or simply made something up that worked.

In my classes, my students didn't feel judged by smaller students thinking, "I'm glad I don't look like her."

Choosing a Name for
My New Jewelry Business

After my last Etsy workshop I decided that "my" population wasn't getting served with appropriate jewelry, just as they hadn't been served by other massage therapists or yoga classes.

After writing a list of all the positive terms I could think of that described people who were larger than average, I came up with the name "Curvy Girl Jewelry".

Normally I prefer the word "women" over "girls" because I feel the word girl most properly describes someone under the age of 20 or so, but girl seemed a little sexier in all senses of the word.

So now I had a name.

I looked up "Curvy Girl Jewelry" on Etsy and found that no one else had used it to name their shop.

I used that name to open my second shop with nothing more than a "site under construction" message.


Help Me (I'm Stylish)! medic alert bracelet
by Mara Nesbitt.

Researching My
New Jewelry Niche Market

I wanted to do some market research to help guide my efforts in designing and making jewelry specifically for the plus-size market.

I know what I like to wear, but my tastes don't suit every other large woman's taste.

By the way, I wanted big men to know that I could design jewelry for them too, even though they weren't a girl.

I wrote a ten-question survey and posted it on surveymonkey.com just a few days ago.

The first question was "What kind of jewelry do you wear?" and the possible answers were "big and bold", "dainty and delicate", "the more colorful the better", "simple and classic", "something that gets me noticed in a crowd", "dressy for formal events", "casual for everyday" and "I don't wear jewelry".

You can read the other questions yourself (and take the survey if you consider yourself a curvy girl or guy) by going to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HWJ9533.

(However, please don't copy my survey or use the questions for your own purposes.)

I sent email to every big woman or man that I know, inviting them to participate in the survey.

I explained to my survey respondants that if they gave me their name, email and home address I would put their name in a drawing for a free pair of earrings.

Of the 22 people who filled out the survey so far, 14 have given me this information.

Now I can add those names to my mailing list (except for one person who asked not to be added) for a time when I want to send out information about my jewelry.

Their responses are guiding me in what to make next. "Big and Bold" has beaten out "Dainty and Delicate" by 57% to 38%.

The survey was set up so that more than one box could be checked for most questions.

I also asked what their price points were for each type of jewelry so now I know how to choose my materials and stay under what they say they're willing to pay.

I'd love to have more feedback so I can make better use of my time and resources.

Please ask your big friends if they'd help me design jewelry for them by taking the survey.

Setting Up
Curvy Girl Jewelry

I registered my website, CurvyGirlJewelry.com, with GoDaddy and simply parked it until I have time to spend designing it.

The last thing I've done is add three pieces of jewelry to my CurvyGirlJewelry.etsy.com shop so I can show *something* of my work to interested potential buyers.

Over time I'll make and add more jewelry to my shop and see if my market research is paying off.

Curvy Girl Jewelry's
Shop Announcement

Welcome to Curvy Girl Jewelry. My mission is to complement your size, not ignore it.

I make big and bold jewelry with classic design in casual, every day styles.

I make big chunky necklaces that are long enough, bracelets that go all the way around without squeezing your wrist, earrings that flatter the rounder face, pendants that are proportionate to a larger person's size, images of fat, beautiful goddesses and mermaids, rings that fit plump fingers, anklets for plentiful ankles and pins that express a joie de vivre.

I Welcome Your Feedback!

I welcome feedback from anyone who cares to give it to me - on my shop appearance, my market research and my desire to serve my own community.

Thank you for reading this. And thank you Rena!

Mara Nesbitt
Curvy Girl Jewelry etsy shop