Daily Inspiration: Meet Lyss Gunther

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lyss Gunther.

Hi Lyss, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My love for jewelry goes back as long as I can remember; it’s always amazed me how detailed and beautiful it can be. Unfortunately, so much jewelry out there is mass-produced, and I was struggling to find items that emulate my unique personality, so I started creating my own. I almost immediately began receiving inquiries about where I’d purchased my jewelry. When I explained that I had made it, I began to get requests to make jewelry for others. My dabbling quickly developed into a passion to not only create unique jewelry for myself, but to create something for each client that was just as special as they are. My ultimate dream is to create unique, hand-crafted jewelry that becomes family heirlooms. I’m fortunate enough that the beauty salon I work at has supported me by showcasing my jewelry and that’s really helped in building my business. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a lot of learning. There’s so much to know! I first started out making jewelry out of existing components or taking apart jewelry and using the parts to make something totally new and different. Since then, I’ve begun delving into wire wrapping. I’ve also been taking lapidary classes – which teaches you how to cut and polish stones, as well as metal smithing. My goal is to one day create jewelry that is 100% handcrafted by me! But making the jewelry is just one end of it; there’s the social media marketing, building my website, finding wholesalers, and learning how to make vendor events as smooth sailing as possible. Luckily, I’m blessed with the world’s most supportive mother, whom we kid is my “unpaid business manager,” as she’s really done so much to help me get the ball rolling. It’s also so easy to spend so much more than you make when you’re starting a business; it’s an investment and it can take quite a long time before it can become profitable.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
While creating pieces inspired by celestial, ethereal, and alternative designs speaks to me the most, I make quite a variety of styles of jewelry. However, being entrusted to bring a client’s vision to life by creating custom pieces is definitely the best part about what I do! 

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I foresee that a lot of small jewelry businesses will continue to struggle or go out of business. It’s a tough market to be successful in. Larger businesses can afford to advertise and so they come up first on search engines. They also can afford to sell their jewelry at cheaper prices, as much is mass-produced or produced in lower-cost countries. Additionally, the handmade jewelry industry is saturated, making it even more difficult to find ways to differentiate yourself from others. Unfortunately, many handmade crafters of jewelry just cannot afford to do this as a full-time career and either stop or just do it as a hobby. 

Pricing:

• Earrings range from $10 – $45
• Necklaces range from $20 – $50
• Jewelry Sets range from $30 – $75
• Body Chains range from $50 – $75
• Head Chains range from $20 -$40

Contact Info:

• Website: www.AstralAccessoriesByLyss.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astral.accessories.by.lyss
• Facebook: Facebook.com/astral.accessories.by.lyss
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/astral-accessories-cary-2