Jewelry by Julianna

On May 30, junior Julianna Panetta opened her Instagram earring shop, @shopjewelrybyjuju. Panetta was inspired to start her own jewelry business due to the trouble she had in finding high-quality, yet affordable earrings. In the beginning stages of creating her earring shop, Panetta ordered materials like jewelry making tools, charms and plating from smaller online shops. Then, she started to make the earrings by using flat nose pliers to join the charm to a backing. Some of the charms she uses include hearts, stars and moons. Colored charm sets are also created for specialty looks, such as college and Peninsula colors. 

“My goal is for the earrings to feel weightless and easy to throw on with any look to add a unique touch to any simple outfit,” Panetta said.

Her jewelry prices range depending on the different types of metal backings purchased. For instance, she charges $12 for gold plated backings, $10 for sterling silver backings and $6 for gold plated brass backings. For customers in Palos Verdes (PV), she uses a free no-contact delivery method by dropping off orders in bags on porches. Those outside of PV are charged $3 for delivery on the Venmo app. 

From June 1 to June 5, Panetta collected over $50 from orders and donated the money to Attom Concept Store. This is a black-owned business in Atlanta, Georgia, and Panetta’s donations are being used to recover the store that was damaged during the lootings that occurred during the Black Lives Matter protests. Currently, Panetta is focused on keeping her shop local and hand-delivering in order to get used to owning a small business and eventually hopes to open an Etsy shop or design a website for purchases outside the South Bay.