💔 The Worst Review I Ever Got—And Why It Still Hurts
💔 The Worst Review I Ever Got—And Why It Still Hurts
There are some things you learn to expect when you run a handmade business.
Lost packages. Shipping delays. Even a one-star review now and then.
But nothing quite prepares you for the kind of review that feels like a punch to the soul.
I’ve been designing handcrafted jewelry for over 23 years. My studio is in Southern California, but my roots run deep in the Appalachian Mountains, where storytelling and creativity were a way of life. I learned about beauty and meaning from my Quaker grandmother, and I've poured that legacy into every piece I create.
Over the years, I’ve had the honor of creating pieces for some truly remarkable people—Dame Judi Dench, Elton John, Delta Burke to name a few—and in 2015, I was named the Rising Star Jewelry Artist by BeadStyle Magazine.
But even with those moments of recognition, I don’t do this for fame. I do it because it’s my calling. My joy. My way of creating meaning in a noisy world.
I don’t just design jewelry.
I craft art that tells stories.
I print my own wrapping paper.
I hand-tie each bow.
I hand enamel every charm.
I wire wrap and set each crystal.
I engrave each word.
I design with intention—to create something that touches the soul and brings beauty and joy.
Every order that leaves my studio is wrapped with care, boxed in luxury packaging, and made to bring smiles to my customers. It’s personal. Every single time.
So when someone leaves a review calling my work “junk” and says it’s only worth $60—when the supplies alone cost substantially more than that—it doesn’t just sting. It devastates in its cruelty.
🔍 The Truth Behind the Review: Fact-Checking the Claims
When someone posts a public review, I believe they have a right to their opinion—but that doesn’t mean their opinion is based on facts. So let me share the truth behind the claims in this review, using what I know as a lifelong artist and former forensic accountant: facts always matter.
🚫 Claim: “It’s a piece of junk. My wrist turned black.”
✅ Fact: My jewelry is made from premium-grade stainless steel—not plated metal, not mystery alloys, not fake pewter. Plus I test every material that comes into the studio.
Stainless steel, especially the grade I use, does not tarnish and cannot turn skin black. It’s non-reactive, hypoallergenic, and used in surgical tools.
If your wrist turned black, it wasn’t the metal—it could be from oxidation caused by lotions, skin oils, or friction against something else. But this metal? It's inert. It doesn’t tarnish, fade, or react. Period.
🚫 Claim: “It’s not worth $300. I wouldn’t pay more than $60.”
✅ Fact: Many of my bracelets take 3–5 hours to create, use custom-cast stainless steel links, hand-wrapped Austrian crystals, authentic Pearls and Gemstones, like Amethyst and Carnelian, proprietary stainless steel charms, plus hand enameled and engraved charms all handcrafted in the studio. The premium materials alone far exceed $60—long before I add the hours of handcrafted detail that make each piece art.
Customers resell my bracelets on eBay, estate sales, and Poshmark for up to 75% of their original value—even 10 to 15 years later. That kind of resale value only happens when something holds meaning, quality, and rarity.
This isn’t fast fashion—it’s slow, intentional art.
And the market proves its worth, even years later.
🚫 Claim: “I was expecting better quality. I’m worried the inserts will fall out.”
✅ Fact: My image charms are sealed under glass cabochons using industrial-strength resin—not glue—and then set into my signature crown bezel settings. These settings were developed from custom molds I created with my stainless steel manufacturer, designed specifically for both beauty and strength.
Each cabochon is securely clamped using a heavy-duty professional jewelry tool, and the longer prongs are folded tightly over the glass to lock it in place.
In more than 23 years, I have never lost a single image from one of my crown settings.
The only way a charm could come out is if someone intentionally removed it with pliers.
This isn’t mass-produced. It’s engineered artistry. Handcrafted for comfort and longevity.
Every detail—from the setting mold to the final clamp—is made with intention, durability, and care.
🚫 Claim: “I’m not expecting this to last over a year.”
✅ Fact: Most of my collectors still wear bracelets I created 15 years ago.
I’ve had customers tell me,
“Your jewelry outlasted three of my marriages.”
"I have passed my jewelry down to my granddaughters."
These pieces aren’t just wearable. They’re heirloom art!
💌 Final Thought: - I follow my shop policies
I offered her a refund.
I offered to pay for the return shipping.
She refused.
She kept the bracelet.
And that tells me: this review wasn’t about resolution. It was about intention—and that intention was never to find peace, only to cause pain.
But I still believe in making peace. And I believe fact and truth matters—especially when the heart of an artist is on the line.
💫 The Cost of Cruelty to Artists
It’s easy to say “don’t take it personally,” but for artists, that’s impossible.
Because we are the work. We put a piece of our soul into our art.
And when someone calls it junk, they’re not just insulting a product.
They’re insulting the hours, the hands, the heritage, the heart, and person behind the art.
That review broke something in me. It made me question everything.
I stopped wanting to walk into my studio.
Stopped wanting to post online.
Stopped wanting to create.
And I did stop-for over a week, then I remembered my father, the father that told me right before he passed I had a gift and to leave corporate america to pursue my artistic dreams.
And I know I’m not alone in that.
Every day, artists like me carry the weight of public critique for private work.
And we do it quietly, behind a Facebook smile, glittery Instagram posts and cheerful Etsy updates—because we’re told to “be professional.”
But being professional shouldn’t mean sitting silently in your pain.
💌 To Fellow Makers: You're Not Alone
If you've ever read a review that felt like it was meant to crush you…
If you've ever stayed up wondering if you should keep going…
If you’ve ever questioned your pricing, your value, or your talent because of one loud voice…
This is your reminder:
You are not junk.
You are not “too expensive.”
You are not what one angry customer says.
You are art.
You are legacy.
You are worth continuing.
💖 And to Kind Customers…
If you love handcrafted—if you believe in art—know this:
Your words have power.
When you take the time to leave a kind review, photos, or share how a piece made you feel, you lift someone who gives a piece of their heart to every order.
“I’ve had Dea’s bracelets for over 5 years and they look just as beautiful as the day I opened them.”
“When you’re gone, your jewelry will become highly sought-after collectibles.”
"You are a star and you will shine the brightest" ~ my father
These are the voices I carry with me.
These are the people I create for.
And this is why—despite the hurt—I keep going.
To every artist out there who has felt this pain, Forward, Always Forward.
With all my heart,
Dea Shelton
Integrative Artist & Founder, Blackberry Designs Jewelry