Celebrating One Year of Gilded Roach: What We’ve Learned, What We’ve Built, and Where We’re Headed

Today marks one full year of Gilded Roach. One year of antique treasures, new skills, early mornings, late nights, and steady growth for our small mother-daughter business. What started as a shared dream has grown into a community of collectors, vintage lovers, and jewelry enthusiasts across multiple platforms.

This year was full of challenges and surprises. It was also full of progress. And we want to share the real story behind our first year: the wins, the lessons, and the things no one prepares you for when starting an online jewelry business.

 

Our Community Has Grown More Than We Ever Expected

We began with no audience, no online presence, and no idea how long it would take for people to find us. Today, one year later, our community has become the heart of our brand.

Here is where we stand at the one-year mark:

• Instagram: 3,013 followers
• TikTok: 1,223 followers
• Facebook: 967 followers
• Pinterest: 280,000 engagements
• YouTube: 109,668 views
• Etsy + gildedroach.com: A growing community of loyal collectors

Every one of these numbers represents a real person who interacted with our work, admired a piece from history, or cheered us on. That support is the reason we are still here.

 

Two Big Promotions That Brought Us Together

Mother’s Day Sale

Our very first promotional event.
We had no idea what to expect, and we were still learning how to communicate our value and reach the right people. But this sale showed us that there was a genuine appreciation for antique and vintage jewelry thoughtfully curated and fairly priced.

Anniversary Sale

A full-circle moment.
This event reflected how far we’ve come: stronger branding, better photography, and a clearer understanding of what resonates with our community.

 

The Reality of Running a Two-Person Family Business

We entered this year with decades of combined experience—Celina with customer service, retail, operations, and marketing, and Patricia with artistry, design aspirations, jewelry studies, and a deep love for history.

But experience alone doesn’t prepare you for everything.

Photography Was Harder Than Expected

We knew jewelry photography mattered.
We didn’t realize just how technical it truly is.

Some real examples from our early days:

• Spending hours trying to eliminate reflections from gold surfaces.
• Learning that even a small piece of dust becomes enormous under macro lenses.
• Re-photographing a “finished” product because the lighting slightly skewed the gemstone color.

It took practice, patience, and a lot of retakes to reach the level of quality we’re proud to share today.

Pricing Was a Challenge

We want our jewelry to be attainable, but we also need to sustain our business.

Throughout the year we analyzed:

• Material value
• Age and condition
• Rarity
• Market comparisons

Our guiding principle remains: fair, transparent pricing that keeps antique jewelry accessible while honoring its craftsmanship and history.

Content Creation Takes More Time Than Anyone Thinks

A ten-second reel can require an hour or more to create. Filming, editing, writing captions, reviewing, re-editing, and then planning the next piece of content.

Tools that helped us:
Canva, ChatGPT, CapCut, Later, and a weekly filming schedule.

Advertising Was a Learning Curve

We invested in ads without fully understanding targeting, creative strategy, or analytics. This is a common experience for new businesses.

We learned that our strongest growth came from:

• Organic content
• Community conversations
• Informative posts
• Behind-the-scenes videos
• Honest, clear storytelling about each piece

Slow Growth Requires Patience

It took us two full months to make our first sale.
The months that followed were slow.

There were days without orders.
There was a review that made us rethink everything.
There were comments that made us feel vulnerable.
There were moments of “Are we doing this right?” and “What if someone doesn’t love their piece?”

Those feelings are part of building something new, especially when you pour your heart into it.

The Uncertainty of Learning Everything at Once

Accounting.
Shipping.
Software.
Inventory.
Packaging.
Website design.

There were many days of uncertainty. Yet every week, something became clearer, smoother, and more intuitive.

 

The Support Has Been Extraordinary

This year would not have been possible without the people who believed in us.

To Our Friends and Family

Thank you for cheering us on from day one.
Thank you for sharing our posts, listening to our ideas, celebrating our small wins, and encouraging us through the difficult days. Your support gave us confidence when we needed it most. We see you!

To Our Community

Thank you for welcoming us into your collections, your stories, and your homes.
Thank you for trusting us with pieces that carry history and meaning.
Thank you for your kindness, your reviews, your thoughtful messages, and your genuine enthusiasm for antique jewelry.

Your support has been steady, inspiring, and truly meaningful.

The excitement of discovering a new antique treasure, sharing its story with you, and seeing it become part of someone’s personal collection continues to motivate us every single day.

 

What Matters Most: Confidence, History, and Connection

Our mission extends beyond selling jewelry.

Antique and vintage pieces carry:

• history
• stories
• craftsmanship
• identity

But the most important part is how these pieces make people feel.
We want every customer to feel confident, empowered, and connected to something beautiful and meaningful.

Working as a mother-daughter team is a blessing. It comes with challenges, but it also brings understanding, creativity, and a shared sense of purpose.

 

Our Goals for Year Two

As we enter our second year, we are excited to continue growing and refining our craft.

In the year ahead, we hope to:

• Expand our community
• Strengthen and redesign our website
• Continue improving photography
• Create more educational and historical content
• Source exceptional antique and vintage pieces
• Improve packaging, workflow, and efficiency
• Prepare for future jewelry designs from Patricia
• Stay true to sustainability, fair pricing, and quality

We are deeply grateful for every person who has supported us this year. Thank you for being here, for believing in our mission, and for helping us share the beauty of antique and vintage jewelry with the world.

Here is to our second year.
We cannot wait to see where it takes us.