@EthericJewelry on IG says, “a common sentence on sticky notes, and postcards all around the school.” If someone were to look it up on Instagram, they would be brought to a profile full of all sorts of jewelry from necklaces, to rings, to earrings, and so on. All sorts of crystals fill the page in beautiful wire designs in the rings, earrings, and necklaces ranging from amethyst, rose quartz, aquamarine, and other lesser known crystals.

Leslie Cruz is a 17-year-old junior at Centennial High School and the owner of Etheric Jewelry, previously called “Leslie’s Loverly Rings”. She changed the name because it didn’t fit what she was trying to say. Etheric means “of or relating to the heavens or a spiritual world or plane of existence.” Which she said fit her ideas of her small business better and encompassed more of what she wished her shop to be.

Cruz had the idea for a while but it became reality when her entrepreneurship teacher Adam Reed at CAL (Center of Advanced Learning) motivated her to start it. She also got help from supporters to do things such as start an Instagram page, and her boyfriend who gives her rides to sell to students at other schools. Thirty dollars was all it took for Cruz to start the business financially. She used money from a previous job to buy the stuff needed to produce the products and the packaging. “I probably made back all the money and more if I’m being honest,” she said.

She doesn’t plan on taking any classes in high school on business or accounting, so she’ll just have to figure it out on her own. But she does plan to continue this in the future. While she does have other plans as well, she says that she’s going to continue this as a part-time job. The rest of her time, she said, she would like to be a real estate agent or go to a trade school for mechanics. Both of those jobs would allow her to work for herself and stay out of college which are two goals she has for her future.

Some pieces of advice she has for people who wish to start their own businesses, was that they shouldn’t go into it for the money. Cruz said, “Because people who go into it for the money end up failing… Entrepreneurship is for helping others and customer service is what brings back the people, and money is just the byproduct of what you are doing.” She also talked about time management and habits. The main goal is indeed important, but she commented that every step matters. “Focus on the habits to get to your goal.”

All of Cruz’s prices are on her Instagram. Around seven dollars for the rings, 14 for the bracelets, 15 for the necklaces, and around 10 dollars for the earrings. Of course, these are the average prices and may vary based on the product. To place an order, all one needs to do is Direct Message her with their order, and she will give them the price. They can pay her with cash, Venmo, or PayPal. She can hand deliver it or ship it with a two dollar extra cost.

Cruz’s jewelry looks amazing and it is well made. Freshman Luvaya Fowlkes commented, “I think she’s really talented for making the jewelry. I’ve brought a few things for her before, and they were really nice. I would definitely buy from her again.”