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Stress

Lots of jewelry designers are self-employed, planning out their own schedule and setting most of their own deadlines. Sounds like a great way to reduce stress, right? Wrong. As great as that sounds on the surface, self-employment is hard. Even the chillest California surfer would get a little stressed out if she were worrying about budgeting, inventory, and steady production for her custom surfboard business.

 
This mess of humanity represents your prime customer base. (Source)

Beyond the stress of the production side, you'll also be working a lot of weekends and holidays. Weekend craft and trade shows, especially during gift-giving seasons, will be your bread and butter until you've really made it big, so say goodbye to your quiet, relaxing Sundays (source).