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When his sculpture teacher told him that he couldn’t carve anything small with the stone he was using, Michael Decker had no choice but to do just that. It was that type of rebellious and creative spirit that started Decker’s passion for creating unique stone and hemp jewelry. Each necklace, bracelet, or ring is made out of Brazilian stone, and each is different from the next. Long after the sculpture class at his community college in Florida was over, this hobby has turned into the beginning of what could be a lucrative small business called Crua Stone. Before, Decker would make stone jewelry for himself or for friends, but now he in the hands of his Marketing class at Ringling College of Art and Design.
Mike’s jewelry was voted to be the subject of the class’ latest Marketing project. The students have been divided into different groups, each handling a different aspect of the Marketing Mix. Each week the class covers another step of the marketing process for Crua Stone, doing things such as working on the packaging, picking out a name and logo, price setting and understanding the target market. The class has decided to use Etsy.com, an online community specifically for selling handcrafted products, along with the school’s local store, Made By Ringling, to sell Crua Stone’s Jewelry. Etsy.com is tailored to pieces like Mike’s Crua Stone jewelry. This project allows students to experience first hand everything that goes into marketing a product.
Crua Stone already had a small following, but now Mike Decker’s business has the chance to expand with a greater force than ever before. To find out more about this 23 year old from Texas who now resides in Sarasota, Florida, check out his web page!