Today we’d like to introduce you to Irina Polkovnikov and Katie Linke.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Irina and Katie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Making fun necklaces and bracelets was a hobby of mine well before I thought this would ever turn into a business idea. This was something I did to give as gifts for friends and family and to relax. When I got pregnant with my third child and raising one with special needs, I realized that my day job wasn’t fitting into my family life. Before I knew I was expecting a girl, I had this idea: let’s turn my jewelry passion into my dream job. This allowed me the flexibility to be with my family.
With the birth of Danique, my youngest and only daughter, she was so captured with everything sparkly and beautiful. She was the inception of the business idea and the namesake.
I began working full time, very slowly building the business in 2012. I had many trials and errors. Things that I thought would be popular weren’t selling and it took me some time to develop “Danique Jewelry” style. Bringing my own core values of family into the mix was when the magic started happening.
Today, my designs are based on the family. Birthstones, letter charms, and names are now the featured products in my jewelry line. Thinking back to when it was just me in my basement playing with charms to now with a growing team of four to six young women, it has been an adventure to say the least. I hope to show my daughter that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are no mistakes. Only lessons.
Yes, there were certainly struggles along the way. Selling jewelry is very cyclical; there are periods of growth and then there are stagnant times. Other times I’ve invested in a new series of designs and I end up holding onto the inventory for years because it does not seem to catch in the market. Competition comes along to riff of my designs and I have to release new products to stay ahead.
It’s a constant flow of incoming new ideas and outgoing previous successes.
Sometimes trends come and go. There is no staying still. Flexibility and creativity is a must, but that is the part that keeps me coming in everyday. There’ll be something new tomorrow to conquer.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Danique Jewelry – what should we know?
Danique Jewelry specializes in personalized birthstone jewelry designs. Each item is hand assembled in our small shop in Newton, MA. Our most popular designs are those for Mom which feature all of her children’s birthstones and their initial charms or names. To hear back from my clients that they cherish their necklace since it reminds them of their family is so touching. We’ve shipped out jewelry around the world and coming across someone randomly on the street wearing my designs is the most satisfying feeling. I am so blessed to have come so far from a dream that I had while pregnant (I like to call it “prego-brain”).
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Persistence. I think that’s it’s easy to start selling one thing. Building a brand and continuing to grow is difficult. Sometimes things don’t work on the first try. Don’t give up. Try a new perspective, maybe the photo needs to be different or the phrasing changed. Experiment with advertising and contact your customers directly for feedback.
That has been where I’ve received some of the best ideas is directly from my clients.
Pricing:
- Many start in the $30 range but will go up depending on number of charms
Contact Info:
- Address: 235 Adams Street, Newton, MA 02458
- Website: www.daniquejewelry.com
- Phone: 6177950683
- Email: daniquejewelry@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/daniquejewelry
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/daniquejewelry
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/daniquejewelry
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
