How an Inspiration Became
a Jewelry Line

© by Deira Gerritsen; all rights reserved

I spent the summer in Hong Kong, and it was there that I found inspiration to try something completely new in my business life.

I had lived in Hong Kong for 10 years and had always been moved and fascinated by the various cultures that make up the continent. But my business was media, and while I was creative in many respects, one would not call me an artist or "creator". I was a business developer.

One day I was trawling the various markets and jewelry stalls of Hong Kong's famous "Pearl and Jade" market with an old friend, when I complained that nothing I saw there really excited me. All the styles were the same.

She echoed the sentiment. In fact, she still lived in Hong Kong and was never able to find just the right thing, depsite being inches away from some of the best creative materials in the world.

As people very familiar with Asia and Asian design, we felt what was on offer was a parody of Asia. "Asian jewelry for tourists" as opposed to capturing the authentic beauty of the stones and design.

In that instant, a jewelry line was born. My friend and I decided to design our own jewelry. We did, and I brought it back to the U.S. for family and friends (and of course for myself) to wear. My friend began wearing it all over town.

Before we knew it, friends and family were wanting more. We grew our little jewelry line into a business called "Body Rocks Jewellery".

We design as a team, she from Hong Kong and I from Boston. We burn up phone lines and email, and use digital photography to ensure our mutual creations will work. We've developed a strong relationship with pearl farmers in China, gemstone wholesalers in Hong Kong - and even have our own stringer to do all the handiwork where we can oversee quality.

In three short months we've gotten a website up and running (e-commerce to come in January); we have three retail stores carrying our line (one who created a radio spot to run in Boston promoting our Body Rocks line); and have held dozens of very succesful trunk shows.

We wanted to create things that made us happy. And in doing so, we've been able to bring such pleasure to others. We put thought into the stones we use. We believe in creating harmony with the use of the right stones, and we understand the healing properties of them. Our customers love that their Body Rocks also have purpose.

The best thing about having started Body Rocks is being able to provide high quality beauty at prices that feel right.

Could we charge more? Of course all of you reading this know that one of the highest-margin businesses in the world is jewelry. But why should we charge more? We want our customers to return each season, to update their wardrobes and lives with the fun, funky and unique styles we create continuously.

This Spring we launch our "Think Pink" jewelry line. A percentage of the profits will go to the Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer. We are also donating a percentage of our Asian sales to help survivors of the recent earthquake in Pakistan. Throughout the year we will pick areas of need and devote our attention to them.

Inspiration has led me to fulfill a dream. I've always wanted to give back ... and in creating our Body Rocks jewelry line we are able to provide not only beauty, but also a small bit of help to some of the issues, areas and people that need it.

See part 2 of Deira's jewelry business story, From Inspiration to Salvation - Deira's moving account of how her jewelry, designed for beauty and healing, took on a new purpose after her son was diagnosed with cancer.

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