I was born into the loving home of two artists; my mother, a talented painter from Saudi Arabia, and my father, an eccentric actor from London; they provided me with endless years of inspiration and passion to pursue a creative path. Even as a child I felt a strong affinity for learning about art and its hidden dialogue. This ever present thirst for mystery and beauty led me to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tufts University. After working in galleries, I was itching to pave my own way, and set off to receive a Masters in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute. Upon finishing my degree, I merged my creative background in art and business by creating a conceptually based jewelry collection.

My fascination with gemstones and their energetic properties, led me to launch a fine jewelry collection in September 2016. I create pieces that enhance wholeness and bring balance. The necklaces, rings, and earrings are composed of tourmalineand diamonds set in 14K gold. All jewelry is handmade with love in Los Angeles, and the irregular natures of the stones are untouched to ensure that each piece is unique. I hope to inspire... by bringing truth and beauty to the world through the Jewelry's themes of symbolism, mythology, and spirituality.

Inspired by the NativeAmerican culture of Tucson, Arizona, my goal was to create a line of accessories that encompassed the spiritual goal of NativeAmericans, to live in harmony with the universe, Mother Earth, and to all of its creatures: celestial, human, and animal. From that came my first collection, The Sun Collection.

I hope to inspire... by bringing truth and beauty to the world through the Jewelry's themes of symbolism, mythology, and spirituality.

Quality Matters: Know your brand!! It is so important to be clear on your intention as an artist.

It doesn’t have to be perfect to be a good idea: Believe in your brand, know what you stand for, and don't be shy to do things your own way.

Finding the perfect match takes time: Know what you're message is, spend the most time figuring this out so that you have a solid source to pull all of your inspiration and ideas from.

Don’t settle for anything less then the best (stone): If you listen to other people’s opinions too much you lose your vision and identity.

One of a kind doesn’t mean standing alone: Don't do it alone! Make sure that you always have positive, supportive, and helpful people around you to build you business alongside you. Find the right team and be picky! Why would you want to carry all of the weight on your shoulders?

My Tips for Success:

The jewels can sell themselves, but a little help never hurt:

If you can, hire a sales agent to get your work out there in stores and online platforms. Hopefully if you hire a good sales agent you would make up for their cost in sales.

Each stone has its own story, as do we:

Hire a publicist! It’s so important to use your own network and to work with what you have but if you can you should also have some to help you go the extra mile and knock on doors for you. BUT BE CAREFUL. There are a lot of PR groups that are money minded so make sure it’s someone who has values and truly believes in you. Take your time in doing this.

A clean cut, quality vs. quantity:

When choosing a manufacturer, don’t settle! It’s hard to find someone you love working with whose costs are fair and whose work is clean, so don't rush on starting right away. Make a few samples with different people and compare the work and their costs. Take your time with it and find a team that you trust and can count on to deliver high quality work at a fair cost. Do the leg work, it takes a couple of tries to get it right, if you put yourself out there and hunt for the best polisher, best stone setter, best caster, it will pay off!!! It takes a lot of work to get this right.

For the love of the stone:

Find a stone supplier you trust and keep them around. It’s good to develop relationships with your stone supplier that way he/she can keep you in mind when they're scouting pieces. Also its good to be consistent in the stones that you use, even though there are no two tourmalines of the exact same color I find it much easier to stay consistent when I work with the same person.

The cost of business: If numbers really aren't your thing, hire an accountant! It’s always important to keep track of all of your costs and to have an accountant that’s reliable to keep your finances in check, its easy to get carried away in fine jewelry.

Be one of a kind: Don’t be scared to make mistakes or take a few risks, starting a business is all trial and error

WRITTEN BY

Amaya Jones