This week we’re getting to know some of our fabulous jewellery designers better; Ruby Tynan Jewellery and Mermaids & Dinosaurs.
Mother’s Day is nearly here, and jewellery is the perfect gift! Get your Mum something timeless and unique, whilst supporting artisan makers in their craft and supporting British trade.
Ruby Tynan Jewellery makes all her designs from 925 Stirling Silver and 9 Carat gold, so you can give your Mum something ever-lasting. Mermaids & Dinosaurs does the same, and is a mum herself (with a business name inspired by her children – one a lover of mermaids, and the other obsessed with dinosaurs!).
Pedddle: With Mother’s Day nearly here, which of your products make the best gifts for Mums or anyone else we’d like to treat?
Ruby Tynan Jewellery: I have a few products that sell well around Mother’s day, especially my interlocking designs:
Sterling Silver Interlocking Rings Necklace: Handmade Sterling Silver Interlocking Rings Necklace
Sterling Silver Interlocking Rings Earrings: Handmade Sterling Silver Interlocking Rings Earrings
Sterling Silver Personalised Message Bangle: Handmade Sterling Personalised Bangle
Solid 9ct Gold Concave Heart Necklace: Handmade Solid 9ct Gold Concave Heart Necklace
Mermaids & Dinosaurs: Most of my jewellery makes great Mother’s Day gifts – they can be personalised with children’s names, initials, date of births and so on, which is a lovely keepsake gift. My disc necklaces are perfect for this (see below).
Pedddle: What is your best-selling product, and why do you think this is?
Ruby Tynan Jewellery: My best selling product of 2019 was my sterling silver interlocking rings necklace ( Handmade Sterling Silver Interlocking Rings Necklace), with the interlocking rings earrings coming in at a close second. It’s a very simple design, making it a great gift for people with “fussy” tastes, and with its link to the Russian Love Rings concept (symbolising love, hope and faith), people consider it a meaningful present.
Mermaids & Dinosaurs: My best-selling product is my mini disc initial necklaces. I think this is because they are the perfect size for everyday wear and they’re easy to add additional discs to.
Pedddle: Local markets are great to showcase products and get customer feedback to help your business thrive. What made you consider selling your products at markets initially?
Ruby Tynan Jewellery: I started selling at markets almost immediately after getting into making jewellery. I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to generate feedback from potential customers. Being able to talk one-to-one with someone about what they liked and disliked about my pieces is an important part of the design process. I also wanted to take part in markets to socialise with other stallholders. I understood that going into business on my own would be quite lonely, and I was keen to get out of my studio and get to know other makers.
Mermaids & Dinosaurs: I first decided to sell at markets as I love talking and interacting with people (my previous job was in field sales so to then be working alone was a massive shock!). I also thought it was a great way to gain exposure for my business and reach audiences that perhaps wouldn’t have found me online.
Pedddle: That sounds great! What do you love most about being a stallholder at markets?
Ruby Tynan Jewellery: I love it when a customer comes back and visits me at a market, or I bump into someone who has bought something from me in the past, and is wearing what they bought from me. There’s no bigger compliment or more valuable feedback than a happy customer wearing jewellery that I’ve made, and markets are the perfect opportunity for that.
Mermaids & Dinosaurs: I love interacting with the public and it’s great when people approach me already wearing a piece of jewellery that I’ve made for them (I think this is such a big compliment). It’s also great for feedback and questions. I constantly get ideas about what people are looking for and what they already love from my collection.
Pedddle: Lastly, why do you think jewellery makes the perfect gift?
Ruby Tynan Jewellery: I believe there is something about jewellery that makes for an incredibly sentimental and meaningful gift. As it is not typically something that women buy for themselves, jewellery given as a gift is a great way to mark monumental times in a person’s life, such as weddings, birthdays or the birth of a child. And due to the timeless nature of my designs, I believe that the gift of Ruby Tynan Jewellery now will become a treasured keepsake in the years to come.
I have always been captivated by a love of delicate and dainty jewellery. I admire minimalist design, with lots of clean lines and simple shapes, and this is definitely something I try to convey in my collections. I’m also inspired by the customers themselves. Modern women demand versatility from their jewellery, they want meaningful pieces of luxury that can be worn every day, whether it’s running errands or out for dinner with friends on a Friday night. My passion is to create simple, contemporary and classic collections that are timeless, elegant and most importantly, affordable.
Mermaids & Dinosaurs: Jewellery is so so personal! This is why I chose to give people the option to design their own necklace, by mixing and matching the metals and having the option of personalisation. I get told a lot of meaningful stories of the reasons that people buy my jewellery, which is the biggest honour of all. It’s not just a piece of metal – each piece of jewellery tells a story and holds a special memory.