Read on for 8 Facts about Derive Jewelry that might surprise you!
Started from my kitchen table in 2019 as a hobby under a different name! We established Derive Jewelry as a business in May of 2020 :) IYKYK, our OG roots started out using copper scraps to make our stick earrings and hand shaped arrowhead styles! I shifted to working with 14k gold fill and sterling silver when I started Derive.
This year is bringing more growth and exciting new product offerings including custom solid gold pieces. More to come on that!
My Favorite part of the process is design and stone sourcing. I love traveling and make it a point to bring back stones whenever possible when we are traveling.
Tahitian pearls: I sourced them directly in French Polynesia on our various trips. I visited a pearl farm in Taha'a and learned all about the process from the family owned operation. In Moorea, I sat at a local jewelers bench and worked along side her, drilling the pearls together that I brought home to make into beautiful adornments.
Turquoise: during our most recent Arizona trip, I had a private showing to hand select beautiful turquoise nugget strands and cabochons of Arizona and Nevada mined turquoise.
These are just a couple examples of the ways I find to make space and time to source stones during our travels. It makes the stones meaningful to me when I can source them directly and build in person relationships.
I'm motivated by supporting my family and providing opportunities to live life to the fullest, on our own schedule. Getting to wake up, make my matcha and have a slow, fun morning as a family makes me realize I made the right choice in betting on myself and this business. It is a far cry from the work life I once lived- goodbye 7am and 5pm meetings! I ended up retiring from a long healthcare career in 2021 after such amazing growth in this business. I'm forever grateful!
The name Derive came from what I'm inspired by: the earth giving us these beautiful stones and endless inspiration in the landscape that we are fortunate to experience through travels. Thus, we are born from the earth, inspired by the journey. I'm so grateful for the abundance of beauty in the world that provides both material and creative spark for my work. My hope is that the wanderlust and inspiration translates through to you when you wear these pieces.
Did you know that over 250 retailers carry our line? This now includes some retailer locations in Australia and France! Word of mouth and new retailers finding us online has been our main source of growth and we are so grateful to each and every independent boutique.
If you want to see if we are in your area, feel free to send us a message to inquire. Better yet- if you have a favorite local boutique, spa, salon that would be a great fit for our line, please don't hesitate to reach out to us to tell us about it, or give our information to them!
I haven't financed anything in my business! I've been able to build and scale using funds / cash flow I have earned and have on hand. This grassroots approach was my goal from the very start when it was a hobby. I would re-invest nearly every dollar made back into the business to buy supplies and tools as I could! It was a fun game to play with myself at times in the early days- do a "story sale" and then use that sale money to buy a cool new tool I'd been wanting! It was not long until this "hobby" started replacing my healthcare career income, which afforded me the ability to bulk up my supplies/tools and time to practice new skills before quitting that job to go all in on the business.
We are now a small team of 4! I balance running this brand with being a mom of two little ones and this year I'm leaning in harder than ever to have a support team around my brand so that I can spend as much of my time as possible with the kids while they are so little.
A lot of practice, trial and error and you-tube tutorials to get where I am with my skill set today! I highly recommend taking an in person class or at least looking up all safety related information if you are currently someone who uses soldering or works with metal dust in any way! Safety in the studio is super important!! It was that first metalsmithing class I took where I learned lots of valuable safety tips that I use in the studio daily!
I hope you've enjoyed learning a bit more about our business, and if this is something you enjoyed we would love to hear from you! Give us a comment on our social media, share with a friend, or visit us online at derivejewelry.com to explore what is new!
