ShopHaven chats with Blush Beads – An Ottawa Jewellery Designer

Feb 27, 2011 by Natasha

I stumbled upon Blush Beads through Twitter. I began looking at some of the jewellery pieces and really liked what I saw. When I followed up to see who was behind the beautiful work, I found Sandy – the owner and designer. We scheduled a coffee-chat and I took Nelly with me to look at Blush Beads’ jewellery and meet with our fellow Ottawan.

ShopHaven (SH): Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started in the jewellery design business?
Blush Beads (BB): I started beading fifteen years ago. I went to a bead store, liked the products and what I can do with it and I’ve even kept the first necklace I made. Then I worked in the design industry for five years, doing floral design. About three years ago, my friends and family convinced me to open my own business to design and sell jewelry. My husband built a website for me and ever since then I’ve been designing, creating and selling Blush Beads jewellery.

SH:  Where did the name Blush Beads come from?
BB: My Husband and I were discussing ideas in the kitchen one night, and after a couple of hours we had come up with Blush Beads.  We knew that it had to have beads in the name because we wanted people to know what it is about.  The blush comes from the jewellery being flirty and girly.  It represents me a little bit.

SH:  How do you get your design ideas? What makes them special?
BB: I put a lot of myself in my pieces, they are a representation of who I am. I take my work seriously and create items that I would love to wear and display proudly. If I’m not in love with a piece I create, I take it apart and start all over. Sometimes the pieces are inspired by how I feel that day, they reflect my mood and include daily inspirations. That’s why they’re always different and no two pieces are alike. My clients come to recognize the one-of-a-kind aspect of the pieces they buy and they know once a piece is gone, it’s really gone. I don’t sell the same thing over and over again and I like that. I have a chance to change and keep with trends and create new pieces over and over.

SH: What happens if someone likes one of your pieces that has already sold?
BB: If I put a piece on my site and it sells, that piece is gone. But I keep the information and photo of the piece up on the site, so you can email me and ask me to do something similar.

SH:  I’ve heard about your through Twitter. How did you get your name out there?
BB: Through word of mouth mostly, but I also had I a few pieces that were displayed in Wedding Bells when they did an article and included some of my designs.

SH:  You are already selling your jewellery in few Ottawa stores; Red Velvet on Elgin, McCaffrey Haute Couture on Sussex and Mia Bridal Co. on Merivale Rd., do you plan on selling your jewellery in any other stores?
BB: Yes, once the line expands I will be looking for new stores.  I like to form an intimate relationship with the store owners.  I will sit down with the owner and customize the jewellery based on the needs of their store.  I design pieces that will compliment their clothes the most. I can send samples to interested stores for them to see if they’d like to start selling a collection.

SH:  Given your success, do you have any immediate plans to open your own store?
BB: Not at the moment, but maybe in a few years. Right now, I am really happy to be selling different pieces of my collection in local boutiques. When the next opportunity presents itself to work with another great store, I will be looking forward to it. Toronto, Kingston and Montreal are all on my radar.

SH:  Do you do custom orders?
BB: I definitely do custom orders, especially for brides and bridal parties.  You can customize everything else for your wedding so why not jewellery.  I enjoy working one on one with brides to create custom pieces that will help tie together that perfect look for their big day. I ask the brides to provide me with color samples, pictures of the dresses, the feeling they are trying to achieve and a few other details about their wedding to help me be able to create beautiful one of a kind jewellery just for them. I love doing custom orders because it allows me to think out of the box and challenges me to do something new.

I also do customizations for clients that see my work on my website and would like something similar in a different colour or length.

SH:  I noticed a “hint” option on your website. What does that mean?
BB: The hint option on the site is a really creative way to tell someone what you like. It sends a cute little saying to a friend or family member telling them how much you like a particular piece.  The person has the ability to add the product to a shopping cart, so they can buy something you like for you in a matter of seconds. It’s really handy around Valentine’s Day, birthdays and the holidays.

SH:  What is your favourite item to make?
BB: Earrings, because they are girly and there are a million different ways to work with them.  Earrings are also my biggest seller and they go quickly.

SH:  Will you be at any upcoming shows?
BB: I will be having a Trunk show on March 3 from 7:00 to 9:00pm at Hush Clothing on Wellington.  I will be debuting my Spring 2011 collection.  It will be a fun night, you will  have a chance to get a mini-makeover, enjoy some delicious treats from Geek Sweets and Koko Chocolates, you can also win chic prizes and there will also a discount on certain items just for that evening.

SH:  I see Blush Beads regularly donating to charities, can you tell us which ones you are involve with?
BB: I work closely with a few charities that hold a special place in my heart. I am a huge lover of animals and really enjoy working with Friends of Abandoned Pets and Take the Plunge. I have also worked with The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, Pink Army and Canadian Cancer Society.

SH:  What would you say is the best thing about being a business owner in Ottawa?
BB: I was born and raised in Ottawa and the support from the community has been amazing. I think that people really appreciate the work of local artisans and are willing to pay a little more or go a bit out of their way to pick something up that is handmade and homegrown.

SH: Thank you Sandy and we’ll be seeing you at the Trunk Show!