We were lucky to catch up with Jeni Cichewicz-Stratton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jeni, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Work ethic is defined as an attitude or a set of rules that show one’s dedication, determination, and value towards one’s job or professional success. I get mine from my parents; as I am a first generation American. My parents came from communist Poland and moved to America to achieve a better life. In American you had options; you could choose your profession. I saw my parents make it in a country where they didn’t speak the language and yet they were able to find jobs and persevere. My father is a person who never gives up and my drum moves to that same beat. Jewelry is something that I’ve chosen to not only express my creative side with and share with the word, but it’s a skill that I’ve dedicated many hours to. I’ve traveled around the country to take professional metalsmithing classes and hone in my skills. Each time I make a piece with my own two hands I improve become more inspired. I’m able to tell a story with my hands and artwork that’s unique.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I focus on my handcrafted jewelry daily. I create jewelry with my own two hands; nothing is manufactured, each piece is thought-out and unique. I love when I sell a piece of jewelry to a person who is just starting their jewelry collection, it’s so exciting! And to then see them come back for more pieces is very thrilling as they truly apricate the quality, design and enjoy learning more about the process. I love having meaningful conversations about pieces because each piece tells a story. When a husband buys a ring for his wife’s birthday, she’ll have that ring for life. And each time she looks at that ring she’ll have a positive memory. I post new collections of jewelry and share behind the scenes techniques for making jewelry on my site. For live shows and events please visit me at jenimarie.com or on Instagram at @jenimairecompany for more!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Passion, determination, and patience are the three most important qualities in this industry. To best develop you need to be passionate about what you do and you have to be determined. I’m constantly reading or watching videos about anything jewelry related. I’m also determined to make a piece over and over again until it’s outstanding. To improve you have to actually physically do the work. It’s like being on sports team and in order to win the game you have to go to practice, and you have to practice a lot. Jewelry takes a lot of patience. A lot of people on the Instagram community refer to handmade jewelry as slow-jewelry as again it’s not mass produced and each piece takes time. I would advise to allow yourself time for the thing you’re passionate about. Rushing in this industry is not effective. You have to learn what works best for you and that takes time.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
An ideal client would be someone looking for quality handmade jewelry. Are you looking for something that’ll last a lifetime? Or are you looking at something that’s inexpensive, looks pretty in the moment but ends up breaking in weeks due to it being gold plated and mass produced? My grandpa had a saying that went something along the lines of “I’m too poor to be cheap”. This holds true to any industry. Meaning would you rather buy a quality piece of jewelry for a significant other that’ll make them happy for years to come, or would you rather purchase an inexpensive piece that’ll only last two weeks to then find them in tears since the gift you gave broke? In purchasing the cheaper item you’re actually spending more money by constantly having to replace the broken item. Personally, I would rather own a piece of jewelry that is solid and durable that’s your go-to item when going out. My ideal client understands the quality of my jewelry at jenimarie.com, and that you won’t have to purchase the same piece over and over again since it was made right the first time. Quality lasts and ends up saving you money in the long run. My jewelry holds value, memories and is well made.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jenimarie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenimariecompany/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeniMarieCompany/
- Other: @jenimariecompany
Image Credits
Jeni Stratton Matt Stratton
