Meet Tess Pell

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tess Pell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tess , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is something I have fought, and some days, continue to fight, throughout my entire career. Even now, using the word ‘career’ made me second-guess myself. “Career? Am I really someone with a career? Me? No one takes me seriously, though.”
But looking back on that career helps me remember how amazing I am and how far I have come. I have been at the bench for 13 years and have been making jewelry for 25 years. I have been a maker since I was 6 or 7 when my mom taught me how to crochet. In my grade school pictures, I am wearing crocheted and knotted hemp jewelry that I made myself to wear in the school photos. At 12, I was selling knotted hemp jewelry at school to kids who used their lunch money to buy it. At 14, I was selling hemp jewelry to the local head shops in Kent. By the time I was in 5th grade I had created over 5 business’s and tried running them myself.(I would answer my families home phone by saying “Tess’s American Girl Doll Clothing, how can I help you?” People were very confused. ) I knew from a young age that running a small local business is what I wanted to do. My passion for small business and jewelry has been there since day 1. That is by no means an impostor.
As far as my skills, I am *just now* starting to have unwavering confidence in my skill at the bench. Until recently, I was using the fake it until you make it method. Little did I know, the whole time I had the skill to back that up.
So when I am having a hard day in the studio, or I am feeling intimidated at a show/sale I remind myself of my past, that I worked hard for this, and I have the skill and knowledge to back it all up. I remind myself that young Tess would be incredibly proud of me. I deserve to be where I am, and I can continue to be successful.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a traditionally trained fine jeweler and I also have a bachelors of Fine Arts specializing in Jewelry Metals and Enameling from Kent State University. I spent the last 10 years working for 4 big name designers and jewelry companies in Cleveland. I learned everything I could on the job. In January 2024 I had to leave my day job for a few months due a family members health and their inability to babysit our son while I was working. This would have been devastating had I not been spending the previous year preparing to leave my job by working by 3 jobs and pulling 14 hour days.
Since then I have found my niche. I am specializing in engagement, wedding and partnership rings while also launching a collection of high-end solid precious metal body jewelry.
While I work with everyone (unless you are mean, of course), I also proudly offer a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate their love with rings that reflect who they are. Another thing I am proud of: I never turn a customer away because of their budget. I offer layaway for this reason. You deserve nice things no matter if you have to save to buy them. You don’t need to take out a line of credit to have a lifelong heirloom piece of jewelry.
I am currently working with several local piercing studios on collections for them to carry in their stores. Some of the body jewelry is already available on my website and Stranci Tattoo in Cleveland currently hosts the largest selection of my work.
Something that I am quite serious about: sourcing and ethics. My metal is recycled, the gemstones are naturally and ethically sourced and the diamonds are reclaimed or ethically sourced. I work with lab-created stones and diamonds by request. Sadly, nothing we buy in this world is victimless but I can try my best to be the most ethical option for you to shop with.

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?

1) I am stubborn. I discovered by working for other people that I do not like to listen to someone unless I respect them. And for me to respect them, they have to be ethical, morally just and intelligent/mindful people. While this is a really difficult trait to manage in myself while working for others, it is a fantastic trait while working for myself. I do things the way I want to do them and if my gut says “no” , I listen to it, even if it’s not in the best interest of my finances. I have found that my stubbornness in combo with my high moral values has created a very direct and transparent way of business that people really respect.
2) I understand people, can connect with them, and have a lot of empathy. People want to shop with someone who makes them feel good in many ways: Good about the item they are buying, good about who they are buying it from and those two factors make them feel good about themselves. Making people feel good about themselves is a drug for me. I love it. I am a natural cheerleader. This means that I am good at guidance and maintaining the expectations of people. I can sort of read what they expect from me and try to politely adjust it from there.
3) I didn’t grow up wealthy. Some of my customers are worried about spending a large amount of money on a piece of jewelry. I have a deep understanding of this and work to inspire confidence in the item they are purchasing. I need them to know that I will stand by my work and fix any wrongs that may come about. I am not here to collect your money and peace out. I understand that money is a limited resource that needs to be earned. I feel incredibly grateful that someone is willing to give me money for something that I made. When you buy a piece of fine jewelry, you should be buying from someone you trust. You need to trust that it is well-made, that it is made from the materials listed and that it is made to be worn long term without harming you or the piece (especially with body jewelry!)

Also, let’s be real, the imposter syndrome makes it so I do my very best job all the time because I am worried I am not as skilled as I am🤣 (“Are you sure that stone is secure? *checks it 4 more times*”)

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I have a lot of ways I want to collaborate with other business owners, individuals and coup[es.
I am always looking for someone to host me as a pop-up vendor. I will even offer a private pop-up for you and your friends! If it sounds like fun and it will be beneficial to my business or my happiness, I am so in.
Piercing and tattoo studios, I would love to meet for a consultation on my products and the process of carrying them in your stores.
Boutiques, I offer a large array of price points and designs. I would love to be in more stores! I have even considered making a private collection that is only sold at your store. I am open to collaboration so long as it’s not a secret. (I have been at places that want me to make jewelry for them, and they do not want to display my logo or tell customers where they get it from. This is not what I am interested in)
Body jewelry wearers, I offer custom body jewelry made with measurements you give me so the piece is made to fit your anatomy. I offer free consultations for this service.
Engagement, Wedding and Partnership ring seekers, I would love to have a non-committal and free one-on-one consultation with you to discuss your dream rings. I work with any budget and material so long as it fits within my skillset ( I can’t work with titanium, for example). The only thing we need to be mindful of is deadlines. I will need some time to create them for you since they are all made to order.
You! Literally anyone can contact me for collaborations, interviews, advice, or just to say hey! I am really excited to be part of the vendor and small business community in Cleveland. I feel like I have found my community and I can’t wait to keep meeting people and working together. After hosting several markets at Bottle House in Lakewood last Christmas season, I have caught the networking bug. If you are looking for vendors that are not jewelers, ask me! I love to say other people’s names in a room of opportunities.
I believe that your customer was always going to be your customer; they just need to find you! It’s about vibes, it’s about connections, it’s about *people*.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ingoodcompanyjewelry.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingoodcompany_jewelry/