Q: Jonua tell us a bit about yourself and how did you started designing jewelry
A: As a child I dreamt of becoming a designer. Later I did my studies in a totally different discipline, but when I found myself in Paris, I decided it was time to go back to my old dream of creating. A friend introduced me to Etsy. At the beginning, my interest to it, was only as a costumer, then I thought “why not me?” That’s how I started creating my first pieces, mostly for myself or my friends and family. So I worked hard, built my studio in the last two years and there is still more to come.
Q: What makes your designs unique? What inspires you?
A: My main inspiration comes from nature and its beauty. I grew up in US where we have a very close relation to nature and big open spaces. My jewelry is inspired from the organic shapes of nature and its colors. I try to recreate with them the sense of freedom that’s comes from my bohemian side.
A: My key materials are brass and Czech Glass. I love the brass for the way it ages, gaining that old vintage looking that gives you the feeling of jewelry with history. As for the Czech Glass, besides loving their quality and beautiful colors, I also have an ethic reason. It is an art that might disappear with the change of the market balance, and I personally want to help to the preservation of this know-how. I also like polymer clay but I think I will keep it more as a hobby or for very special pieces because it is very time consuming. I often use gemstones, especially the ones with vibrant colors such as carnelian, agate, garnet and chalcedony.
Q: Describe us your typical customer
A: I have had all types of costumers, but I would say that the majority are young women from 25 to 40. My typical customer is an independent, dynamic, working woman with artistic orientation. Most of them are Americans but recently I have noticed that I have many followers from Eastern Europe and Russia. I don’t know yet how my designs appeal to them. I need to plan a trip and get to know their culture.
Q: Where do you create, work and sell?
A: I work in my studio. To be more time efficient, I would usually take a day for the creation process and produce the piece on another day. When you run a one-person activity you have to do the designing, the producing, the marketing and the selling by yourself. Since I opened my Etsy shop it has been a learning curve for me. I find the marketing part to be the most difficult for me, and hope to soon hire someone else to do this job.
Q: Tell us a bit more about your next collection.
A: My new collection is very bohemian. I want to use more gemstones in their rough form like druzy stones. I also think about focusing more on metal pieces. I am now experimenting with some metal smithing and bezel setting.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: For the future I want to pass my activity to the next step. I am now working on building my online store. I will organize my creations in real collections and be more visible in the market. I hope to expand my business and keep a loyal relationship with my customers.
Thank you to Jonua and follow her on her blog: http://www.jrachelbesnard.com/
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