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Speaker 1: I'm Will Lucas, and this is black tech, green money, luxury,

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Speaker 1: storytelling and innovation. A few designers balance these elements as seamlessly.

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Speaker 1: It's Lawer and Harwell Godfrey. From a career in advertising

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Speaker 1: defined tiny to launching her namesake jewelry brandt, Laura's journey

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Speaker 1: has been anything but conventional. Her designs, inspired by the

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Speaker 1: African diaspora, sacred geometry, and personal experiences, have caught the

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Speaker 1: attention of celebrities, collectors, and major retailers alike. But beyond

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Speaker 1: the sparkle of eighteen care go neth if we source

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Speaker 1: Jim Stones, Lauren is building something bigger, a brand with

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Speaker 1: a purpose.

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Speaker 2: So I'm very interested in your background.

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Speaker 1: As you know, I'm seeing a lot of advertising work

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Speaker 1: there and culinary arts, and I'm wondering how those things

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Speaker 1: might have influenced your design perspective and running a jewelry business.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I think that it's really

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Speaker 3: influenced me as a human being. Those different career choices

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Speaker 3: that I've made in the past that I've been on

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Speaker 3: advertising for me as.

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Speaker 4: A creative director and an art director.

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Speaker 3: And my whole job was to communicate my ideas visually

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Speaker 3: and come up with an idea and then be able

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Speaker 3: to really explain it to people in a very clean

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Speaker 3: and concise way. And I think that's really served me

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Speaker 3: well in the jewelry world, because again, I'm like coming

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Speaker 3: up with these designs, I'm not the actual bench jeweler

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Speaker 3: who makes them, so I have to be able to

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Speaker 3: clearly communicate visually what it is that I want. And

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Speaker 3: I feel like I had a head start on that

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Speaker 3: because of this fifteen year career in advertising where that's

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Speaker 3: like every day, that's what I did, So that was great.

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Speaker 4: And then culinary it's another one where you have this

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Speaker 4: set of ingredients that you're working with.

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Speaker 3: Right in the culinary world, it's like you got your

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Speaker 3: proteins and you got your grains, and you got all

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Speaker 3: this stuff and the way you put it together is

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Speaker 3: what makes it magical. And you're a chef or somebody

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Speaker 3: who's you know, using food as a way of communicating,

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Speaker 3: and I feel like that's the same and jewelry. We

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Speaker 3: all are working with precious metals, gemstones. The materials are

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Speaker 3: the same, and how we remix.

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Speaker 4: Them and do it in our way that makes them special.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, let's called how you started that was saying, you know,

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Speaker 1: it was really about storytelling, and I wonder when you're

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Speaker 1: trying to communicate those ideas, is it like when you're

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Speaker 1: trying to communicate to the actual producer of manufacturer. Is

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Speaker 1: it like literally, I need a line here versus telling

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Speaker 1: the story.

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Speaker 2: So they can kind of get where you're coming from.

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Speaker 2: Or how literal is it?

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Speaker 3: It depends on the project. I do a few different things.

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Speaker 3: I'm very computer literate, having been in the advertising and

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Speaker 3: kind of graphic design space for so long, So sometimes

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Speaker 3: I'll make things an illustrator and I'll make them down

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Speaker 3: to the millimeter, so it's a two D like rendering of.

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Speaker 4: The object that I want.

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Speaker 3: But I'll be like in the end, I want this

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Speaker 3: to be twenty five millimeters, I want this stone to

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Speaker 3: be one millimeter, and I want this pattern to be this.

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Speaker 4: I'm very pattern driven in my work, so there's a

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Speaker 4: lot of precision.

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Speaker 3: But then sometimes I want to evoke more of a feeling,

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Speaker 3: and so I sketch. I think when I instead of

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Speaker 3: being you know, a flat, very computer and thing, if

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Speaker 3: I can actually catch the item, if it's something that

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Speaker 3: should have more of a vibe, if you will, I

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Speaker 3: think that really helps, and sometimes I do a combining

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Speaker 3: simple it's just very product or project dependent.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, speaking of illustrator, you know, I wonder how technology

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Speaker 1: has influenced your design process, either to your point, you know,

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Speaker 1: sketching something is a lot different than just you know,

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Speaker 1: a flat illustration.

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Speaker 2: But how has that lended more you know, input into

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Speaker 2: the design.

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Speaker 4: I think it has, and I think.

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Speaker 3: It's something that makes me unique as a designer, just

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Speaker 3: having that sort of fluency and illustrator. It's not I

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Speaker 3: don't think illustrator is a very traditional jewelry design program,

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Speaker 3: but it's what I know. So I use what I

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Speaker 3: know to make my things. And I don't come at

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Speaker 3: the jewelry world from like, you know, a family business

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Speaker 3: that I was a part of all this.

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Speaker 4: Like heritage in the jewry world. I'm coming at it.

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Speaker 3: As a designer and using the tools that I know

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Speaker 3: to influence that. And I think I've had a lot

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Speaker 3: of positive feedback that my work is very identifiable.

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Speaker 4: And I think part of what might.

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Speaker 3: Make that true is because I'm able to do intricate

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Speaker 3: designs that have the technology and the know how to

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Speaker 3: use that to help me really helen in and makes

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Speaker 3: a very specific, very interesting patterns and things.

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Speaker 4: Possible into work.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: So I came up in the music business, and I

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Speaker 1: used to talk to a lot of producers who advised

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Speaker 1: that they treated their production or songwriting like a job.

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Speaker 1: So nine to five, whatever their time is, like, they

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Speaker 1: go to work like everybody else, but they had to

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Speaker 1: treat it that way instead of just something that they

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Speaker 1: just do when they caught a feeling or call it

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Speaker 1: a vibe. And I wonder how you structure your life

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Speaker 1: to sit down and do work. Is it, Hey, I'm

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Speaker 1: just going about my day and I got inspired by something,

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Speaker 1: or hey, I'm sitting down from twelve to six and

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Speaker 1: I'm going to draw.

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Speaker 3: You know, that's also very dependent on the time and

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Speaker 3: the space and where my head is. Sometimes I'm just

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Speaker 3: like an idea will come to me and I'm like, I.

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Speaker 4: Need to get this on paper. I'm so excited about

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Speaker 4: the thaying to stop everything and get this down.

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Speaker 3: Other times, I know there's a deadline looming and I

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Speaker 3: don't really have a choice, and I have like, you know,

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Speaker 3: I gotta get I'm currently we're operating in that space

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Speaker 3: these days.

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Speaker 4: There's a big deadline living.

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Speaker 3: I'm launching a new collection this summer that I really

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Speaker 3: need to like finalize. So it really depends, you know it.

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Speaker 3: Inspiration strikes everywhere, and I'm not limited to when I.

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Speaker 4: Can put out a new piece of jewelry.

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Speaker 3: So if I really fall in love with an idea

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Speaker 3: and I'm like, I think this just needs to hit

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Speaker 3: and be out there, I can do an independent release

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Speaker 3: and not have it attached to any sort of a

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Speaker 3: you know, a showroom, market or a planned date or anything.

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Speaker 3: I have that flexibility in that freedom because I have

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Speaker 3: an audience that is interested in that stuff.

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Speaker 4: So it's there's all come at it from all the

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Speaker 4: different ways.

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Speaker 2: How do you know when a design is done?

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Speaker 4: That's a great question.

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Speaker 3: It's a feeling and I don't know if a design

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Speaker 3: is ever truly done. And trust me, I've had some

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Speaker 3: designs where I make it, I launched it and put

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Speaker 3: it out in the world, and a year later it's

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Speaker 3: maybe it's a one of a kind and I didn't

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Speaker 3: sell it. I last year did this. I took the

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Speaker 3: piece back. I sort of changed a couple things about it.

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Speaker 3: I reoriented, I like put it on a different necklace,

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Speaker 3: and I did some stuff and it immediately sold So

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Speaker 3: the thing that's kind of cool about jewelry is there

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Speaker 3: are ways that you can keep manipulating designs.

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Speaker 4: Obviously, if it sells, it's out the door.

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Speaker 3: And there are some pieces that I make that are

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Speaker 3: meant for production, meaning there repeatable items that a store

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Speaker 3: can buy and all my wholesalers are able to buy,

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Speaker 3: and so those things don't I try not to change

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Speaker 3: too much because money goes into the like photographing them

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Speaker 3: and marketing them and all this stuff. But when it's

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Speaker 3: one of a kind and peace, you know, I think

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Speaker 3: it's done when I have this feeling like I love this,

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Speaker 3: it feels good. But don't put it past me to

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Speaker 3: take it back if I see something that I want

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Speaker 3: to change later.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I'm sure you know other designers who have

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Speaker 1: beautiful work, but having even come close to the level

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Speaker 1: of success you.

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Speaker 2: And others have.

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Speaker 1: And I would imagine that a lot of that has

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Speaker 1: to do with brand. It's not just the product, but

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Speaker 1: it's the story that coincides with it. Positioning in these things,

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Speaker 1: what have you seen work to elevate your brand where

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Speaker 1: others might not have found that same success.

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Speaker 3: I attribute a lot of my success to joining a

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Speaker 3: showroom at the very beginning of my career, which a

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Speaker 3: shore room and my shroom, the shure room that I

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Speaker 3: went it's called for Future Reference, and it is a

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Speaker 3: shureroom that specializes in independent jewelry designers. And they handle

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Speaker 3: my product pr and they handle my wholesale business, and

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Speaker 3: they have a lot of connections in the jewelry industry.

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Speaker 3: My friend Randy Mulofsky is the founder of the showroom.

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Speaker 3: I went to her when I decided I wanted to

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Speaker 3: start making jewelry, and I'm like, hey, this is career

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Speaker 3: number three.

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Speaker 4: I don't have like years and years and years.

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Speaker 3: I got to like start, you know, getting this thing

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Speaker 3: off the ground and making it successful as soon as

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Speaker 3: I possibly can.

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Speaker 4: She's like, you know, set your expectations. But I really

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Speaker 4: leveraged having a showroom.

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Speaker 3: And having their contacts to help me gain traction in

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Speaker 3: the industry and get people to take me seriously as

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Speaker 3: a person who had nothing to do with jewelry. That

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Speaker 3: really helped me, and I continue to work with them.

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Speaker 3: Even though you know, some people grow out of their showroom.

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Speaker 3: I don't know that I ever will, because I just

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Speaker 3: like the partnership of the showroom and we continue to

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Speaker 3: come up with interesting.

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Speaker 4: Ways together to market the jewelry, you know, do interesting collaborations,

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Speaker 4: different things like that. So I think that really helped

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Speaker 4: give me a leg up where if you're coming.

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Speaker 3: At this is like I have this idea, you know,

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Speaker 3: the treaty falls and the forest is anyone here, you

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Speaker 3: know that kind of thing. It's like they were able

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Speaker 3: to really amplify me from the very beginning.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: You know, we've seen this amazonification of sales and retail

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Speaker 1: over the last decade or more, and luxury shoppers has

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Speaker 1: held on to some extent. You know, people want to

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Speaker 1: get to know by and touch and feel in person,

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Speaker 1: have that in person experience. But luxury buyers are increasingly

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Speaker 1: you know, shopping online. And I wonder what role e

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Speaker 1: commerce has played for more luxury brands like yourself to help.

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Speaker 2: You grow your business and how you've been intentional in that.

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Speaker 4: It's been interesting. You know. What I feel about all

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Speaker 4: that is that it's constantly changing. Like you said, luxury

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Speaker 4: is interesting. People kind of can.

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Speaker 3: Adopt certain ways of doing things. I do think story

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Speaker 3: is a unique space where people are really.

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Speaker 4: Looking for connection.

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Speaker 3: These are items that typically are heirloom or that they're playing,

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Speaker 3: they have in their lives for a very long time,

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Speaker 3: and I'm finding, you know again, I'm about eight years

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Speaker 3: in and I'm finally starting to really understand how important

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Speaker 3: personal connection is to people, especially when they're coming to

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Speaker 3: buy something like this.

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Speaker 4: So, you know, we do utilize online sales. I have

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Speaker 4: a website, but I.

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Speaker 3: Also opened a store last year, and I'll tell you this,

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Speaker 3: I've noticed since I opened the store that my web

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Speaker 3: sales have gone down, and I think it's because people

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Speaker 3: take the time and effort to come to the store

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Speaker 3: and have that connection. Touching jewelry makes a big difference,

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Speaker 3: the weight of the jewelry, the way it feels on

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Speaker 3: your body. I think we're kind of a unique part

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Speaker 3: of the luxury industry that really eggs VERSU in person time.

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Speaker 4: But I also just launched a charity effort to help

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Speaker 4: out with the fires in.

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Speaker 3: LA and people were buying stuff basically that I was

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Speaker 3: promoting on Instagram not.

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Speaker 4: Having touched it because they didn't have one for them

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Speaker 4: to touch.

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Speaker 3: I didn't option as soon as that they went to

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Speaker 3: the person who wanted it was gone.

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Speaker 4: But then I opened it up for other people to buy.

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Speaker 3: And they trusted me enough to buy it, you know,

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Speaker 3: without so it depends on the case.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you know. In my my YouTube feed, I've had

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Speaker 1: these things pop up more recently about how exclusivity and

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Speaker 1: some luxury brands are very prevalent. You think about air mes,

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Speaker 1: like you think about a Rolex store, like you go

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Speaker 1: and you can't buy a Rolex in a Rolex store,

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Speaker 1: And I want, you know, I wonder like how this

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Speaker 1: stuff makes sense and how do you balance exclusivity with

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Speaker 1: accessibility needing? Like you know, maybe Rolex can get away

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Speaker 1: with that. Maybe that's just you know, positioning, they say,

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Speaker 1: And there's other ways to buy it. I don't know,

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Speaker 1: you maybe you know, but how do how does this

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Speaker 1: work when you're trying to balance exclusivity with luxury and

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Speaker 1: because obviously you don't want everybody to have it if

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Speaker 1: it's luxury, but accessibility also matters because you had a

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Speaker 1: business to run.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, it's it's a juggle.

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Speaker 3: I think the way I try to balance it is

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Speaker 3: again by having some products that are truly one of

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Speaker 3: the kind, so only one of them will ever exist.

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Speaker 3: And generally speaking, that's because of a special gemstone that

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Speaker 3: I've used, where each gymstone over a specific.

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Speaker 4: Scale can become very unique.

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Speaker 3: So for those people who are like I want to

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Speaker 3: have something that no one.

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Speaker 4: Else has, we can do that.

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Speaker 3: But then, you know, I also part of my brand ethos,

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Speaker 3: I think, is to make fine jewelry accessible in a

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Speaker 3: different kind of way, like where I'm like pilot on

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Speaker 3: wear it every day. There's like there's kind of an

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Speaker 3: accessibility vibe to my brand that I want honor. So

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Speaker 3: I make price point pieces that people can get that

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Speaker 3: are not one of the kind and they're you know,

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Speaker 3: sub one thousand dollars or one thousand, two thousand dollars,

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Speaker 3: and you can get into the brand at a level

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Speaker 3: that's more accessible if you will. But then I've also

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Speaker 3: done some limited edition pieces, like I did a collaboration

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Speaker 3: with the artist Ashley Longshore as a friend of mine,

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Speaker 3: and we did a press for Champagne ring that's really

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Speaker 3: fun and we're like, let's catch this the twenty so

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Speaker 3: the people that are fans of both of us can

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Speaker 3: like have access to it, and it's like, you know,

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Speaker 3: but then like everybody in the world is going to

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Speaker 3: have one too, So there's just different tactics for different products.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you mentioned collabs and I'm interesting how collabs with

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Speaker 1: designers work and so is like the actual structure is

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Speaker 1: this us saying hey, option a like, hey, I'm going

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Speaker 1: to pay you to come and let's do this thing together.

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Speaker 1: And there's here's the revenue exchange between us? Or is

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Speaker 1: this we're going to do this split on whatever we get,

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Speaker 1: Like how do on paper and in function collabs work.

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Speaker 4: It's different for every person. So every brand is unique.

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Speaker 4: And like, you know, even with Ashley.

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Speaker 3: Consider her a friend and she also is a brand.

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Speaker 3: So we had a meeting with her team and we came.

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Speaker 4: Up with, you know what we were both comfortable with, and.

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Speaker 3: We really hit it. From a business standpoint, it's like

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Speaker 3: we're buddies and we'll go we could, you know, have

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Speaker 3: some drinks together, and that's the whole other thing. But

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Speaker 3: we took this very seriously and had some very serious

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Speaker 3: business conversations about it. I also collaborate with the Caveat Company,

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Speaker 3: which is a local to me.

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Speaker 4: Female run caviar brand.

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Speaker 3: They distribute nashally though it's quite wonderful caviar.

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Speaker 4: But you know, we also had our meeting.

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Speaker 3: And we discussed how we would work together as brands,

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Speaker 3: and those were two very different conversations from two very

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Speaker 3: different brands.

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Speaker 4: That I want to work with.

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Speaker 3: But I will say, so far in the collaboration space,

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Speaker 3: I've only really done them with people that I know

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Speaker 3: and trust in, like, because I want it to be,

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Speaker 3: you know, an authentic collaboration where it's you know, people

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Speaker 3: and products that I stand by and love.

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Speaker 4: So that's that's the common ground on both of those.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well, let's go a level deep on that.

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Speaker 1: So I get you know, some of the creative Like

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Speaker 1: we may bounce ideas off of each other, and you know,

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Speaker 1: then I'll ultimately come up with this product that we're

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Speaker 1: both you know, a fan of releasing.

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Speaker 2: But like, how do splits work? How does it?

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Speaker 4: Say?

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Speaker 1: Okay, Lauren, is you know, taking fifty percent and this

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Speaker 1: band of here's second?

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Speaker 2: Like, how do you decipher who's doing what? And how

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Speaker 2: does the split work? Are you give an example?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, Like a good example of this is typically.

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Speaker 3: All the clouds I've done, there's jewelry involved, and so

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Speaker 3: I'm responsible for making that jewelry and paying for those

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Speaker 3: raw materials.

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Speaker 4: If you will.

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Speaker 3: So for me, the way the Clods have worked is

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Speaker 3: that I need to be able to pay myself back

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Speaker 3: for that investment and then split profits after that.

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Speaker 4: Does that make sense?

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Speaker 3: So if both of our names are on it, you know,

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Speaker 3: it's like, I think both parties are entitled to uh

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Speaker 3: a split thing, But I also have cost to cover

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Speaker 3: because I'm usually the one manufacturing item.

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Speaker 1: There's these two quotes I found from you that I'd

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Speaker 1: like to repeat to you, and I wanted to get

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Speaker 1: your take and go a little bit harder. And so

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Speaker 1: there's one you said, I do consider myself a big

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Speaker 1: muse for the work. To me, realness is not asking

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Speaker 1: what do I think someone is going to buy? The

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Speaker 1: question is about what I think is interesting.

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Speaker 2: What do I like.

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Speaker 1: If it's something I truly love, maybe someone else will

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Speaker 1: love it too. I'd rather come from the heart than

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Speaker 1: from a place of pure profit.

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Speaker 2: You remember saying that, Yeah.

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Speaker 4: I don't think I am a store back in those days.

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Speaker 2: We're gonna talk about that.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about that. So the second part is

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Speaker 1: this is this other quote you said. It has not

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Speaker 1: been the thing that I thought about, if you will,

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Speaker 1: I did not come into this thing thinking like, Wow,

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Speaker 1: this is a competitive, competitive industry. How am I going

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Speaker 1: to do it? I'm just starting to make jewelry. I

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Speaker 1: was just starting to make jury. I made jury that

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Speaker 1: made me happy. Then I decided to change and to

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Speaker 1: do more fine jewelry. I really wanted to find a

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Speaker 1: way to make it profitable so that I could keep

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Speaker 1: doing it. I was not trying to seek out a

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Speaker 1: spot in the fashion industry. That happened naturally because people

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Speaker 1: responded to the work. So I get where you come from.

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Speaker 2: Like I would.

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Speaker 1: I didn't have a storefront, then I didn't have real

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Speaker 1: bills to pay and et cetera. But I want to

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Speaker 1: find this balance between creative work and being able to

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Speaker 1: keep doing it, which means you got to make more. Like,

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Speaker 1: how have you found the balance between being true to

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Speaker 1: Lauren's creative perspective and Yo, we got a bill that's

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Speaker 1: going to need to get paid in a couple of

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Speaker 1: days here.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, well it's interesting. So I've always thought of myself

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Speaker 4: as a creative and my creative perspective is very important.

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Speaker 4: I'm starting to.

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Speaker 3: Finally embrace the fact and not feel like a total

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Speaker 3: impostor that I am also a business person.

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Speaker 4: So this is a new phase of life that I'm mentoring.

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Speaker 4: One thing I.

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Speaker 3: Will say, though, that has also taken me time to

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Speaker 3: understand is I think I have really good instincts, and

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Speaker 3: I think I have good instincts about what to make.

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Speaker 4: Not everything is a.

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Speaker 3: Success and not everything's flying off the shelves, don't get

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Speaker 3: me wrong, But I think what's made the brand a

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Speaker 3: success and the success the success that it is.

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Speaker 4: Now is that.

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Speaker 3: I surprise people and I do things that aren't completely.

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Speaker 4: Traditional. And in this base of fine jewelry.

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Speaker 1: What might be surprising about how technology and even AI

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Speaker 1: might be disrupting and or impacting your industry and your work.

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Speaker 5: You know, I feel like I personally have not hit

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Speaker 5: up against AI that much. Yet I'm not looking forward

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Speaker 5: to it because I think, to me, what AI is

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Speaker 5: going to create is this very ubiquitous sort of everything

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Speaker 5: feeling and authentic and not the same. I don't know,

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Speaker 5: I'm not super excited about it yet. Maybe someone will

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Speaker 5: prove to me a way to get excited about it,

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Speaker 5: but I'm.

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Speaker 6: Not quite there. But technology, I think is amazing, and

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Speaker 6: I think.

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Speaker 5: Technology, you know, there's a lot of different ways that

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Speaker 5: you can make jewelry. Some of it, like I said,

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Speaker 5: is done by people who sit on a bench and

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Speaker 5: literally handmake it.

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Speaker 6: We work with people like that. We also, you know, there's.

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Speaker 5: Printing technology and jewelry. There's like all kinds of ways.

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Speaker 5: If I have a person who wants to do a

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Speaker 5: custom project with me and they want to make an

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Speaker 5: engagement ring, let's say I can actually print a resin

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Speaker 5: or whax of that ring so that they can try

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Speaker 5: it on and see what it feels like before we

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Speaker 5: commit to spending money on gold.

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Speaker 6: So there's just really cool stuff that can happen.

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Speaker 5: And I see I think, as you know, technology keeps

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Speaker 5: getting formed.

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Speaker 6: I'm excited to see how that can impact the form

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Speaker 6: factor of jewelry.

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Speaker 5: You know, people are working in titanium more, you see

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Speaker 5: alternate materials.

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Speaker 6: Am I still there for you guys?

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Speaker 5: Okay, my computer's just acting very crazy. So speaking of technology,

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Speaker 5: myers right now, come on, technology is a slow I

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Speaker 5: don't know mercury is in retrograde.

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Speaker 6: I don't know what's up anyway.

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Speaker 5: But yeah, I personally I am a fan of technology

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Speaker 5: when it comes to form factor and what it can

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Speaker 5: allow us to do.

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Speaker 6: Because I also I really.

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Speaker 5: Like to approach design in a not limiting myself from

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Speaker 5: having an idea if I don't think it's possible because

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Speaker 5: maybe there's something new in technology that I don't even

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Speaker 5: know that.

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Speaker 6: Can help make it possible.

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Speaker 5: So yeah, I design things and I come at it

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Speaker 5: in a way where it's like, hey, I've not seen

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Speaker 5: this before necessarily, and I have a really wonderful group

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Speaker 5: of people that helped me with my production and they're like, oh,

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Speaker 5: here she comes again with like this crazy idea. But

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Speaker 5: I'm like, that's what makes it fun and like that's

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Speaker 5: what's going to make it stand out. So we come

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Speaker 5: at stuff all the time where we're like, we haven't

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Speaker 5: seen it, but let's see if we.

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Speaker 6: Can make it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, and we aren't necessarily mining diamonds and

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Speaker 1: gems and domestically. And I wonder how has potentially, potentially

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Speaker 1: technology made the the effort to source ethically more transparent

445
00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:43,600
Speaker 1: or more difficult.

446
00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,919
Speaker 5: I think it's made it more transparent because there are

447
00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,800
Speaker 5: a lot of people like the lab grown diamond thing,

448
00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:52,920
Speaker 5: let's say that, and that is definitely technology. In the

449
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,439
Speaker 5: jewelry industry, there are a lot of consumers out there

450
00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:58,600
Speaker 5: who are like, all about these lab grown diamonds, and

451
00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:03,640
Speaker 5: so the natural diamond world has to figure out how

452
00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:07,520
Speaker 5: can they still stay relevant.

453
00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:09,960
Speaker 6: And you know, create some communicate to.

454
00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,639
Speaker 5: People in a way that shows why natural diamonds are

455
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:17,280
Speaker 5: beautiful and special and why they aren't bad for the environment,

456
00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,600
Speaker 5: or why they aren't blood diamonds and all that sort

457
00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,840
Speaker 5: of stuff and traceability and other technology in the jewelry industry.

458
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:25,520
Speaker 5: The people at de Beers have done a lot of

459
00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:27,800
Speaker 5: things like creating something called track or where they can

460
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,760
Speaker 5: put these like microscopic numbers on diamonds and you'll be

461
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,240
Speaker 5: able to follow its journey from the moment it leaves

462
00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:38,080
Speaker 5: the earth to who does the final like faceting and polishing,

463
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,040
Speaker 5: and you can see that whole story and how where

464
00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:44,679
Speaker 5: that diamond came from. And I think that's going to

465
00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,760
Speaker 5: be increasingly important because I personally still am a natural

466
00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,159
Speaker 5: diamond person. I don't work with lab round diamonds. I

467
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,840
Speaker 5: think it's detrimental to the economies of the places where

468
00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:56,240
Speaker 5: the natural diamonds come from.

469
00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,960
Speaker 6: I've been to Botswana, I've met the people, I've seen

470
00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:00,720
Speaker 6: their practice.

471
00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,080
Speaker 5: I know what's going into that and what all the

472
00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:08,160
Speaker 5: good that that production of diamonds has done for that country,

473
00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:09,840
Speaker 5: and I think it's really special and I want to

474
00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:13,840
Speaker 5: support that rather than supporting a lab somewhere, or they're

475
00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:16,160
Speaker 5: using a lot of energy to make these diamonds anyway,

476
00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,919
Speaker 5: So you know, I think the way that we're going

477
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,880
Speaker 5: to get consumers feeling comfortable around that is to be

478
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:23,879
Speaker 5: very transparent.

479
00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:24,360
Speaker 2: Yeah.

480
00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:29,640
Speaker 1: What has been the most challenging thing about transansitioning from

481
00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:31,480
Speaker 1: an executive to a founder?

482
00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:38,119
Speaker 5: You know, I mean again, I see myself as a

483
00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,919
Speaker 5: creative person, and I didn't see myself as a business person,

484
00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,640
Speaker 5: So making that transition because I would say eighty five percent.

485
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,640
Speaker 6: Of what I do is run a business now and

486
00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,800
Speaker 6: fifteen percent is the creative where in.

487
00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,680
Speaker 5: My old life it was that I was the creative

488
00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:54,879
Speaker 5: director and everything was creative. So I went from like

489
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,480
Speaker 5: one hundred percent creative, not running a business at all,

490
00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:00,359
Speaker 5: just being somebody who helped support the business with my

491
00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,199
Speaker 5: skill set. So that's been the biggest transition, is like

492
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:07,040
Speaker 5: wrapping my head around running a business. But I also

493
00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:08,920
Speaker 5: find to be one of the most exciting parts about

494
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,160
Speaker 5: all this. I really did not know that I had

495
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:15,480
Speaker 5: that in me, And I'm really as the business keeps

496
00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,080
Speaker 5: growing and aging and you know, we've been in it longer,

497
00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:23,280
Speaker 5: I'm really enjoying the process of like growing into that role.

498
00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,880
Speaker 1: Yeah, at fifteen percent. I'm super interested on that because

499
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,560
Speaker 1: I was watching this some design there I was watching

500
00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:33,480
Speaker 1: and he had grown to this scale of his name

501
00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:35,640
Speaker 1: is on the label and he's at the place now

502
00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:37,800
Speaker 1: where there's some designs that go out that he never

503
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,680
Speaker 1: even sees, but his name is.

504
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:40,160
Speaker 2: On the label.

505
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,919
Speaker 1: And I wonder, how, if you're doing a five percent

506
00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,160
Speaker 1: work and fifteen percent creative, what does that bridge look

507
00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,120
Speaker 1: like to where Laurence scale sit a place to where

508
00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,399
Speaker 1: there's designs coming out like you just you just your name.

509
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:53,800
Speaker 2: Is just on it.

510
00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,119
Speaker 5: I don't know that I'll ever be there because I

511
00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:01,080
Speaker 5: think what makes this brand unique at this point until

512
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,119
Speaker 5: I come up with like maybe this library that we

513
00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,600
Speaker 5: can reference or whatever, I think, I'm still I'm still

514
00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:09,040
Speaker 5: my design is important to the brand and I am

515
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,040
Speaker 5: the only designer. So I guess that maybe says a

516
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:13,960
Speaker 5: thing about like how long my days are.

517
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,000
Speaker 2: Maybe if it is.

518
00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,359
Speaker 5: Business in fifteen is creative, I still have to I

519
00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:21,280
Speaker 5: am still the one who is designing every piece, and

520
00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:24,720
Speaker 5: I think if you look at the library of work

521
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,159
Speaker 5: that I have produced, it's pretty prolific.

522
00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:29,400
Speaker 6: I think I tend to come out with a lot

523
00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:30,720
Speaker 6: of work, So.

524
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,960
Speaker 5: Maybe someday in the future there'll be a way to

525
00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,480
Speaker 5: hand off some of that responsibility. But I also do

526
00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:41,560
Speaker 5: really enjoy that part. I think I'm trying to find

527
00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,400
Speaker 5: more ways to bring in business help, and I do

528
00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:49,480
Speaker 5: have some. I have a head of operations that's super helpful. Again,

529
00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:51,639
Speaker 5: I have my showroom that I work with, I have

530
00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,399
Speaker 5: a financial advisor, I have a production group that I

531
00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,560
Speaker 5: contract with, and just different people who help me on

532
00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,480
Speaker 5: the business side. But yeah, I'm not right let go

533
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:01,200
Speaker 5: creative yet.

534
00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:05,360
Speaker 1: Yeah, how have you managed, you know, being a business

535
00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:07,280
Speaker 1: person out but still care so.

536
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,080
Speaker 2: Deeply about social issues.

537
00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:10,720
Speaker 1: As you do when you you know, you may do

538
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,000
Speaker 1: a project and one hundred percent of the proceeds go

539
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,080
Speaker 1: a specific way, and how do you balance both those things,

540
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,600
Speaker 1: you know, trying to do well while doing well.

541
00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:20,840
Speaker 6: I think that they feed each other.

542
00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,320
Speaker 5: And it's it's really important to me and just the

543
00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:26,520
Speaker 5: energy that I have towards the work and the way

544
00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:28,120
Speaker 5: I feel about what I'm doing.

545
00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:30,399
Speaker 6: Because I'm working with really expensive.

546
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:35,200
Speaker 5: Materials, I'm selling to people who tend to have disposable income,

547
00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,160
Speaker 5: and I think part of what makes that feel okay

548
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,960
Speaker 5: to me is that I can use this work to

549
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:49,239
Speaker 5: also give back and to create positive social impact. I

550
00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:52,800
Speaker 5: also think because I actually, again, I'm just doing this

551
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,119
Speaker 5: thing to help support the victims of the fires in

552
00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,560
Speaker 5: Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Fire Department in world's

553
00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:01,920
Speaker 5: central kitchen, and there's all these things going on, and

554
00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:04,679
Speaker 5: I am writing a lot of checks if you will,

555
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:07,560
Speaker 5: or you know, using the credit card to send a

556
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:09,800
Speaker 5: lot of money to various charities right now, which is

557
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,119
Speaker 5: hard on the bank balance. But I do think it

558
00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:15,840
Speaker 5: also because it's coming from an authentic place and people

559
00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:17,840
Speaker 5: can feel that. I think that in the long term,

560
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,560
Speaker 5: it sort of creates love around this business too, and

561
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,040
Speaker 5: around this brand because people know that, actually, I'm a

562
00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:25,800
Speaker 5: human being who cares about other human beings, and I

563
00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,720
Speaker 5: think that makes them feel good about supporting it and

564
00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:33,119
Speaker 5: maybe spending, you know, on these high value pieces and

565
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 5: supporting this brand because we also do good work.

566
00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, you mentioned some of the you didn't

567
00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,359
Speaker 1: mention names, but you talked about how some of your clients,

568
00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:43,240
Speaker 1: you know, they have the means to do this stuff

569
00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:46,160
Speaker 1: and it's not much for them to be able to participate.

570
00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:48,760
Speaker 1: You know, how do you build these relationships with high

571
00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,760
Speaker 1: profile clients? You know, Rihanna was mentioned as a client

572
00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:56,000
Speaker 1: of yours, and there's others how those relationships formed where

573
00:26:56,359 --> 00:26:58,560
Speaker 1: it's nothing for them to put on, you know, one

574
00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,080
Speaker 1: of your pieces and tell people about it.

575
00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,639
Speaker 5: I think a relationship that I'm really happy and proud

576
00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:09,280
Speaker 5: of is my relationship to Kamala Harris. I'm friends with

577
00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,160
Speaker 5: her niece, Mina, and so again it's personal and it's

578
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,840
Speaker 5: this connection that I connected with Mina and Mina and

579
00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:18,240
Speaker 5: I just connected as friends. But then she also likes

580
00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,480
Speaker 5: my work, so she was gifting it to Kamala. So

581
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,440
Speaker 5: it's not like there was a lot of.

582
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,240
Speaker 4: You know, your.

583
00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,639
Speaker 7: Office talks to my office, and it was more of

584
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:33,600
Speaker 7: a real engagement of you know, friendship and you know,

585
00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:36,480
Speaker 7: shared values that got us to that place where she

586
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:38,000
Speaker 7: was wearing the jewelry and I love that.

587
00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:39,520
Speaker 4: You know.

588
00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,920
Speaker 5: There's also I do have a showroom and we are

589
00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,960
Speaker 5: sending jewelry to celebrities to wear. And the way that

590
00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,359
Speaker 5: the Rihanna thing came about was that that you know,

591
00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:51,800
Speaker 5: her stylists called in some jewelry and I think she

592
00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:53,919
Speaker 5: ended up liking something wanting to keep it. But I

593
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,240
Speaker 5: was very far away from that transaction. I don't personally

594
00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:59,320
Speaker 5: know her, we don't speak to each other, but I'm

595
00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:02,359
Speaker 5: like thrilled. I'm like, yes, we really like get that jewelry,

596
00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:04,640
Speaker 5: and I'm like I would happy to know she has

597
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:05,080
Speaker 5: a piece.

598
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:07,520
Speaker 6: But so there's different levels of it, you know.

599
00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:11,480
Speaker 5: But for me, I've had celebrities DM me and just

600
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:13,199
Speaker 5: say like, hey, I like your work or whatever, and

601
00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:14,399
Speaker 5: that makes me feel great.

602
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:16,600
Speaker 6: And sometimes they see it on people I didn't.

603
00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:18,840
Speaker 5: Even know had something, and maybe they're buying it through

604
00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,960
Speaker 5: one of my retailers because they have a relationship with

605
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:24,840
Speaker 5: the store. Sometimes I just don't even know how it happens,

606
00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:27,000
Speaker 5: but it's fun to see things on people for sure.

607
00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:27,720
Speaker 2: Yeah.

608
00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:31,880
Speaker 1: And finally, I think there's many designers that I'm sure

609
00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:36,000
Speaker 1: you've you know, crossed paths with who ultimately like they

610
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:38,600
Speaker 1: never get out of the proverbial kitchen or garage of

611
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:41,200
Speaker 1: building their stuff and it could beautiful stuff, but they

612
00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:42,880
Speaker 1: just never figure out a way to get out of

613
00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,560
Speaker 1: just doing it from their living room. Like what typically

614
00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:50,600
Speaker 1: is missing there? And what advice would you give those

615
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:52,360
Speaker 1: folks who are trying to figure out how do they

616
00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:55,960
Speaker 1: grow this hobby, this thing that we do from five

617
00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:59,000
Speaker 1: to nine into a business that can actually be the

618
00:28:59,120 --> 00:28:59,480
Speaker 1: nine to.

619
00:28:59,440 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 2: Five, and.

620
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:03,200
Speaker 5: I think you have to figure out how to connect

621
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,720
Speaker 5: into the industry. Jewelry is an industry and there are

622
00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:08,960
Speaker 5: definitely like key players. I think there's different ways to

623
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,000
Speaker 5: connect into the industry. Again, my way to connect in

624
00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:16,400
Speaker 5: was by having a showroom. But sometimes there are different

625
00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:20,080
Speaker 5: initiatives within the industry where you know, natural Diamonds or

626
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:22,600
Speaker 5: to Beers or something will have a program where they're

627
00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:24,520
Speaker 5: fostering young designers.

628
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,600
Speaker 6: And bringing in talent, and then you have this end.

629
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,360
Speaker 5: Of the industry because you participated in a program like that.

630
00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,560
Speaker 5: I think that, but I think that connection in is key.

631
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,400
Speaker 5: So how do you find a way in? I think

632
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,200
Speaker 5: when you are not connected into the industry and you're

633
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:44,000
Speaker 5: just like on Instagram and you're selling stuff and whatever,

634
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:49,960
Speaker 5: it can be beautiful, but without those contacts, it's really

635
00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,360
Speaker 5: hard to be a big player in this world.

636
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,000
Speaker 1: Black Tech Green One is a production to Blavity, Afrotech

637
00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,680
Speaker 1: on the Black Effect Podcast Network and n Hire Media,

638
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:03,640
Speaker 1: produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas, with the additional

639
00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,000
Speaker 1: production support by Kate McDonald, Sayah Ergan, and Jaden McGee.

640
00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:09,240
Speaker 2: Special thank you to Michael Davis in Love Beach.

641
00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:11,480
Speaker 1: Learn more about my guests and other technish ups an

642
00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:13,120
Speaker 1: innovators at afrotech dot com.

643
00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,080
Speaker 2: Video version of this episode will drop to Black.

644
00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:18,920
Speaker 1: Tech Green Money on YouTube, so tap in. Enjoy your

645
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Speaker 1: Black Tech Green Money, share us to somebody, go get

646
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:22,880
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647
00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:24,120
Speaker 2: Peace and love,