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

Briann, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

When it comes to my customers, I often times feel that the jewelry finds them – they don’t find the jewelry. The gemstone calls to them or the perfect necklace catches their attention in the right moment. Most times when a customer puts on a piece of Soul & Bones jewelry, I look at them and say omg it looks like it was made for you!! & I really mean it. The right pieces find the right people. So there have been multiple times where someone has decided, despite absolutely loving the piece, that they cannot afford it on that day & I’ve chosen to give them the piece of jewelry for free. If it was made for you and you love it, I’d be happier seeing you walk away with a piece that really means something than just having more money in my pocket. One particular example of a scenario like this really stood out. It was the last night of my first showing at ACL, so night 6 for us vendors after a very tiring two weeks. Earlier in the day, three wonderful girls from Australia visited the booth & one fell in love with a Pearl Soul & Bones Belly Chain. This specific piece contains a lot of gold and a lot of pearls, bringing the price up to $175. She was in love with the belly chain and it’s connection to Australia with the pearls but expressed that she needed money to travel home and it was out of her budget. I ended up giving her something like $75 off, a huge discount because again if the piece of jewelry connects with you that much, I want you to have it more than anything. Her and her girlfriends end up coming back at the end of the festival night asking for a refund because she regretted spending the money and feared the impending struggle it would be to get home with little to no money. I fulfilled the refund, but there was no way I was taking the chain back. We went back and forth for a while inside my booth – I really wanted to gift it to her and she really felt she could not accept the kind offer. It got to the point where I was chasing her around the ACL flags under the night sky until I could catch her and put the belly chain on her myself. She was overwhelmed with joy and tearing up as she thanked me. Her and her friends could not believe I gave her a $175 jewelry piece for free. They were all very appreciative. As I said, when the piece is meant for someone, it is meant for them.

Briann, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Soul & Bones is handcrafted jewelry, inspired by nature & designed with the intention for connection. Proceeds benefit One Tree Planted. So with every purchase, a tree is planted by the organization One Tree Planted, which is focused on global reforestation. I am working to offset the fast fashion world & make it easy for everyone to give back to the environment by simply wearing a piece of my jewelry. I specialize in high quality 14k gold-fill and 925 sterling silver jewelry paired with funky statement pieces you won’t find anywhere else. I live for contrast – gold & silver, old & new, elegance & play. The story of my jewelry journey dates back to 2018 when I moved to California after college in search of freedom and what would set my soul on fire as I entered my adulthood. I quickly fell in love with the farmers market scene in San Diego. It was at one of the markets where I met my first business partner. We shared a love for jewelry & gemstones & went on to create a brand that gave back to the community & continues to have a lasting legacy in Southern California. Throughout covid, I discovered more about myself & my values and realized it was time for me to move on and create a business that was simply more aligned with me. The brand needed to share more of my creativity, more of my soul. At the end of 2021, I moved to Austin, TX, which felt like the perfect city to start a small business as it hosts the most beautiful, loving & inspiring creative community. By the start of 2022, Soul & Bones was born. A brand for all to discover the beauty and value in the individuality of their soul & bones. It is sensational to watch the connection one finds within themself as they wear a skull ring that gives into their more badass side or by tapping into the crown chakra and unleashing their intuition when wearing a moonstone necklace. With a large focus on connection, it has been a pleasure bringing my ideas and designs to life & sharing them with the Austin community & beyond – primarily in the more intimate market and festival settings. 2024 was our best festival presence to date, with booths at some of the largest music festivals in the country including ACL, Bonnaroo, and CMA FEST. This year, we also dropped a collection of our jewelry on Free People, Urban Outfitters’ sister company & we’ve got some equally exciting surprises planned for 2025 so stay tuned!!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Towards the tail-end of covid, I went to Hawaii for over a month on what I was calling a personal growth trip. I thought I was looking for the answers on where to move next, but turns out the Big Island of Hawaii had a lot more to share with me than I knew. I learned a lot about myself and where I was headed, including the fact that the business I co-owned was no longer serving me. Before Hawaii, I was the co-owner of a jewelry business in Southern California and I was under the impression that this was my role for life so this new revelation really felt like a slap in the face. I left behind a jewelry business partnership and had to pivot into my next chapter. Which at the time, I had no idea what that would be. I did know that I was an entrepreneur, I had the spirit in me. As my days in Hawaii turned into a brainstorm for my next best thing, I met a woman who was very influential. She was a middle-aged women who owns a very renowned jewelry store in NYC so I was expecting her to have all of the answers and give me the key to success. I inquired about what it was that made her so successful & her response was so astonishing that it will stick with me forever. She said “I have no idea. I’ve just been figuring it out as I go.” No one has all the answers. We are all walking through this life just figuring it out. You’re never going to have all of the answers starting out, no one does – an expert can’t become an expert on the first day they try something, it takes time to build that expertise. But you have to try. Take the risk. Follow your heart. Figure it out as you go. So I pivoted from jewelry business co-owner to my “figuring it out” stage. & Boy did I try a lot of things. I was upcycling clothing, watercolor painting, & everything in between. But what kept standing out is how I felt when making jewelry. It just clicked. I was the happiest when working on jewelry and was seeing the best results. So I moved to a new city, Austin, TX and pivoted into the sole owner of Soul & Bones Jewelry.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

First, the quality of my jewelry. It truly is jewelry you can live in everyday and never take off. Made with the highest quality 14k gold-fill and 925 sterling silver, you can wear Soul & Bones confidently as you shower, swim and sweat. Secondly, simply treating customers like normal people, like they are your friend. I feel like many companies look at customers as just another number, just another dollar sign. With Soul & Bones actively participating in so many in-person sales events, it is a pleasure to meet every customer and make a connection that is worth remembering. People come into the Soul & Bones booth a customer, but leave a friend. Often times they leave with a hug or a smile on their face, it’s more than just the jewelry. Making those important connections helps customers remember you and want to come back for more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://soulandbones.co
• Instagram: @soulandbonesco
• Other: https://www.freepeople.com/search/?q=soul+and+bones

Image Credits

1st photo: Neil Smith
2nd-5th photos: Roy Muyinza