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

Hi Shermineh, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Talāyee Fine Jewelry was born out of a few different experiences and factors that came together to give me the right push to jump into the world of small business ownership. During the process of collaborating with my now-husband on designing my engagement ring a few years ago, I learned so much about sustainable and ethical sourcing of precious metals and gemstones like diamonds, or lack there of. It was difficult to find ethically and sustainably sourced materials, and that really struck a chord with me. I wanted my ring to align with my values, and found it challenging to get answers to my questions.

Once we found a designer we were aligned with, the design process reignited my creative energy and reminded me how much I enjoyed working with my hands and being creative. And with the transition to working from home in the last few years, I found that I had more time to pursue learning a new skill. So, I decided to dive into goldsmithing and jewelry fabrication.

After designing my first ring that I was really proud of, I shared my journey on social media, and people were really interested in the process and the industry itself. People started asking me about buying their own piece, and that’s when I realized that there was a market for unique, ethically-sourced jewelry. I didn’t formally establish my business until about a year later, but the pieces were starting to come together. In addition to answering the call for ethical hand-crafted jewelry, I wanted my brand to uniquely align with who I am. Talāyee Fine Jewelry is a collection of bold and timeless pieces handcrafted in San Francisco using ethically sourced materials. It pays homage to my Iranian culture and heritage- the name “Talāyee” means “golden” in Farsi. The collection is inspired by antique Persian designs, and the world around me.

Shermineh, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

For the past 12 years, I’ve been immersed in the fashion industry, and for the past 5 years I’ve been focusing on the intersection of technology and sustainability. Through this experience, I’ve discovered that ethical and sustainable practices are grounded in intentional growth and the human touch. While most people want to make sustainability at a massive scale work, at Talāyee Fine Jewelry, I’m taking a different approach to sustainability by focusing on small, timeless collections that are designed to be cherished for a lifetime. Each piece is handcrafted by me using the best materials available with minimal negative impact on the planet and its people. I prioritize transparency in the fine jewelry business by personally crafting each piece, sourcing each stone and grain of metal and sharing this information with my customers. With this level of transparency, I hope to set the standard for the industry and position Talāyee as a leader in ethical and sustainable fine jewelry.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Starting a fine jewelry business is a significant financial undertaking, requiring expensive materials and equipment, as well as an education in the craft in my case. I spent eight months saving intensely to invest in my business idea. A key business decision I made early on was to have a made-to-order business model, which aligned with my sustainability goals and allowed me to avoid investing in inventory that may not sell. This strategy enabled me to self-fund the business, with each order serving as upfront payment for the materials and labor required to create the piece. By avoiding unnecessary expenses, I was able to start and grow my business with a sound financial foundation.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a business owner, it’s important to trust your own instincts and your own gut, and that’s the biggest lesson I had to learn with Talāyee Fine Jewelry. At first, I relied heavily on social media feedback from potential customers to establish my design aesthetic. I conducted surveys and based my first collection on the results. Unfortunately, this approach led to a disjointed and in-cohesive collection, and some of the top-ranking pieces didn’t sell well, while some of the pieces that I believed in did. As someone who typically makes business decisions based on data in my 9-5 job, I had to unlearn this approach and focus on my own vision. I realized that it’s more important to create something that I believe in and that represents my art, and trust that the right customers who appreciate my vision will eventually find me and champion the whole collection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shoptalayee.com
• Instagram: @talayee_jewelry
• Other: Email: hello.talayee@gmail.com Pinterest: @TalayeeFineJewelry