We were lucky to catch up with Aneta Pospichalova recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aneta, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

I feel like the biggest challenge without having money saved up, inheriting or receiving from your parents or spouse, and trying to navigate your way on your own is that everything costs a lot of money, plus the market is saturated with designers these days. All the pop up and trunk shows, media marketing, traveling to places and the initial investment into your pieces, renting a studio, buying tools etc. is a lot for someone to be able to navigate financially. Almost every help you can get requires you to dive into your bank account. But I’m optimistic and determined more than ever to share my passion with my fellow Earthlings :)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I originally come the Czech Republic and when I was 21 I left to Australia to explore the world and learn English in a native speaking country, and lived there for almost 7 years. I’ve always been into crafts and loved painting but it wasn’t until I took a jewelry making class in one of the studios here in NYC in 2015. It was a passionate love at first sight/touch! Within 3 months I was offered an apprenticeship there and for the next 2 years I spent as much time there as I could learning metal smithing and ancient techniques, all in metal. I very much enjoyed it but then I discovered a technique called lost wax casting method where you carve everything by hand in various different types of jewelers’ waxes ( depending on the project ), have it cast in a metal of your choice and voila, it’s almost as the sky’s the limit. I was hooked since. All of my pieces are handmade even though I’m starting to look into the CAD world where you can obtain extra help with complicated designs, that are not possible to be made by hand only. I always wanted to create something tangible with my fingers for others, something that would last and be inherited from generation to generation and evoke all these different desirable feelings in a person whether it’s protection, inspiration, strength, playfulness etc. My brand is called Aneta Zae and my brand line is Fantasy Jewels For Fearless Souls. I create pieces that are the ultimate in fantasy and luxury indulgence, are unique, bold, playful, timeless, dimensional and are inspired by nature and/or architecture. From inception to creation, each wearable work of art is transformed by hand from wax or metal. My mission for each creation is to bring people an exclusive experience, with ethical and enchanting jewelry that will captivate and illuminate their senses. The use of hands and heart in the process are the ultimate necessary conditions. Limited editions and bespoke one-of-a-kind pieces are the most thrilling as they are tailored to the clients wishes, persona and desires. I absolutely love creating by heart and without boundaries.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I’d say the best source of new clients for me personally was and still on many occasions is myself. Me wearing my own pieces was in most cases the conversation starter as I’m a very social person and before I even discovered jewelry making I worked in hospitality and was in touch with an incredible amount of people on daily basis. I kept my main job and had jewelry making as a side thing for some years before I was able to found my business and give it my full attention. So I’ve been wearing my pieces since day one and that’s how it all started. Then there are all the always changing algorithm social media that you have to keep up with and spend more and more time on and they are great if you have the time and money to spend on. It all goes hand in hand but again, most importantly, it’s the personal interaction with people. For me, the most successful way how to captivate clients is doing in person pop up and trunk shows. I feel like it’s your presentation and persona that attracts people and clients. Your personality and your pieces have the same energy and that’s where the passion of your craft is translated to the clients. Jewelry purchase is an emotional buy, it’s something that a person wants and desires, not something that she or he needs.

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

There’s really not a single backstory for me but rather the evolution of my designs and how I thought things should be done when one wants to be successful. There are always methods you should follow when building your business but this was more about my designs. I always had the urge to create different, unique and bold pieces but was told by many people along the way that that’s not gonna sell, so I started making more mainstream pieces but was loosing the excitement and not making many sales. I came to realization that your uniqueness and all the passionate energy that gets translated into your products is the ultimate seller. With the help of social media, in person shows and your passion, that’s your ultimate journey and that’s what you should follow. We always grow and learn and refine our skills and products but we have to stay true to our own unique style and energy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anetazae.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/anetazae

Image Credits
Kish Jewelry Photography Len Flash Photography