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

Ashley , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s go back in time a bit – can you share a story of a time when you learned an important lesson during your education?

The most important lesson I learned at the Revere Jewelry Academy was the importance of having a strong pulse on how to design and make jewelry regardless of whether I planned on making jewelry versus having a production team in the future. This has been invaluable and has informed my designs largely due to understanding what is in the realm of possibility, what is functional and having a keen eye for quality control.

Ashley , 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?

Ashley Schenkein has always had a tendency to question the status quo, which was the primary motivator that led her to begin her journey in jewelry design. She was working as a Spanish language medical interpreter in Jackson Hole, Wyoming when she noticed some jewelry at a local boutique. These seemingly uninspired designs were the inspiration to design a few standout creations on her own. Within a week they’d purchased Ashley’s new gemstone-filled designs and she discovered the passion that drives her creativity.

Nine months down the road Ashley left for San Francisco to perfect her craft at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts. With a desire to travel she then spent a year in South America, where her fluency in Spanish was once again put to good use in Cuenca, Ecuador and Buenos Aires, Argentina. She participated in an apprenticeship and jewelry school, respectively, where she learned more jewelry – making techniques including wax casting and stone setting. Longing for family and friends, the final stop of the journey would be back to her roots in Colorado to launch Ashley Schenkein where she was surrounded by the majestic Colorado mountain landscape.

Ashley Schenkein features two collections balancing the beauty of refined details with an undeniable edginess. The use of asymmetry is evident in her creations that are both durable and timeless without compromising femininity. The Global Collection features contemporary jewelry for everyday wear inspired by Schenkein’s love for travel. Diamonds, pearls, semi-precious gemstones, leather, vermeil, gold fill and oxidized and sterling silver are the materials behind styles named for famous cities like Paris and Barcelona. The White Collection marries vintage and modern nuances with stunning designs made from diamonds, precious gemstones, gold, platinum and palladium.

Inspiration for Ashley Schenkein comes from worldly inspiration– marketplaces, architecture, museums and natural surroundings. While her travels help to define each season, it is her customers that are her biggest design inspiration.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Many years into owning my business, the profits had gone down quite a bit due to a large increase in overhead expenses. There were many times I wanted to throw in the towel as I was frustrated that I was making a fraction of my income after being in business for so many years. I began to REALLY look at numbers, cut any expenses that weren’t absolutely necessary, and I changed some of our core business practices. I started looking through the lens of what was best for our business instead of carrying a certain amount of inventory so we could ship out orders within a very small time frame. In the end, our retail partners embraced our shipping practices, turn around times, accepted that as the new norm, and our business has been thriving ever since. The main lessons I took away are to never get too comfortable and count on anything being a given and to also be willing to make the hard choices for the health of your business versus trying to please everyone at the cost of losing it all.

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I started my business by using my savings (which was very meek in my mid-20’s) and buying more parts (stones, findings, etc.) after I made sales. It worked out in the end, but I think it came from a place of fear and being scared of carrying debt. Looking back I would have taken out a loan and taken on more risk so I could have grown things from the earlier stages. Strategic debt can be very beneficial.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.asjewelrydesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/as_jewelry_design/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asjewelrydesign
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ashley-schenkein-jewelry-design-denver-3

Image Credits
John S Miller