We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Catherine Sinkule. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Catherine below.

Alright, Catherine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

My very first big sale happened at a pop up that I was doing at a local business. I had a variety of pieces of mine that night, but my favorite piece was an antique 7 stone diamond flower ring. It was beautifully made, with gorgeous diamonds and a rich history. Nearing the end of the show, the woman who was the owner of the business came over with her daughter and fell in love with this ring and wanted to buy it. Although I obviously wanted the sell it, it was breaking my heart that I was going to have to part ways with this piece. While gift wrapping up the ring, her daughter wanted to take the ring and keep it because she loved it as well. Her mom then said “one day this will be yours, and every time you wear it you will think of me” and in that moment I realized why I do what I do. The thought that my jewelry will be handed down from generation to generation in memory of their loved ones makes all the hard work to run my company worth it!

Catherine, 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?

I have been in the jewelry industry for ten years working at some of the best companies and while working in all these roles, I saw so many beautiful aspects of the jewelry industry along with many negatives like industrial waste, extremely high mark ups, poor factory environments and false marketing. With all that in mind I wanted to create a company that challenged those norms. I especially wanted to focus on recycling, pre-owned, heirloom quality jewelry with sustainability and affordability at the forefront of the business. So I recently stepped away from my role in the corporate world and went full time into running Alador Jewelry.

What makes Alador Jewelry so special is that we restore estate to antique jewelry locally and therefore are able to sell at super attainable prices. I wanted to be able to show that fine jewelry can be for everyone and to help move the pendulum away from cheap costume jewelry.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?

When building a company by yourself, every decision made comes from you and your own personal opinion. With that your company becomes a physical representation of your own self and in my mind being able to show the world your inner self is one of the most rewarding things ever. I am honored every day by the support my clients give me in order to continue to grow my business and give back.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

The world of social media can be scary and overwhelming however after I realized most people felt this way it somehow became a lot easier. I wanted to be a super approachable brand on instagram and have really great customer service and in order to do this, I wanted to make sure my clients knew that I was as interested in them as they were in me. So commenting on their photos, liking their stories and reaching out to them became an everyday thing and in return the kindness was returned. I truly believe with social media you get what you give and so for me it is very important to always give out kindness and love.

Contact Info:

• Website: aladorjewelry.com
• Instagram: alador_jewelry

Image Credits
Photography: Maegen Villarreal Model: Trinity Cook