We were lucky to catch up with Cori Miller recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cori , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into something much bigger.

I’ve always had at least one side hustle. Being equally left- and right-brained, my previous career in pharma allowed zero creativity. Seeking a creative outlet, I always dabbled in craft oriented businesses that were more for fun than profit. I pivoted from working with vintage costume jewels to fine when I sought to create and recreate pieces for me and my circle. Having grown up with an uncle who was a jeweler, I had designed my own jewelry since childhood, but was not involved in the process beyond the initial sketch. I did a lot of smaller pieces before designing my first “Lauren ” pendant which is now one of the brand’s hallmarks. I source and select each stone, and oversee the design from the CAD to casting to setting to completion. The design has evolved over the years, and now it’s a trademarked key piece of my collection. That piece was the showstopper that got buzz going, and people began asking me to create different versions for them. I was at a pivotal point in my two decade oncology career after my own cancer battle followed immediately by COVID which cued my transition out of pharma. I got my real estate license in 3 states continuing the jewelry side gig. The turning point was when I decided to expand to a 12 piece collection, and launched an e-commerce site and began to do events. Eventually I worked up the confidence to pitch to stores to carry my line. I am now doing all of those things, with a focus on growing my wholesale presence in larger retail settings. It’s been quite a transition and a lot of work but I love what I am doing!

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 am an emerging fine jewelry designer with roots in the NYC metro area and South Florida. I recently made my exhibit debut at JCK Luxury, an international trade show in Las Vegas. That event provided incredible exposure, press, and brand recognition, and really validated my expansion from e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sales to wholesale in specialty and jewelry stores

I founded Corielle with the intention of filling a gap I had noticed in the market for unique yet classic jewelry. There is a trend in the industry shifting from marquee brands toward independent designers. My vision is to create timeless, heirloom- worthy pieces with a gentle nod to the Deco era that are versatile enough for everyday wear yet also make a statement. Meticulous craftsmanship is important to me. I selectively source stones and materials, even mining my own gems, always maintaining a focus on sustainability.
Every piece is one of a kind and customizable to meet the client’s desires and budget. I still work with vintage jewels helping people take heirloom or outdated pieces and turn them into new meaningful pieces that they will enjoy rather than sit in a safe. This is intriguing right now with the current price of gold skyrocketing. Often we create multiple pieces out of the one, like I did for my daughters using my grandmother’s brooch. I love a fancy way to recycle!

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

My original site was “custom built ” and took a lot of time and capital. It was essentially obsolete by the time it was complete which was a really tough lesson. I rebuilt on the Shopify platform and I’m loving how you can integrate so many other sales channels, social media platforms, and backend operations with relative ease. I now sell via Instagram, my own e-commerce site, 1st Dibs, and via retailers who carry my line.

So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

I have returned to maintaining my own social media accounts after having negative experiences with multiple companies. It’s time consuming and technical aspects of algorithms and optimization are beyond my scope. I’m constantly second guessing everything about the content and striving for perfection which amounted to sporadic ineffective marketing. I outsourced to a few recommended social media marketing companies, and spent a ton of time and capital trying to make it work with each. I do see the value in outsourcing this in order to project an aesthetic that a luxury brand must establish from the start to gain credibility and make a strong introductory impression. The issue was that the copy just didn’t sound like “me,” and no one really understood the concept and vision of the brand. I felt pressured to put out content that I wasn’t comfortable with or revise it myself which defeated the point. I believe delegating is essential in a small business. It’s impossible to grow if you are caught up in the minutia with no time for the aspects that only you can do. But my brand is my story and really only I can tell it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.corielle.com
• Instagram: @coriellecollection
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562657458498

Image Credits

Dwayne Tucker, Jason Nutter