We were lucky to catch up with Darina DeBenedictis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Darina , appreciate you joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?
My parents are and always have been my greatest supporters and encouragers. In everything I have ever done, they have believed in me and supported me in every way. Through all my endeavors, they have been a crutch for me to lean on to ask one million questions to, seek advice from, and look to for practical next steps. Owning a jewelry making small business is equal parts figuring out logistics and harnessing creativity. From my dad, I learned how to build up a business and from my mom, I learned how to foster my creativity. A business owner himself, my dad taught me the importance of having a genuinely good reputation to my business name, how to offer great products and customer service, to know the value of my own time and ability, and to build my network and broaden my connections. From my mom, a natural creative, I learned the importance of always keeping art a part of my life. My childhood was filled with endless crafts and funny songs she made up and games we created together. Her imagination was contagious then, and it still is, now.
From my parents, I also learned the importance of being proud of my work. For as long as I can remember, I have always been extremely motivated to work hard in everything I do. I strived to do well in school, not because my parents would be upset if I didn’t (if anything, I cared more about my A+’s than they did), but because I observed them and their inability to do something with only half a heart and mind. My parents taught me if you are going to do something, you should do it right. Not perfectly, but rather with the right intentions and the desire to do or make something you are proud of.
Something I love about both of my parents is that they are forever learners. They have a high level of attention to detail, ability to think outside the box, and are very good at problem solving. They taught me to jump in before I am ready and the rest of the learning will come later. As my dad often quotes, “make the sale and then figure out how you’re going to sell it.” In my life and my business, this lesson has given me confidence in seizing opportunities, even ones that I don’t yet feel equipped for.
I am very lucky to have grown up with such supportive, driven, and uplifting parents. As new ideas and new opportunities pop up in my life, I always know I have at least two people that will forever be in my corner, cheering me on. From the beginning of me starting my business, my parents immediately jumped in head first with me. They became my top sales people, helping me to sell to all of their friends. They helped me brainstorm ideas for events and always pushed me to keep growing my business. Adorned would not have gained the legs it needed without their support.
Thanks mom and dad for all your help, support, belief in me, and love! You did a lot right!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Darina DeBenedictis and I am the owner of a small business called Adorned Jewelry. I have been making and selling jewelry since 2019 and have loved seeing how my business has grown over the years. I have always been a crafter at heart. From a young age, I was always creating something or working on some sort of little project. I also absolutely love jewelry, so when I combined these things together, Adorned took flight.
I use polymer clay to make my jewelry, so I am able to make very unique and original pairs of earrings, with endless combinations of various shapes and colors. I have fallen in love with the process of working with clay and the freedom it allows me to create. My jewelry has become an outlet for a lot of the creative energy I have cooped up inside me. I have eyes to see inspiration in everything around me. From patterns at a coffee shop, to the flowers I see on walks, to the landscapes I see when I travel, and the outfits I see people wearing, I get so inspired by the colors and shapes and designs of things I see in my everyday life and am always thinking of how something beautiful I see could take the form of a pair of earrings. As clay earrings become more popular, I continue to receive compliments all the time like, “there are a lot of clay earrings out there, but yours are so different from the others.” I think that is mainly because I have an endless rush of things that inspire me and desire to use that inspiration whenever I am creating new pieces or collections of jewelry.
Community has always been a very important part of my life, so it makes sense that I found a place for it in my business. Probably my favorite part about Adorned is its ability to create community. I host workshops, do pop up events, and love to collaborate with other artists. After participating in one of my workshops, even people that claim they are not creative at all, get to walk away with two beautiful new pairs of earrings and the excitement that comes along with creating something they are proud of. It is a way for me to get to share the same feeling that I have every single time I make a pair of earrings and then get to see someone put on my creations and love them.
I’m proud of this business that I have built up that offers people a space to feel confident and creative and proud in their own ways. Adorned started with me just playing with a few colors of clay and some jump rings/earrings hooks and it is crazy to see how far it has come. I love knowing that someone at my workshop, playing with those same supplies, is going to go home inspired to finally start creating or working on that idea they’ve been wanting to do something with for so long. Adorned is so much more than just selling jewelry.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Right before I started my business, I read the book, “Big Magic,” by Elizabeth Gilbert and I really believe her words were exactly the ones I needed to read at that time. The book offers a very simple notion that creativity is in all of us and it is foolish not to find it and to lean into it and trust it. Creativity had been and still was a big part of my life at that time, yet I never really trusted it to be a priority in my working life and a way for me to actually make money. I always thought it would be so cool to be able to sell my art in some manner, yet figured it would take a lot more effort or experience to get started as a “real” artist. After reading Gilbert’s book, I realized I already had everything in me to get started and there was no reason to not believe in my work, other than just pure procrastination. As the book taught me, your work may not be revolutionary or anything brand new or crazy, but it is still important to create as much as possible and share that creation with others.
This book was the motivation I needed at the time and continues to be a guide for the creative decisions I make, still.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Simply, the most effective strategy in growing my clientele has been mainly through word of mouth. I am so lucky to have the most supportive family and friends, who from day one, have supported me by buying my earrings and helping me sell to their friends and friends of friends. I work hard to offer my customers exactly what they’re looking for with custom orders and creating a wide variation in products, so every person can find a pair that fits their unique style. There are plenty of ways to grow your clientele, but I do believe without genuine support from the people close to you, it would be so much more difficult and extensive for me to get to where I am today. The people around me care just as much about Adorned’s success as I do. They are active in helping me grow and I know that is why I have been able to reach so many people through this business.
Contact Info:
- Website: Adorned.shop
- Instagram: Adorned.goods
- Facebook: Adorned.business