We were lucky to catch up with Jeannie Wu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeannie, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My reason for creating GUMMAAE is to amplify representation within Asian communities and our individual selves. Representation matters, especially in jewelry and accessories, because we are able to express ourselves visibly and internally create deeper, personal connections to our own cultures.
Moreover, modernizing Chinese and Asian jewelry gives the Asian community the opportunity to embrace their own identities, appreciate their culture, carry on traditions, love their names, and be proud of who they are. I’m designing in a style that’s both classic and contemporary – reverently keeping the past alive while transforming the respect for Asian cultures to match our present day lives. Through jewelry, we are enabled to tell our individual stories and celebrate every dimension of ourselves.

Hence, GUMMAAE’s mission is to support people to tell their stories and celebrate their true selves.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My story of being first generation born in the U.S. begins with my family’s generational history of being refugees. My great grandparents and grandparents fled Southern China to Myanmar (Burma) – back and forth twice – during WWII. Then my grandparents and parents left Myanmar for the U.S. When my grandparents settled in the U.S. (in Chinatown, San Francisco), they struggled like many other Asians and POC immigrants. My grandma worked in the garment factory to sew clothes for a few cents per hour or per clothing item. On the other hand, my grandpa was not able to find a job, so he ended up doing what he had learned from his family – jewelry business. He did not necessarily want to go into the jewelry business, but he had no other choice. The small jewelry store – built together with his wife and children – became crowded with many local customers – grandmas, aunties, and their kids (waiting in boredom) especially in the 90s. I remember doing my homework or drinking tong (Chinese herbal soup) and watching my grandma pierce girls’ ears.

Today, small family owned Asian jewelry stores are a dying breed and many have closed due to Asian hate crimes. Adding to the struggle, the tradition of gifting grandkids and kids quality jewelry is decreasing as the Silent and Baby Boomer generations depart from us. The next generations – Generation X and Millennials – have different lifestyles and behaviors relating to jewelry, especially in the digital era. Personally, I cannot find Chinese or Asian jewelry in a more contemporary style. I love my jewelry heirlooms in the traditional aesthetics. But I want jewelry that matches what I wear everyday or to events. Thus, I saw an opportunity to design and modernize jewelry for my generation with an online and international presence and created GUMMAAE.

GUMMAAE is an Asian contemporary jewelry brand that manifests meaningful classic designs for modern lifestyles.

Another observation in the jewelry space was the lack of representation. Most commonly, English or Latin letters, European inspired designs and symbols are widely seen in jewelry and accessories. Jewelry and accessories in other languages and cultural designs are more scarce. This is why I design with Chinese and other Asian language characters. For example, the necklace with the character 愛 (pronounced as “ài” in Mandarin and “oi” in Cantonese) symbolizes love for family, friends, significant other, and oneself.

Furthermore, customers can engrave their own characters onto a pendant and customize their own standalone characters onto a necklace or bracelet. I am over the moon when I hear customers’ struggles of finding a company to create custom characters for them and that they discovered my brand. Most customers have their last name or name characters customized. To tangibly have and see their last name and name characters allows them to honor their heritage and recognize their family symbol. The customers who have grown up in western societies do not see their own names written in their heritage language, but rather the Anglicized characters and pronunciation. A customer once said it is exciting to see her last name character because it is the recognition of her name that has never been shown on any identification documents, but is very much a part of her and connects her to a bigger lineage.

What are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about your brand/your work?

Three aspects I would like to share:

It is important to me to give back to my community that has shaped me. GUMMAAE is dedicated to donating a percentage of profits to POC organizations and Stop Asian Hate initiatives.

GUMMAAE strives for environmental responsibility. Our jewelry is made-to-order to prevent overproduction, with a selection of our chains being made from 100% recycled sterling silver. We make mindful decisions for our packaging to be as sustainable as possible, such as jewelry boxes composed of a mix of residues from organic products and inserts made of FSC® certified paper instead of the traditional foam inserts.

Each custom character takes a great deal of time to design. Unlike English or Latin languages with 26 letters in the alphabet that can be easily predesigned, there are thousands of different Chinese and Kanji characters (Korean letters have thousands of various combinations to form characters as well) – each its own unique drawing – where each stroke and dot has to be carefully placed to be suitable for the jewelry making process.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As an Asian American with immigrant parents, the pressure to conform to the safe path of being a doctor, engineer, accountant, or the 9-5 way of life weighs heavily on me. Because I don’t fit into this mold, I am seen as the black-sheep of the family. To this day, I have not revealed my chosen path of being a creative and entrepreneur to my family. However, I understand my parents’ pursuit of security in this new world they immigrated to, inter-generational traumas and anxieties of surviving. I respect them for their conventional paths. Though I am seen as an outsider, I understand the bigger picture of how this perspective has shaped my resilient nature – in staying true to myself and being persistent in business experiences.

I do not share this side of my story much, but I want to tell other outliers that they are not alone and that they are seen. Surround yourself with people and a community, who support and value you. Change your environment to one where you are able to shine and thrive. Most importantly, believe in yourself first. Allow yourself to pursue your calling.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have changed paths a few times: from studying Fine Arts (with an emphasis on Painting and Drawing) to Industrial Design, and then to Business Brand Strategy. When I was an Industrial Designer, I had the feeling that something was missing. Although I loved designing all day, I always felt like doing something more, such as being a business owner. This itch launched my journey into studying Strategic Product Design in the Netherlands, which gave me knowledge in business strategies, innovation integration, and design thinking methods (such as discovering and designing with emotions). Despite my eagerness to help business owners develop their brands’ strategies as a Business Brand Strategist, simultaneously I needed a balance to adopt my creative side back into my life. Thus, I started a small jewelry brand – GUMMAAE – on the side, where I can practice my Industrial Design skills and have fun designing tangible products for people.

I like to view my ever-evolving paths as continuous growth. The younger me thought that there was something wrong with me because I kept changing courses. On the contrary, I realize my vast experiences benefit my ability to connect to people of various backgrounds, define and create my own journey. Plus, I do not have to stick to one path; I can achieve and be multiple versions of myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gummaae.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gummaae/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gummaae/

Image Credits
Kawin Wu Studio’s (photos 1, 2, 3) CHAxARTxAMS (Personal photo)