Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Juliet Baker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Juliet, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

We have loved offering permanent jewelry to our customers over the past 3 years. We have loved the concept since hearing about it around 8 years ago. At the time, we were offering high-end costume jewelry. Our jewelry was worn on the red carpet and by celebrities and we loved being able to see it being worn by celebrities magazines and on TV shows. From being included in the MTV Movie Awards, Oscar and Emmy celebrity gift bags, we were really busy shipping orders around the country. We wanted to be able to expand the business by offering luxury, fine jewelry, so we trained under a world-renowned wax carver and went to jewelry school with Tiffany master jewelers. We have been selling engagement rings, wedding rings, and fine jewelry for the past 5 years.

Our business is online through our website and Instagram so we weren’t interacting with our customers as much as we would have liked. We wanted to be able to offer permanent jewelry at that time but couldn’t figure out how it was done. At the time, only 1 company was offering them. We figured out how it was done, got trained on our machines, and tested supplies to make sure we were offering the best of the best options to our customers before we started. That took about a year before we felt we were able to offer the best permanent jewelry and we hit the ground running.

Juliet, 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?

We are twin sisters and jewelers based in Raleigh. While we grew up crafting and taking art classes, Bethany took a jewelry class in college. While able to get a good foundation to making jewelry, she wanted to study further. When we moved to Raleigh, she signed up for a metals class at the Cary Art Center and became a regular in the studio.

From there, she convinced Juliet to take the class and join her at Hope Anchored Designs because the orders coming in were more than she could do on her own and needed help. From there, we trained under a wax carver and went to professional jewelry school. We wanted to be able to provide the highest quality workmanship and jewelry to our clients and that meant being trained by the best. We still believe that today. We test our jewelry and chains ourselves for months before offering to clients, so we know can recommend the best options to each of our customers based on their lifestyle.

With Hope Anchored Designs, we have been able to use our profits to start two homes in India for women rescued from human trafficking. Each home is able to take in 10 women each year. During the year, they are cared for medically, psychologically, spiritually, and emotionally. We send them to college, where they learn a vocation of their choosing, so they can thrive and support themselves at the end of the year. Since 2016, we have been able to rescue 140 women. That’s what drives us everyday.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

When Hope Anchored Designs started, we were both working full-time corporate jobs. At the beginning of 2022, Juliet was able to leave her corporate job and become a stay-at-home mom who works from home. Even though it was a side hustle, we each put in 30-40 hours a week on nights and weekends.

We have handmade our jewelry from the time we were doing costume jewelry to fine jewelry. We don’t have manufacturers. Transitioning to fine jewelry allowed us to be more strategic with our time because we stopped wholesaling our jewelry. We get to interact with each and every customer. This really set us apart as we are able to build brand loyalty and build relationships with our customers.

When we started offering permanent jewelry in 2020 through pop ups, our customer base skyrocketed. We really grew to the point that Juliet could only work for Hope Anchored Designs and not a corporate job as well.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Our reputation is based on offering the highest quality metals and customer service. We only offer solid gold and solid sterling silver chains. All our permanent jewelry links are set with real diamonds and gemstones. With offering jewelry that has no clasp, we want it to be the highest quality metals sitting against your skin and being able to withstand the elements and wear and tear of life. We now see repeat customers at our pop ups, coming to add another bracelet months or years later. Word of mouth is huge in the jewelry industry for getting customers. We have so many people who bring others or tell friends and family to come to our pop-up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hopeanchoreddesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeanchoreddesigns/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopeAnchoredDesigns/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChUWAIBUWvZMX3mYN3WN1sA

Image Credits
Hope Anchored Designs