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

Rhoda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Finding those key vendors can often be make or break for a brand. Can you talk to us about how you found your key vendors?

Not being a metalsmith myself, it was very important to me that the jewelry settings I used were coming from a reliable source, high-quality, and that they had good communication. I first started looking online at a few “popular” suppliers, but weren’t finding any that I felt totally comfortable with. After some time, I started to look locally – supporting a local business made sense and would potentially fulfill all the requirements I was looking for. I started my search in a local Facebook group, looking at jewelers/metalsmiths that had been recommended in the past – that’s when I came across Jenny, owner of Pure Life Jewelry. I loved her work and aesthetic, and after learning more about her I reached out. She was very interested right away! She loved my idea of keepsake jewelry (little did I know, she had been wanting to do her own line of keepsakes as well, which I collaborate on with her), and was very open to discussing what I was looking for. I liked the fact that she was another woman small business owner, located nearby, and I could see my settings being made. Being able to go to her studio to discuss new designs, troubleshoot issues, and even learn more about jewelry making has brought communication with a supplier to a whole other level.

Rhoda, 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?

My name is Rhoda Darius Miller – I’m a wife, an architect-in-training and a mother of 3 adorable boys. I live in beautiful Arizona with my growing family and two fur-babies.

I stumbled upon breast milk jewelry when I was nursing my first and loved the idea of having a keepsake. The idea of being able to capture and remember this special time in my life sounded like a fantastic idea, but I never ended up buying a piece of my own. I saved milk from my first two boys in hopes of designing a special piece of breast milk jewelry once we were done having kids. Now that our third (and final!) baby boy has arrived, my goal is to create a keepsake to represent all of my kids and my breastfeeding journey for years to come.

I struggled with breastfeeding both my boys, in very different ways, from low supply to being just barely enough. I worked with many lactation consultants, support groups, supplements, medications, endless hours of googling & researching — you know the drill — all so I could breastfeed my babies. But after all is said and done, I feel accomplished for being able to provide whatever I could for my babies. I’m going through it all again with our newest little one who arrived in December 2020.

All my struggles with breastfeeding gave me a desire to help create a keepsake for other moms who have both struggled and triumphed during this special nursing time in our lives. I would hear their stories while going to support group every week. What better way to celebrate than to have your own personal keepsake created uniquely for you!

And so, Liquid Goldsmith began, and I’ve fallen in love with all the beautiful pieces that I’ve been able to help other moms create to remember their amazing breastfeeding journeys. From the milk stone to the jewelry setting, everything is carefully handcrafted here locally in Arizona.

How did you build your audience on social media?

While my social media following isn’t huge compared to others, I worked hard to build it. Most of my follower growth has been very organic – people searching for accounts in my industry, friends/family/clients sharing my account. I also shared lots of content to my stories from other creators with the same target audience (lactation consultants, pediatricians, pelvic floor therapists, birth workers). Often times they would re-share my account to their audience.

I did a few giveaways in collaboration with other accounts, and they helped some, but it was the more organically gained followers that have had the most engagement on my page.

Signing up for a few markets, and utilizing their accounts to share my page has also been very helpful.

My advice would be to just hang in there. In the beginning, don’t stress out about how often to post, what to post, the trends, you’ll burn yourself out. Just be genuine, yourself, and stay on brand. The followers will come. Also, find a social media buddy – someone who will always interact with your posts and stories, and you do the same with theirs!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Being a previously breastfeeding mom (I just recently ended my third and last feeding journey), I was already in breastfeeding support groups, a few of which allowed me to post about my business, which has been fantastic! I’ve started to visit in-person breastfeeding support groups – letting people see samples of the jewelry and ask questions in person has been really helpful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.liquidgoldsmith.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liquid_goldsmith
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liquidgoldsmith
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/liquidgoldsmith https://www.tiktok.com/@liquid_goldsmith

Image Credits
Kasia Kao Photography Deepika Haldankar Photography