Lisa Robin Jewelry
In their own words
“I always struggled to find unique things, things that resonated with me. And that’s the part of what I’m doing now. I’ve moved away from selling wholesale and sell almost exclusively online and through my studio in Dayton. I have a small, cozy studio in an office building. We’re not a retail location. I can sit here comfortably with a client and get to know what is important to them and design that. It’s always fun to see their face light up when you connect.”
-Lisa Robin Adkinson
Jason’s Interview with Lisa
Jason
Today, we get to talk to Lisa Robin Adkinson from Lisa Robin Jewelry in Dayton, Ohio. Lisa, you have a really rich story of how you got into the industry. Can you tell us about it?
Lisa
I came from a completely different background—a strategic planning consultant for small businesses. Before that, I was an interior designer. I was inspired by a lot of artisan jewelry I found in the Seattle area. We were on a trip there, and I thought, “I'm ready to get back to something creative. Maybe this is what I can do instead of interior design.” This was in 2008. I finished my first collection and had received samples just as the market crashed and had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was advised by some folks in the industry that to make it as an independent designer; you needed to have that distribution network of the independent jeweler. It was a slow process to keep building and adding those jewelers. That's kind of where it all started.
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Jason
What is it about jewelry that you love?
Lisa
I always struggled finding anything unique, things that really resonated with me. I've moved away from selling wholesale and sell almost exclusively online and through my studio in Dayton. I've got a little, cozy studio in an office building; we’re not a retail location. I can sit here very comfortably with a client and get to know what is important to them, and then design for that. And it’s always fun to see their face light up when you connect.
Jason
What’s the feeling?
Lisa
Often, they don't know how to articulate it. We do a lot of Googling, pulling up images. I'll tell you a story of a couple that came to me. They called and asked if I could make a wedding ring to go with the engagement ring that she already had. When she arrived, she had an amethyst set in white gold. She explained that she had worked with a jeweler who had gone out of business. He custom-designed this piece for her. That's why they were looking for someone else to help with wedding rings. As we talked, I could tell she wasn't crazy about the way this ring had turned out. It was more of a fashion ring than a wedding ring, but she wanted something different. She didn't want the traditional diamond. She finally said, “What I really wanted was pink. But then he showed me this amethyst, and I thought it was pretty.” I said, “I'm thinking you need something more organic. This ring was very geometric.” We started sketching some ideas. I kept trying to be sensitive. I knew they had just paid to have this ring commissioned and probably didn't want to start over. Her fiancé said, “I want you to have what you want. If you want to do something different, let's do it.” So, we embarked on this process of what ended up being a stackable series of three rings using rose-cut diamonds, which are one of my favorites. We used pale pink rose cut, put it in rose gold, and made it much more organic, kind of leafy. It ended up perfect. She decided to keep the other ring to wear on her right hand. They were so excited.
Jason
What do you think you do differently when it comes to custom?
Lisa
I just connect with their style. It's almost an innate process. I like to be able to sit here and have enough time to ask those questions. I really love when we can have that dynamic energy and come up with an idea that works.
Jason
You’re able to listen and understand where your clients are coming from. Where did you learn that skill?
Lisa
I learned it from the strategic planning that I did. I think that served me well with jewelry. I manage my own website. Translating that process online has been a different kind of challenge and very interesting. Looking for as much added service as we can possibly bring to the website experience.
Jason
If you were going to sum up, your store in three words, what would they be?
Lisa
It's easy, quiet, pleasant.
Jason
I want to talk about how you give back to the community. So, go for it.
Lisa
As an independent designer, particularly in the Midwest, it's a challenge to get visibility and build those clients. I have a good friend who is a handbag designer, and we were discussing the fact that we had the same challenges. We talked about creating an event where we could have people shop. A sip-and-shop kind of thing. This was about eighteen months ago. It went really well. We spoke with the vendors who participated with us. We tied this into creating an event to give back to a nonprofit. We've partnered with folks like the YWCA of Cincinnati and Talbert House. We're partnering, coming up, with the National Association of Women Business Owners. The event creates a way for each of our vendors to give back. What started as a program has evolved into a magazine. We call it Luxe Magazine. It's a digital edition that lives on luxegivesback.com. Nine events in eighteen months. We're putting on events and publishing magazines in three cities. The magazine has taken on its own life.
