Griffin Jewellery: A Shop That Empowers Women?

When you walk into Griffin Jewellery you’re immediately drawn in by its striking interior, which has a dark, medieval-inspired aesthetic. What stands out most is the abundance of gold, black and red accents that can be found throughout their store. Every piece of jewellery is meticulously crafted to perfection with the finest materials. Griffin Jewellery is more than just a shop; it’s a place where women are empowered to realize their potential through the art of jewellery making. The female empowerment team interviewed Griffin Jewellery founder and CEO Ana Lee about how she built her business from nothing and how she continues to grow her brand one step at a time.

Background on Griffin Jewellery
Griffin Jewellery is a retail and manufacturing business based in Toronto. Founded by Ana Lee in 2015, Griffin is the first jewellery company of its kind in North America that provides a full “jewellery making atelier” experience for customers. The term atelier is used to signify a place of artistic creation, and is therefore the perfect name to describe Griffin’s unique concept. The company’s two retail locations are inspired by medieval settings and are intentionally designed to be dark and unique. The brand’s signature colour palette is gold, black and red, and these tones can be seen throughout the stores. Griffin Jewellery is an authentic and premium jewellery brand that aims to change the way people view and purchase jewellery. Rather than creating a quick and transactional experience, Ana and her team want customers to feel welcomed and appreciated, and to have the sense that they are being treated as individuals. In order to do this, they have built a business model that provides a “jewellery making atelier” experience, during which customers can design their own custom jewellery pieces with guidance and support from the Griffin team.

Why did you start your business?
Ana’s passion for jewellery making and business began when she was attending university to study chemical engineering, but she soon discovered that this field wasn’t for her. Ana took a year off from her studies to travel abroad, and it was during this time that she discovered her true passion: jewellery making. She fell in love with the craft and found her true calling, but she also realized that she didn’t want to pursue this as a side hobby. Ana wanted to make this her career and make a living doing something that she loved. Ana decided to leave school and pursue this new passion full-time. She worked at different jewellery shops, gaining valuable experience and connections, and she even worked as sales director at a manufacturing company. This experience gave Ana a better understanding of the industry and helped her to decide that she wanted to start her own business and create a new jewellery brand.

Lessons Learned in the First Year of Business
Ana says that the first year of business was a very “rough” experience. She describes it as a “constant battle” and says that she didn’t fully understand the business model she was trying to run. Ana explains that in the beginning, she wanted to provide her customers with too much. She wanted to give them more than just the ability to design jewellery that was perfect for them. Ana wanted to provide her customers with jewellery making classes, tools and materials that they could take home and use to create jewellery pieces on their own. This is where Ana went wrong. She tried to do too much and ended up failing at everything. Ana says that she failed to properly plan this department and failed to properly hire individuals to run it. Ana says that she didn’t fully understand that she was in the jewellery business, not the jewellery making business, and she failed to realize that the business model she was trying to create was unsustainable and unprofitable. Ana realized that the mistake she made was in trying to provide too much, and she admits that she made a lot of mistakes during her first year of business.

What does the future hold for Griffin Jewellery?
The future for Griffin Jewellery is bright. Ana is excited to see how the business model continues to grow and evolve. She says that the “true test” of her success will be when she can hire a team of individuals who can continue to run her business model long after she retires. Ana is excited to see where the industry continues to go and she believes that the future of jewellery is a jewellery making experience that is intertwined with technology. She believes that jewellery making is a creative process and that technology has no place in creativity, but she also acknowledges that it’s inevitable that technology will be used in the future. Ana says that she would like to see her business expand to new cities and she would like to see her brand become a household name.

How to build a successful business?
Ana says that there is no real formula for building a successful business. She says that every business is different and every industry is different. There is no one way of doing things, and there are no shortcuts to success. Ana says that success comes from hard work, determination and patience. She says that there is no way to speed up the process of growth and that it takes time to build a successful brand. She says that you have to be patient and understand that it takes time to create a name for yourself and for your business to become successful. Ana says that it’s important to stay grounded and to not let the success go to your head. She says that it’s important to remember where you came from and to have respect for those who helped you get to where you are today.

Conclusion
Griffin Jewellery is a boutique that offers a “jewellery making atelier” experience. The company has two retail locations in Toronto, Ontario, and they can also be found online. Their boutique is designed to be dark and medieval-themed, and it is filled with gold, black and red accents. Customers can visit the store or shop online to design their own custom jewellery pieces. Griffin offers a wide selection of gems and precious metals, and customers can also use their design app (available for both iOS and Android) to create their own unique pieces.