Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie DiBlasi and Gerardo Ponce.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Melanie and Gerardo. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It started with a Winter getaway to New York City. We were working minimum wage jobs, but we somehow scrounged up enough money to take a trip and enjoy a few days away. One day, we went to a popular spot called “Chelsea Market.” It was so cool inside, with food vendors and crafters selling their goods. We stopped by a little crafters nook and saw tons of jewelry. I was eyeing a few pieces so badly and couldn’t decide if I should spend what little money I had on a necklace, or save it for pizza. Ultimately, I dropped $75 dollars on a necklace which I was told was “Handmade” and “sterling silver”. I knew nothing about metals, so it sounded awesome to me. Still, it kind of stung to drop that much. Weeks later my necklace was nothing like what I bought, so I tried finding her again online or something similar. I discovered that she didn’t “handmake” it and that it was just some cheap plated metal to look silver.
On top of that, she bought it from China for pennies! I felt so embarrassed and sorry for everyone else like me who doesn’t know better, who just wanted something cute to last but not spend hundreds or even $75 on something like that. Right then and there, I decided to make my own jewelry for people just like me and vowed to keep honest and fair prices for whatever I make. Because of that, my mission has been to offer real gold, non-plated pieces of jewelry for $75 or much much less! And yes, we are making everything ourselves. This mission statement started off strong and the feedback from customers appreciation for the quality and fairest price point on the market changed our lives. I quit my job to focus on this full time, then a few months later, my Fiancé Gerardo quit to help me and double our time down.
This has gone on strong for over a year now, selling thousands of pieces all over the world, not just San Diego. Currently, we keep two main Markets where you can catch us… Ocean Beach Farmers Market on Wednesday and Gaslamp Artisan Market on Sunday’s. We love our city and just want to share our mission to everyone out there like us. These two markets have changed our lives and have helped us connect with jewelry lovers all over the world, which has inspired much of the collection we carry today. We couldn’t have asked for a better life or way to our days.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always obstacles in the way. Always hurdles, trials, and tribulations you have to work through to meet up with your dream. First obstacle we overcame was getting over the fear of rejection. Rejection from markets, boutiques, customers, and even ourselves. Failure is a risk and it took some time to get used to facing it everyday. In our industry, a huge obstacle is competition. Markets are lined with jewelry vendors selling similar to different genres. This was tricky and we worried so much about it at first. We went out of our way to create different designs and keep coming out with new designs. That hustle with our quality helped us overcome much of the competition as the customers could tell we were a step above most of the vendors and were honest and fair.
Till this day, we have customers coming back to us from the very beginning and that is a blessing and sign we are doing things right. Also, much like other businesses, simple things like accounting, ordering, inventory, and time management were so hard for me. Neither Gerardo nor I went to school to run a business or knew anyone running a jewelry business. We lost lots of money, gained lots, failed on some designs, won on others. These challenges taught us a delicate balancing act in the business world. Its fluid, it’s fast-paced, and you must always be moving forward or get left behind. Our biggest challenge was and still is managing the business and our personal relationship.
Most of our time is spent together, making jewelry, selling at Markets, brainstorming new designs, new ways to get our customers more, all while taking time for ourselves, and being romantic, and defining the like between what is personal and what is business. While it is tough to navigate, it has strengthened us beyond anything I knew before and couldn’t have asked for a better partner, both in business and in life!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Bohemian Blush – what should we know?
We specialize in Moonstone and Opal 14k Gold Jewelry. We carry a large variety of stones from common quartz to rarer end stones like opals and rubies. We keep items delicate and many of our customers have dubbed us “Simple and Sophisticated” in our look. That’s important to us because we want our customers to feel good, whether they are rocking a classy Opal Necklace out on date night, or wearing the Herkimer Diamond studs to an important meeting. We give a modern and delicate touch to the timeless crystals that honor our earth elements.
As far as our customers go, the competition is fierce, and they know it, but what they know us the most for is our quality for the price. It’s what we stand for above all else and it’s reflected in our product. This is what sets us apart. Most jewelry vendors are working with cheaper plated metals and looking to sell a new customer, but we are looking ahead of the first sale, and want that person to come back and bring their loved ones, which is what happens consistently now. This is one of the things that makes me most proud when a customer comes back so happy with their purchase that they recommended us to friends. It means that we made a difference in their lives and have changed the way they look at jewelry.
Jewelry is intimate, it’s given as gifts of affection, worn on the skin all day, with you as you work, sweat, and love. We take this into account and choose stones to match your mood and lifestyle. Above all else, I’m most proud of our commitment to our value of fair pricing. With the quality we have, we could easily charge A hundred to couple hundred for some of our pieces, but we never do and we always think back to that moment in New York, where I was taken advantage of on a cheap necklace. That keeps us focused on our mission to shake up the jewelry world and I’m confident it’s the reason we have been so successful so far.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
For me, it’s my passion and love for fashion. I love fashion, jewelry, and makeup. All these things are considered when I’m coming up with a new design to bring forth. It’s not just a necklace or pair of earrings. It’s an essential part of your daily outfit that expresses who you are, how you feel and what you want to project onto the world. A bright amazonite necklace at the beach might convey fun and easy going vibes for you, while another may where our dark Smokey quartz necklace on a night out to keep negative vibes away. It’s more than an accessory, it’s an expression and it’s that thinking that I bring to the table with every design. I call it “Fashionable Intention setting”.
For Gerardo, our success comes from passion to add value to people’s lives. He is always holding our business up to the highest standards and making sure every person walks away feeling so good about themselves, whether they chose to buy a product or not. I’ve seen people be so rude to him and he’ll send them off with a “have a beautiful day” and mean it with every part of his being. He also is incredibly gifted at “streamlining processes”. His words, not mine, but I’m sure he’s referring to how he manages the inventory, day to day financial accounting, and whatever other spreadsheets he uses to keep track of things. We are both incredibly passionate about what we do, but most importantly why we do it. Above all else, that’s why we’ve made it this far.
Contact Info:
- Website: Bohemianblushcompany.etsy.com
- Email: bohemianblushco@gmail.com
- Instagram: @bohemianblushco
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