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Striking Gold:

Designers Outshining the Competition

Take two breakout independent jewelry designers at opposite ends of the jewelry spectrum. One designing new-world rustic styles, the other old-world refined. Both stand out from the crowd, snatching national and international attention from buyers after just a few years in the business. Their shared formula for success? A Midas touch for style savvy with unique, chic modern riffs on seemingly everyday objects.

Prairie Home Companion — Early Jewelry

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but for Kylie Grater, the brains behind Early Jewelry, the real bling is found in the most unexpected of materials— sourced from her native Kansas and across the Midwest.

Mixing Native American and funky 1970’s influences, her three year-old line serves as proof that you don’t need to stray far from home to make a name in fashion. With her use of bone, feathers and other found natural elements, each of Grater’s necklaces, earrings and bracelets evokes the rough-and-tumble spirit of the Sunflower State with a contemporary sassiness. It’s an approach with a fresh and edgy twist that has attracted style-setters from as far as Japan, Canada and California.

Personal Hallmark: ”My inspiration, Kansas. The sunsets, the prairies, the pace of life, history and how life is intimately connected to the seasons. It’s why I produce everything in Kansas. I think it’s important to support local businesses. Otherwise it’s 1970’s TV shows and Sergio Leone movies that really spark my imagination for cool patterns.”

Crowning Moment: ”I guess when I started and Spool, the store in Kansas City, carried my feather earrings. People loved them, so I was given a lot of courage to take my designs seriously. Later on it was when I started selling to www.elsewheres.com. The owners are truly great people and the site was a launch pad to getting more accounts.”

Biggest Challenge: ”Definitely having the capital to start up. When you have so many ideas, getting the cash to achieve them is stressful. Loans helped launch the collection, but as soon as I have more capital I plan to start up a jewelry project in Africa. I want to create a business for people with HIV. It’s a big idea at the back of my head that would make me really satisfied.”

Nugget of Biz Knowledge: ”Do it! Don’t be afraid to get started. Have home shows or have a friend host one for you, it’s the best way to start showing your jewelry and get to know what people like. Plus, the more you meet and talk to people about your jewelry it helps, there are people out there with contacts who can help make starting a business easier.”

Find it near you: www.cutxpaste.com, Cog & Pearl, Brooklyn; Retail Therapy, Seattle; Creatures Boutique, Austin; Stellar 26, Chicago; Clover, Silver Lake Los Angeles.

Silver Wear — Demitasse

The recipe to Rachael Chyna White’s retail charm has been to champion quality and fine craftwork quite literally by the spoonful. She started her career by selling trends, first in development at J Crew in New York, and then as a buyer and stylist in Los Angeles. These days she’s the one setting the trends with Demitasse, her offbeat, but luxurious jewelry collection.

Fueled by her fascination with Rococo flatware, Rachael launched the Demitasse name in 2006, introducing heirloom-quality offerings that recall the glamour of a past age. By rescaling antique serving pieces, setting them with stones and stringing them on delicate necklaces, she puts a new spin on retro refinement, melding elegance with ostentatious dandyism. And although unconventional, it’s a look that dishes up wearable feminine pieces with a buttoned-up, yet, quirky attitude.

Personal Hallmark: “The flatware. I was in a doctor’s office reading a magazine when I came across an article about the most exquisite antique silverware I’d ever seen. As soon as I saw it I realized I wanted to make jewelry just as collectable and celebratory. There’s so much repetition in jewelry today, so for me Demitasse has been about making something original that can’t be copied.”

Biggest Challenge:

“I knew exactly what I wanted to create, so the biggest challenge was getting the necklace prototypes to match my vision. I did years of research to make sure I stayed true to the intricate history of the silverware. Then . . . after all that hard work it was kind of scary to eventually go out and get buyers. I had a lot of knowledge about buying and figuring out price points, but nothing can prepare you for selling your work like that.”

Crowning Moment:

“Getting my entire collection bought by the online boutique Twist was just so affirming. I’ve always loved and respected their designers, so to be among them is amazing.”     Nugget of Biz Knowledge: “Work, work and work. Get experience, it’ll really help you as you go it alone. I worked throughout college at a jeweler, and that background meant I knew what could be done with settings. Also, just have faith in your work, show passion and love for what you do . . . it’s what makes people really get it and understand what you’re doing.”

Find it near you:

www.twistonline.com; Bird, West Hollywood; Curve, New York; and across the country.