Today we’d like to introduce you to Delcie Kovasckitz.
Delcie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
You might say I’ve been a designer since birth! I grew up in North Carolina, the daughter of two graphic designers. As a kid, I spent every dollar I could scrounge up at Michael’s buying craft supplies for my next creation. I started making jewelry at age ten using scrabble pieces, bottle caps, and funky beads, and sold them to family friends and at yard sales. I played around with earrings for years, but as time went on, I outgrew my funky and colorful style, and was drawn to simple and timeless looks. In 2017, I was scrolling through Pinterest and saw a minimalist style of jewelry using 14k gold fill – a material I had never heard of before. It turns out, 14k gold fill contains 100x more gold than the gold-plated jewelry you find in many stores today! Once I saw the designs, I knew that I could create more unique designs myself. After lots of trial and error, various tools, and many mangled pieces of gold later, I finally had a handful of designs to sell that I actually felt proud of. After proving the concept at a Christmas pop-up market, the business was off to the races! Fast forward three years later, and I’m still so amazed that people purchase Handcrafted by Delcie – either online, at pop-up markets around Austin, or at boutiques across 12 states.
Alright, 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?
I’m certainly not an expert, but I would venture to say that any businessperson who tells you it’s been smooth sailing is not telling you the whole truth! There are constant struggles in business, but that’s what makes the journey so rewarding. One of my biggest struggles was learning things I’d never had to learn before (hello, web design) and surrounding myself with people who knew the right questions to ask. It’s true what they say: you don’t know what you don’t know. Consistency has also been a struggle for me. When you don’t have a boss, all of your motivation needs to come from the inside. Being consistent in the everyday – when I didn’t see immediate or explosive progress – was difficult. But I have learned that being consistent, and not giving up, has been the key to success for me personally.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I design and create minimalist 14k gold filled jewelry by hand. I am known for my creative designs, craftsmanship, and the handwritten notes I send with each order 🙂 I put my own spin on even the most classic shapes to add a little twist to everyday designs we all know and love. I’m a pretty low-maintenance person, and my goal is to make jewelry that can be worn with literally anything. In addition to my designs, gold fill is another aspect that sets my jewelry apart from others. Gold fill has a brass center with an overlay of gold and is considered the “middle ground” material between gold plated and solid gold. It won’t break the bank like solid gold, but also won’t chip, fade or turn green like gold plated jewelry. It’s great on sensitive skin, which is a rare find for many of my customers. The part of this whole venture that I feel most proud of is seeing people all over the country wearing jewelry I made with my own two hands. I have had the honor of making custom earrings and necklaces for weddings – which is completely wild to me! Seeing people choose to give my jewelry for birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas gifts has been so humbling to see. It truly never gets old.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Instagram is my best source of connection with customers. I try not to only post about what I sell on social media. I like to share my love of cooking, the #studylife as I’m also a full-time nutrition student at UT Austin, and my dorky sense of humor. Showing my personality has allowed me to create real and meaningful connections with my customers – which has been my absolute favorite part of running this business. I also grow a wider reach on Instagram by partnering with influencers. Seeing influencers wear Handcrafted by Delcie earrings while living their life is helpful for potential customers. The movement and look of the jewelry on a real person often give more dimension and life to the jewelry than just images do, and let people easily imagine the pieces on themselves. Another invaluable part of my day-to-day is my email newsletter, which I use to keep my peeps in the loop with sales and new designs on the shop. It’s easy to miss announcements on social media, so my email list is a lifeline for my customers so they are not missing out! I really enjoy NPR’s “How I Built This” – a podcast about entrepreneurs and their stories.
Although the founders have varying level of education and experience, they all started small, did what they could, and grew their ideas into enormous companies. It’s encouraging to hear that even people with MBAs from Columbia will face decisions that don’t always have a clear-cut answer, and that trial and error are unavoidable. The podcast is inspiring and great motivation to keep going – you never know where it might lead! I also loved Shoe Dog – Phil Knight’s book about starting Nike. It was an incredibly inspiring and encouraging read for me. I highly recommend it! Finally, although there are a bazillion productivity apps, nothing replaces just cranking out the work. I once went to a boutique on the other side of Austin five different times before I finally caught the owner and sold her on my earring line. That one shop ended up selling more jewelry that year than all the other boutiques my jewelry was in – combined! My encouragement to you: keep showing up, and it’ll eventually pay off.
Contact Info:
- Email: delcie@handcraftedbydelcie.com
- Website: https://handcraftedbydelcie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handcraftedbydelcie
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