Perhaps the best thing about running a jewelry company with your spouse is that finding a gift for Valentine’s Day is a cakewalk.
The rest of the year? You have someone to support you (and vice versa) through the highs and lows of the economy—and life. Your business can thrive because you have built and maintain respect in your relationship.
JCK spoke with four industry couples about how they get their jobs done and still have something to talk about when they get home—although most of them admit they still talk about jewelry over dinner. These life and business partners say their love helps them find ways to handle the stress that inevitably comes with working together, even when it is with the most beautiful materials in the world.
Sharee Davis Foster and Gregg Foster (pictured at top)
Admiral Row
Sharee Davis Foster knew she would do anything for Gregg when their decision to get married meant she would have to take a second test to practice law, right after she had passed the bar in Florida, since Gregg wanted them to live in Georgia. “It was two bar exams, back to back essentially,” she says. “It was tough, but it worked out in the end.”
She knew Gregg would do anything for her when shortly after they settled down in the Atlanta area, she announced she wanted to start a jewelry brand—Gregg, the operations manager for an apparel company, didn’t flinch.
“Here we were, just navigating the dynamics of marriage, and I was adding a business on top,” Davis Foster says. “But I was sure we could do it, even though I had no history in jewelry-making.”
She envisioned a jewelry line that appealed to women like her—those early in their careers who need to look the part at work but have to stay within a budget. And so the Fosters created Admiral Row, which offers affordable yet high-quality jewelry.
“The weekends were the hardest time because we were tired but we still had a pop-up shop or fair to do,” Davis Foster says. “It also was a blessing in disguise. Because of those times, we were able to understand the roles we had in the business, and that understanding allowed us to trust the person.… It’s been a whirlwind, but we’ve gotten through it.”
Danielle and Andre Osborne
Alex Lexington
Working behind the scenes at a jewelry company is enough for some people, but Danielle and Andre Osborne were driven to begin designing their own pieces, taking Danielle’s extensive knowledge of the industry and debuting a brand, Alex Lexington (named after their two children).
“Clients started asking us to dabble in jewelry,” says Andre, who dreams of creating a jewelry legacy like that of major houses such as Cartier or Tiffany.
Danielle, whose family worked in jewelry for decades, says her father warned her about falling in love with the product. Yet once she started designing for herself, there was no stopping the flow of creativity that came out.
Ironically, the Osbornes—who live in Atlanta—didn’t even have wedding bands for the first couple of years of their marriage. Now that they’ve dived into custom work, they created rings for each other, pieces that make people stop them on the street and ask for jewelry advice.
For Valentine’s Day and every other day, Danielle and Andre say they enjoy collaborating on jewelry design, from discussion through lots of sketching and the hunt for the right gemstones.
“It’s saying, ‘Let’s sit down, open a bottle, and build together’,” Danielle says.
Klarisa and Antonio Crespo
KC Chic Designs
How do high school sweethearts turn their whole family into a jewelry success story? For Klarisa and Antonio Crespo, it took a love of the craft, lots of practice, and kids who don’t mind helping their parents out once in a while.
Klarisa was working as a teacher and Antonio was in the HVAC industry when she came up with an idea. She’d been looking to buy the perfect necklace to wear to a friend’s birthday party and couldn’t find what she wanted, so she went to a jewelry supply store, bought some beads, and made the piece she saw in her mind.
“I came home the next day and told my husband, ‘I think I’m going to start making jewelry,’” recalls Klarisa, whose love of fashion and accessories came from television shows like Sex and the City. Her mantra? “Clothing may disappoint you. Jewelry never will.”
Once her jewelry business, KC Chic Designs, was established, she needed all hands on deck to build it. The Crespos’ sons help package items for shipping and with other jobs. And many family dinners turn into business discussions, she admits.
Based in the Tampa area, KC Chic Designs has taken off. The brand recently began selling its fashion and demi-fine jewelry on Macy’s website.
“Before, we had separate careers; now we have something in common,” Klarisa says. “It’s all we talk about, besides our kids. We’re fully in it, all day, every day.”
Kayla and Rick Rose
Roseark
For Kayla and Rick Rose, their Los Angeles store Roseark represents the culmination of a bond formed 20 years ago, when they first started dating (though they’d met through family friends a few years earlier).
As co-owners who do everything for their business, the Roses say their self-starter personalities have meshed so well they can work together daily without running out of things to say to each other.
Rick handles the company’s website and strategic planning, Kayla is the “image architect,” curating a collection of jewelry and accessories by designers worldwide and doing client relations. They designed the Roseark shop to feel like a welcoming bungalow surrounded by tranquil gardens, blending their tastes for the interior decor and merchandise.
“Since we are entrepreneurs, we are responsible for everything,” Rick says. “Owning our own company, we could work all day and night.”
But they do sometimes need to be reminded when to stop talking about the industry—at least for a little while, Kayla says. “While working together has some tremendous benefits, for our personal relationship it requires us both to set boundaries on when to turn it off,” she says.
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