Why the jewelry world infuriates me - and what I’m doing to fix it
Today I’m writing to you about a topic very close to my heart. A widespread, universal problem that bugs me so much that I started a company to fix it.
As jewelry lovers, wearers, and gifters, we know the choice that lies before us with every purchase: rash up your skin or fork out some serious cash.
It sounds like I’m being very dramatic but stick with me here for a second:
On one hand, you can go for mass-produced, cheaply-made, trash jewelry.
You know the kind I mean - it graces the shelves around checkout lines of every fast-fashion retailer, often costs $10-20, is made of some unidentified material, and comes in about a thousand different designs. These are trendy, wear-it-for-the-weekend pieces that break quickly, tarnish even faster, and if you have sensitive skin like me - rash you right up or turn your skin green 🤢
If you’re fed up with this use-and-throw cycle, and decide you’ll never wear trash jewelry again, very quickly you’re faced with the challenge of the other choice:
You can go for ultra-high quality, expensive real jewelry pieces.
These are the kind made from precious materials that have international market prices, like gold or titanium. You can choose a designer piece, go to a jeweler to have something made, or walk into a chain retailer for some boring basics. While your sensitive skin will thank you for wearing this jewelry, your wallet definitely won’t. Retailers of this jewelry won’t bat an eye at quoting you a high three-figure or four-figure price(!), and walking into a physical storefront not dressed to the nines will definitely get you some Julia-Roberts-in-Pretty-Woman treatment 😬
Being judged for not looking like a rich person is not my idea of fun.
This is no way to live. Choosing between trash and inaccessibility? A rock and a hard place choice that leaves you with green skin or an empty wallet?
The fact that this is the standard in the jewelry world infuriates me. I believe that art of any kind, especially wearable art like jewelry should be accessible to everyone. And by accessibility, I don’t just mean that anyone can buy it (of course that is extremely important):
- I mean that in addition to paying a reasonable price, you should get a piece that moves with you and lives your life with you, without you having to worry about it tarnishing or breaking easily. Enter our favorite high-quality yet affordable materials like gold-filled and our commitment to hand-crafted excellence.
- I mean that if you have arthritis, like to keep long nails, have shoulder mobility issues, are a single girly living on her own, or are just someone who doesn’t like to go running for help all the time, you should be able to wear a damn necklace or bracelet without suffering. Enter our extremely strong magnetic clasps that make life sooooo much easier in this department.
- I mean that if you’re a part of the lucky 10% of the population that is left-handed, you can at least opt for a necklace that is made for left-handed people in a world that caters to right-handed people. No more handling fiddly clasps with your non-dominant hand while you curse out the 90%. Enter our left-handed clasps.
- I mean that you should be able to wear a jewelry design you like, regardless of your size preferences or requirements. Enter our wide variety of existing necklace and bracelet sizes, which can always be made shorter or longer on custom request.
With LucyKitty, I am working hard to improve the standard we accept from our jewelry because let’s be real - the bar is on the floor right now. I’m trying to fix everything annoying or difficult or frustrating about wearing jewelry. And I’m trying to shout from the rooftops that you deserve better, hoping that you agree with me 😊