A year ago I finally stopped putting it off and decided to do something I've wanted to do for years now. I did it scared and I'm so proud of myself for doing so. Wow. I figured I'd give you the story on how Garnished in Gold came to be and the moments that brought me here.
It was a few years back in 2019 that the entrepreneurship bug had bitten me once again. I'd been self-employed for almost a year and wanted to jump back into the world of e-commerce. But what would I sell? I was three years removed from ending my first business, Royal Crown Lashes, so beauty was out of the question then. I was also sick of selling for other people; being a brand ambassador and handing out affiliate links had grown stale. I knew I could do more and do it well. I wanted to sell something that made sense for my brand, but most importantly, something I was passionate about. So there I was, thinking about what it would be. Clothes? Nope. I didn't consider myself a fashionista. Head-wraps and turbans? It came close. I actually went to the Fashion District in LA to source fabric for my idea. That fell flat as soon as I stopped wearing my hair wrapped consistently. So what would it be? I remember going about my day until I heard the word so clearly in my head: jewelry. I instantly knew this would be it.
You see, I've always been a jewelry lover. I remember being as young as three or four years old, sitting at my Mom's vanity, going through her jewelry box, and trying on her jewelry in the mirror. I loved fastening the gold chokers and cubans around my little neck, clipping the pearls onto my ears, and stacking all of the rings on my fingers. When I got old enough to have my own jewelry, the love grew. I was gifted jewelry boxes for Christmas by G Mom and would go out of my way to fill it with treasures. Every trip to the department or clothing store would end up with me convincing my Mom that I absolutely needed the star hoops and flower studs, because... just look at them! The love deepened even further in the 2000s era of big, statement jewelry. I DIY'd a necklace display out of a random board by sticking clear pins in it and lining up the jewelry. I LOVED statement jewelry! The chunkier, the better. The bigger, the better. It's like I wanted you to see my accessories first and then me second. LOL! 
Over time, my taste and style has definitely evolved, but to this day I love putting together my outfits with my jewelry at the center. I swap pieces in and out and mix n' match until I get the perfect look. Putting together my looks feels so good, especially when you're dressed and it's all put together.
So alas, I had my next store's idea. I quickly got to business and researched where and how I started. Would I design pieces? What pieces would I sell? Firstly, I knew that I wanted to focus on dainty, minimalist pieces. My style had evolved and landed there. I loved the gorgeous simplicity of a single stud on the ear. Or the perfectly placed hoop assortment. I also knew I wanted gold to be the shade. After all, since high school I had only worn gold. It was just in me. From there, I started thinking of a name. I knew that I wanted "gold" to be apart of the name. I wanted people to know what to expect. So now that I knew the store's focus, what would my name be? I once again plotted and pondered. I looked up definitions of words, trademarks, and instagram names. After a few days of thought, "Garnished in Gold" popped in my mind clear as day. I instantly looked for a trademark, and once that was taken care of, I secure the Instagram page and domain name. I was on top of it. Or so I thought...
Fast-forward to the year 2020 and I knew I was ready to move forward with business. The pandemic started and my self-employed mind was far away from taking that risk. I let the thought come in and out of my mind until finally in the fall of 2022, I decided to just do it. Stop overthinking, stop making excuses, and just press the damn (Shopify) button.
So here we are, a year after I pressed the button. What a year it has been! Since then I've relocated back to Dallas, debuted our best-selling Classic Cuff, and serviced over 700 customers. Owning a business has absolutely not been easy, but the reward far outweighs the challenges. I love seeing my friends and family in Garnished in Gold. I especially love seeing you all showing off your pieces on Instagram. I'm so thankful that I just did it, scared and all. My only regret is that I wish I would've done it sooner.
Jasmine Marie