an interview and a giveaway

Recently I had the lucky opportunity to interview the amazing Jewellery designer Sally Han Jun of Shop for Jayu. She’s totally cool, super talented, and raises money for charities around the globe. My kind of girl!

I’m also excited to give away two beautiful, delicate, layering necklaces designed by Sally. Check out the interview, and enter to win the necklaces by leaving a comment below!

xo Alana

How did you start your brand?
I started designing jewellery when I was 19 years old. Although I’ve never taken jewellery classes, my parents are both designers for tailored clothing and bridal wear so I’m sure I’ve been influenced by them. It came so naturally to me when I first picked up my pliers.

I named my first brand Psalms 91:1 Accessories after my favourite Bible verse. I started selling my designs at charity events and helped raise funds for Sick Kid’s Hospital, the crisis in Haiti, North Korea, etc. The vision of Psalms 91:1 Accessories was to give job opportunities to widows and orphans around the world and teach the skill of jewellery making.

In order to accomplish this vision, we created a sister brand called Jayu, to carry fashionable, trendy and high quality jewellery that was more affordable and available – opening up more job opportunities for women around the globe. We named it Jayu, which means freedom in Korean. “Shop for Jayu, Shop for freedom.”

What was the first piece of jewelry you ever made? How have your designs evolved?

I remember, the very first piece I’ve designed was a pair of dangly earrings with a beautiful green stone. It sold right away! My designs now I would say have evolved to be more sophisticated and of higher quality.
How do you go about creating a new piece? We’d love to know about your design process—choosing materials, design development, how the team works to do this, etc.

When creating a new piece, my first step is by choosing my materials and connecting them to my inspirations from what I’ve seen and experienced during my travels. From there I play around with the materials and get feedback from our team members.

Take us through your “typical” day at the office.

A typical day at the office usually starts at 9am and sometimes I work all day. I go through all my emails first, work on our next marketing strategies, or go off to meetings. I don’t design jewelry every day, but when I do, I try to keep away from any other distractions.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from people, culture and mission trips. My first mission trip was to Namibia Africa where I had the privilege of teaching women affected by AIDS and HIV how to make jewelry. I constantly need to travel and meet people from all over the world to do my work genuinely from my heart.

I love movies and I find them so inspirational. Is there an accessory moment in cinema that inspires you / your work?

I love movies too! Movies involve people and culture which inspires me a lot in my work. I was recently inspired by the movie Factory Girl. Loved seeing big earrings and retro designs. And The Great Gatsby comes to mind.

If you could choose one fashion designer to collaborate with, who would it be?

I would love to collaborate with Jason Wu. He is one of my favorite designers! I appreciate the construction and detail of his work.

What is your career highlight thus far?

My career highlight happened recently actually. When we got picked up by one of my personal favorite store- Anthropologie!

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?

To be patient.

If you could see any woman wearing your beautiful designs, who would it be?

Hard to choose just one, but first woman that comes to mind is Kate Moss!

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

Readers! You can find out more about my work on these websites: www.psalmsaccessories.com and www.shopforjayu.com !

Enter to win these necklaces, just leave a comment below!