The Gem Tribe is a jewellery concierge service that aims to allow you to 100 percent customise a piece of jewellery to your liking. To know more about how this works and how The Gem Tribe could be your solution to beautiful jewellery that you’ll love, we spoke to their founders, Shannon and her partner, Felix!
1Twenty80: Could you tell us briefly about the gem tribe and what you aim to present to your customers?
Shannon: After spending four years in the United States of America working and seeing what buyers liked, what trends they followed, I came back and saw so much potential in Malaysia! We want to offer high quality and most importantly, flexible options when it comes to jewellery. Don’t settle for jewellery you don’t like while breaking the bank! We want to make something that our clients will love 110 percent.
Felix: We want to make jewellery that symbolises something special for the client because some pieces of jewellery may have a story behind it. That’s why we want to make something that will tell their story in the most special of ways.
1Twenty80: What was your background prior to making jewellery or have you always wanted to make jewellery?
Shannon: I studied International Business Management and got my degree at Nottingham University.
When I was studying, I was already falling in love with jewellery and was always curious about why jewellery cost the way it did, the colours and other aspects. I think it started from when I was younger and would see my parent’s friends who had fallen on hard times and wanted to sell off their heirlooms. My parents always wanted to help out and did as much as they could. That sparked my curiosity when it came to knowing the worth of gemstones.
Felix: My background is in digital animation and after meeting Shannon, I handle the editing and digital marketing aspect of the business.
1Twenty80: What inspired you to start your business?
Shannon: The fact that a lot of locals are hungry for knowledge but there aren’t many platforms or people willing to share that knowledge; especially when it comes to buying engagement rings and other high value items. Today, with The Gem Tribe, you get to work with an industry professional, skip all the gimmicks, skip the sales talk, go down to technical knowhow, service and quality. We’re able to provide an in-depth perspective on gemstones and jewellery and what determines their price. We want our clients to know what they’re spending their money on.
1Twenty80: When was your store launched and what kind of obstacles did you face?
Shannon: We started in September 2018 based out of home before we had our office. We moved into our office in May 2019 and now have a safe and secure place for consultation with our clients. Some of the biggest obstacles is putting ourselves out there, gaining the trust of the general public, marketing ourselves for more people to find out more about us. It was a struggle to gain people’s trust and was the biggest challenge to be honest. We totally understand because it’s high value items, not something that can be bought from the shelf.
Felix: In the past, we had to meet with clients in public places whenever they had time. Now that we have an office, it’s so much safer and a great way for clients to see if we’re legitimate or not. Right now, we are still pretty mobile but our clients are more than welcome to come to our office for consultation.
1Twenty80: What makes the gem tribe’s jewellery different than those sold in brick and mortar shops?
Shannon: Low expenses, maximised savings, 100 percent customisable, working directly with industry professionals, and every single piece of jewellery is monitored from starting to end. Ours is a personalised jewellery concierge service. People can expect the highest quality of jewellery produced with the highest quality of gemstones offered.
Felix: We don’t carry stock so it’s one of the things that sets us apart from the others. Thus, we aren’t pressured to hard sell! Additionally, one of our unique selling points is that we want to educate people as much as possible. We never want our clients getting into something without the proper knowledge. We share about industry standards and gemstone knowledge to help the general public be informed when they are buying a piece of jewellery.
1Twenty80: What are your tips for customers who want to have something special made by the gem tribe?
Shannon: Have a clear idea of your budget, design, preferred gemstone, and the look. We can reverse engineer from there because we specialise in providing alternatives to clients who may have a tighter budget but want something special. We are also able to give you input on gemstones depending on your lifestyle for jewellery that would last through your daily ins and outs.
1Twenty80: What is the process of having custom jewellery made?
Shannon: We first gauge your budget, realistically let you know how many gemstones and such that can be included, then we move on to the design, style-wise and also your lifestyle. We also touch on whether the jewellery is a gift or something you’ll be wearing every day. Afterwards, we source the gemstones based on your budget while offering full flexibility where the client may see something on the Internet that they like and we’ll brainstorm a way to make a piece of jewellery that’s special for them.
After sourcing, we’ll finalise the design, submit it for a quote that includes workmanship, labour and others, and if the client agrees, we’ll submit the gemstones to our artisans to make. To maintain how client expects the jewellery to look, we personally monitor the process of making the jewellery from start to finish with the artisan. There are also updates that we send to the client so they know what to expect.
1Twenty80: Where do you make your jewellery and what makes them such high quality?
Shannon: We support local jewellery artisans who are extremely capable with at least 30 to 40 years of experience. We monitor the process of making the jewellery, clearly translate conceptual ideas of our final products, and ensure that the quality of materials being used is the purest, cleanest and best.
1Twenty80: Who inspires you to be the successful person you are today?
Shannon: My instructor from the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) in the United States of America, Lea Turano! She’s a strong individual who believes that nothing is impossible and inspires me to be daring because in our industry, there’s a lot of fear with regards to my gender and having a business with jewellery.
1Twenty80: As an entrepreneur, we’re quite sure you’re very busy. how do you ensure that you have work-life balance?
Shannon: Our standard practice is deciding what we’re doing and where we’re going every day at the start of the day. We do our very best with balancing working out, family time and the business through proper time management. Prioritising our tasks makes our days productive.
1Twenty80: How do you ensure that you stay healthy while managing your business?
Shannon: We work out twice a week, eat lots of avocadoes, and generally stay away from cold drinks. We’re big on time management to make room for healthy pursuits and get regular massages to help alleviate aches and pains. Money can be earned so we mustn’t disregard our health!
1Twenty80: What do you do to unwind?
Shannon: We love movies! Diving is also something we enjoy so we plan our next holidays as well. We want to make sure that there’s something to look forward to where we can rest and rejuvenate ourselves and come back refreshed!
Felix: Hanging out with our close friends is also important and maintaining our social circles is a way we like to unwind.
1Twenty80: Words of wisdom to any of our readers who want to become an entrepreneur or chase their dreams?
Shannon: Don’t be an entrepreneur just because it’s trendy. Stay true to what you love because that drives you the furthest to reach your maximum potential. Plan well, get the support you need, do your research and most important is to be true to yourself!
Sidebox: THE GEM TRIBE
www.thegemtribe.com @thegemtribe shannon@thegemtribe.com
