A ringing success<\/p>\n
Asniar Sahab, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
When she was in the early stages of her pregnancy, Mira Sayogo
\nwas still on the catwalk for Sebastian Gunawan's and Oscar
\nLawalata's solo fashion shows.<\/p>\n
After her son was born, she decided to spend more time with
\nher family and less time on the catwalk. But she never entirely
\nleft the fashion world, and the past year has seen her teaching
\nat the OQ modeling school and appearing in a number of fashion
\nshows.<\/p>\n
Then about seven months ago, a jeweler came to her house to
\nvisit her father. Mira was impressed by the beauty, uniqueness
\nand color of his gems. Mira, who was a collector of rings,
\nbought several gems and asked the jeweler to fit them on rings of
\nher own design.<\/p>\n
Much to her surprise, her ring designs and the gems she had
\nchosen matched beautifully. So impressed was she by the results
\nthat she asked the jeweler to show her more gems.<\/p>\n
\"I liked the gems a lot. They were colorful like candies.
\nTheir shapes were also different -- oval, round, rectangular,
\netc. -- and beautiful. I was so impressed by the gems that I
\noften dreamed of them. Later, it struck me that I should do more
\nring designs and buy more gems. That was the beginning of my
\njewelry business,\" she said one afternoon in a cafe in Plaza
\nSenayan.<\/p>\n
Since that time, Mira, with very limited funds at her
\ndisposal, has busied herself with her new enterprise. But this
\nwas not her first foray into the world of business. She was
\ninvolved in a multi-level business scheme while still a model,
\nand her success made her realize she had a knack for business.<\/p>\n
So she read books on jewelry and carefully studied a wide
\nvariety of gem and ring designs. Then she developed her own
\ndesigns and took them to a jeweler, who turned the designs into
\nrings.<\/p>\n
Satisfied with these early results, she began to make more
\nrings. At first, she wore the rings herself, but soon her friends
\nin the fashion world got wind of what she was doing and started
\nwearing her designs. Soon, it became fashionable among singers
\nand fashion models to wear Mira's rings, with their trademark
\nlarge gems.<\/p>\n
Mira designs the stones in big and attractive heart, oval,
\ncircular and square shapes. She makes only three rings for each
\nparticular design, and her creations are not mass-produced to
\nensure that they remain exclusive.<\/p>\n
Noted model Okky Asokawati was the first to buy Mira's rings.
\nSoon the rings were spotted on the fingers of numerous
\ncelebrities, including Ruth Sahanaya, Robby Tumewu, Melky Guslow,
\nIndra Safera, Peggy Melati Sukma, Denny Malik, Inggrid and Titi
\nDJ.<\/p>\n
To stay on top of the fashion trends, Mira has kept busy
\ncoming up with new designs. She has also spent time studying
\ndifferent types of stones.<\/p>\n
She took a trip to Malaysia to compare the stones found there
\nwith the ones she was using from Indonesia. She found that the
\nMalaysian gems differed greatly in shape and color, and she says,
\nwith some amount of pride, that Indonesian gems -- from emeralds
\nto sapphires -- are superior to Malaysian gems.<\/p>\n
In making her rings, Mira emphasizes fashion and style. \"In
\nthe future, I hope that my rings will come with a certificate and
\nbe covered by a guarantee. Yet, I've been doing things slowly. I
\ntry to avoid haste. My concentration is firstly on the market and
\nthen promotion.<\/p>\n
\"I'm still considering an offer to display my products in one
\ncorner of a department store. Perhaps Bali is the right place for
\nmy business because of the presence of many foreign tourists.
\nI've got a good friend there with whom I can set up a joint
\nbusiness undertaking,\" she said.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, Mira makes her rings at home and employs only
\na few craftspeople.<\/p>\n
And are there any particular characteristics underlining
\nMira's rings? Yes, they are robust but simple in shape, and a
\nlittle masculine without altogether abandoning the feminine
\naspects.<\/p>\n
Mira is convinced that her jewelry business has good
\nprospects, and with so few jewelry designers in Indonesia the
\nfuture does indeed look bright for Mira and her rings.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-ringing-success-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}