Jewelry maker shines on her own

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If jewelry entrepreneur Elizabeth Wahyu was cast from the usual rich kid mold, she would be sitting pretty in one of daddy's firms or doing much of nothing like Paris Hilton.

The 30-year-old mother had another thing in mind for her career, something less lucrative than the family's export import business.

In love with handicrafts since she was a kid, Elizabeth set about creating and designing artificial jewelry, and formed her own label, Elizabeth Wahyu Accessories. It is now hailed by fashion designers and the fashionista alike.

"I did join the family business after I graduated. But then I had a baby, which occupied a lot of my time. The alternative then was to set up my own business," said the graduate of the School of Business Administration and Marketing at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

The initial project was not jewelry, however, but a short- course center on arts and handicrafts called "blueberry", that has around 20 classes ranging from crocheting, knitting, pottery, arranging beads to watercolor painting.

"I wonder why kids today are not into arts and crafts. Whereas in my time, mothers were very good with their hands and taught us how to be creative. Children today live from one course to another, playing games and becoming too consumptive," she said.

"At the end, they become less creative. And doing those little things trains us not just to be skillful, but good in problem solving."

Two years ago, Elizabeth began to make accessories for sale. Her romantic, feminine designs were a hit with consumers, and demand for her products increased.

From working solo, Elizabeth needed to hire employees and she finally opened a store in Kemang, South Jakarta, next to the course center.

After her creations appeared on the fashion pages of a noted women's magazine, she was asked to distribute her products in a department store chain.

The products are divided into two lines -- her signature line sold at her boutique and the funkier, teen-oriented line available at the department store.

Her designs do not have a heavy ethnic influence, but are more modern with an Asian touch, shown from the stones.

"My style tends to be more feminine. If the stone is large, then the color must be softer. I keep up to date with the trends, but we must have our own style," she said.

While designing her signature line is more personally satisfying, creating accessories for the teenage market is more fun, she said.

Materials for her products range from semiprecious stones to pearls, paper flower and beads. Most of the stones are imported from other Asian countries as they are cheaper than here.

"It's ironic and unfortunate, because this is such a rich country but I have to go as far as China and Thailand to find the materials. I went to Martapura (South Kalimantan) to look for pearls, but it was much more expensive even than Jakarta, while the price has to be competitive."

It is not just the price, she added, but also the quality that is far behind, and the mentality of the artisans who refuse to try unusual or more difficult designs than they are used to.

"I ordered some silver jewelry from Yogyakarta, but they didn't want to do it, even when I offered more money."

Elizabeth also said the government was not supportive of small enterprises, unlike in China and Thailand. She noted the customs duties to pick up her imported materials at the airport.

"In China, for instance, there is this building which sells beads only. With the cheap labor there, no wonder their products are so competitive," she said.

Competition in the local market is pretty tight these days, according to Elizabeth, and copycats are rampant.

"But as long as the products are distinctive, and the quality is good, people will like them and look for them," she said.

With a staff of 20, Elizabeth produces some 100 to 200 pieces of jewelry a month, with five to six pieces of each design in order to maintain exclusivity.

"I never produce the same model, unless there is a high demand for it," she said, adding that prices range from Rp 25,000 up to Rp 4 million.

When it comes to accessories, she said, local customers were pretty up on trends, and not overly brand-minded either.

"What can cost hundreds of dollars in a Neiman Marcus store, for instance, will only cost you a quarter of it here with similar quality. A lot of foreigners buy my accessories and bring them back to their countries," Elizabeth said.

Business-wise, she said, creating handmade accessories is not that profitable. "If you don't love the job, then it'll a real struggle. But I love it, so I'm happy doing it."

It is important, she said, to love what you do and not give up when there is little profit.

"You still have to set a target, but don't easily give up. When I started the business (course), there was only one student in the first four months. And then there was the flood. But I didn't give up."

Now, the course center has around 900 graduates, and her label continues to expand.

"It's all going back to us, we have to offer something unique and distinctive."