Paloma Sanchez, mother to a son of 8 years, left her stable and promising career in luxury jewelry to start her own brand in Beijing, China, in 2008. With beautiful, unique products, Paloma Sanchez Jewelry serves a very special niche in the global market. We sat down with Paloma to talk about how passion fuels the continuous quality promise and how courage, adventures, and empowerment are all important aspects of the brand.
Paloma Sanchez, founder and owner of Paloma Sanchez Jewelry
When did you start your brand and what was your vision?
I started the brand in Beijing, China, in 2008. A trained gemologist, I had worked in the luxury jewelry industry for thirty years and knew what customers in the luxury market segment were looking for. At that time, China was incredibly dynamic. The local luxury market, which had only emerged a decade before, was dominated by mainstream luxury brands and traditional products. Their jewels were used as a symbol of convergence for the emerging Chinese elite with their global peers.
I wanted to do things differently. I saw that the Chinese cultural elite was quickly transitioning back to the core values of Chinese luxury, to what “luxury” has always meant traditionally in Chinese culture: tailored service, irreproducible art, and consistent luxury experience. I set myself the task to be the first to cater to that niche and create a brand based on innovation with products that people would not get anywhere else. My vision for the brand was to focus on this niche market of sophisticated, courageous, self-confident women and men who were looking for one-of-a-kind jewelry products to express themselves. I wanted to create products with a story and meaning.
How would you describe the positioning of your brand? What are the core values?
The Paloma Sanchez Jewelry collection has a luxury positioning. The core characteristics and values of the brand are art, courage, empowerment, authenticity, and self-confidence. All designs are created with rare, one-of-a-kind, hand-selected museum-quality stones. The value of the jewelry pieces comes from the preciousness of the stone and the unique design. As a professional scientist, my attention is naturally drawn to the uniqueness of gemstones; however, creativity is essential to my identity. For that matter, the inspiration for each piece changes: some collections are the result of an exquisite selection of personal favorite stones; others are the result of months of creative research and design to capture the essence of an ideal.
Commitment and empowerment are very important to me personally and are a big part of the brand. All our products are child-labor-free. I can say this with absolute confidence because I regularly travel to the mines where I source gemstones and get to establish personal relations with the miners involved. I have lifelong relations with all my suppliers.
In 2016, the African Women Miners Association, of which I am a member, and Paloma Sanchez Jewelry, built a production line to integrate outcast wives and mothers from mining regions into our sourcing network. Today, most of the gemstones we source in the country have been cut or faceted by one of these women.
Design for kyanite and diamonds necklace
You also have a more accessible line, the Marina Collection. How is this brand positioned?
The Marina line is our more accessible jewelry line, we have five collections. Designed by myself, the products are based on gold or silver. This allows scaling the brand by producing a larger quantity of the same pieces as opposed to Paloma Sanchez Jewelry which is all one-of-a-kind pieces. The consumers of this line are typically younger since these pieces are more versatile and. can be worn on all types of occasions, in elegant and casual situations.
“Texture” Ring, Marina Collection
You design all collections yourself. What are your inspirations?
The influences of my creative process are very abstract, and the way in which they flow into my jewelry designs is mostly subconscious. My inspirations come from all kinds of life experiences: Music, art, conversations, books, and basically everything I see and hear. Every experience shapes me, and many things move me. The idea for a new jewelry piece may appear spontaneously or come after a long process of trial and error with other ideas.
Design for Roman glass vase handle from Afghanistan, pear shape cut blue topaz set in 18kts white gold, and sapphires from Sri Lanka
You are a gemologist and passionate gem hunter. What do adventures of finding the most beautiful pieces around the world look like?
My life combines the thrills of adventure and also the most exquisite cosmopolitan lifestyle – I believe this contrast deeply permeates every aspect of the brand. A French journalist in Toronto once referred to me as the Indiana Jones of Gemstones, my son prefers Lara Croft. I travel to some of the most remote areas of the globe, from the red sands of Madagascar to the green mountains of the Colombian Sierra, through the wet Sri Lankan jungle to the dry deserts in Arizona, on the quest to find those hidden treasures nature holds for us. During these trips to the mines being a woman is often a burden that one needs to deal with. Mines tend to be run by men, and rural populations often regard women as unworthy of their trust, especially if foreign. For that matter, I have to keep pushing my knowledge and expertise.
When I return to Beijing, I combine my most elegant attire with delicate jewelry and attend the “chicest” events in town.
Exceptionally huge opal with an amazing play of color, unique in the world
You mentioned once that gemology is a man’s world. What does that mean exactly, and what were some of the challenges that you have encountered?
The career trajectory for men and women in the trade is usually very different. While men who graduate as gemologists usually have immediate access to core positions in the trade, women are often expected to climb the ladder from the bottom. This is exacerbated when you do not belong to a family already established in the gem business. As a woman and industry outsider, I started my professional career as a sales consultant in a jewelry store despite holding a degree with honors from the most prestigious institution in the field. It took me ten years of hard work in international luxury firms to demonstrate my capabilities as a gemologist and manager to finally hold a directing position in an international firm. Ten years later I was able to establish my own brand and accomplish my dream.
There are regions where women are traditionally seen as inferior or expected to be uneducated. In Ethiopia, a miner assumed I could not count and wanted to explain to me how to pay with banknotes. As a woman in this industry, you have to be ready not to be taken seriously, and repeatedly demonstrate your skills to earn your place. As a man, you go for drinks with your local business partners after work to strengthen the relationship. As a woman, this is not possible.
Moreover, there are countries like Colombia where women are not allowed to work inside the mines because this is seen as bringing bad luck.
Outside an opal mine in Ethiopia with the miners
Despite these challenges, what were some of the advantages that you being a woman, brought to your business?
I think that as a woman, I am in a better position to channel my passion into my work. I am absolutely uncompromising in terms of quality. Inspiring and empowering other women comes natural to me and are values that are close to my heart. And, of course, being a woman, I can wear my pieces, pull off a glamorous look, showcase my brand and encourage other women.
What are your favorite gemstones?
I love all types of gemstones. Opals are addictive because they come in so many different colors and shades. I also really like emeralds, tanzanite, and tourmalines.
Choosing opals at a miner’s home in Ethiopia
What are you doing to uphold your promise of quality over time?
For me, the promise of quality comes from my passion for the work. I could never compromise on quality, and I will deliver this level of quality forever.
On a practical level, we invest a lot into the training of our staff to ensure we can uphold our promise of quality. Our retail staff is exclusively composed of trained gemologists, and our skillful artisans follow regular training seminars from some of the best masters in the world.
Establishing strong communities that value design, art, and private events worked extremely well for your brand. What is your strategy for working with your VIP customer community?
I have three types of customer groups. The first group is very knowledgeable; they grew up surrounded by jewelry and tend to know exactly what they are looking for. They are sophisticated and self-confident while remaining humble. This customer tends to have demanding needs but truly appreciates the jewels they buy. They are most loyal. Most of these customers through time have become some of my closest friends.
The second type of customers are newcomers to the luxury scene. they are eager to be part of it but need to acquire the knowledge that will bring the self-confidence required for my jewelry.
The third category is made of investors; some of them fall into either of the previous categories. I organize many private events for all customer groups and private dinners and concerts to award my VIP customers for their loyalty. In addition, I organize short gemology courses to give our customers the opportunity to understand the rich world of gemstones and jewelry design.
You have opened stores in some of the most buzzing cities like Beijing, Dubai, and Paris. What do your customers in different parts of the world have in common?
Our customers around the world do have similar characteristics. First, they are usually highly educated and very self-confident. Second, they are very loyal to our brand and appreciate our spirit of innovation. Something that I have seen emerge through time is that there seems to be a group of customers that likes to travel to several of my stores to collect pieces from each part of the world. It is always interesting to see Beijing customers sharing pictures of their visit to our showroom in Paris or vice-versa.
You have organized some impressive collection launch events and shows, and have been mentioned in the Louis Vuitton and Mercedes-Benz City Guides for Beijing. What are your favorite and most successful marketing activities?
I organize a very large show with a specific theme each year. One of my favorite shows is probably “Senses”, a sensorial experience that we created twice, first in Beijing, then in Vancouver. We took 400 guests onto a sensorial journey. Sound, smell, touch, taste, and sight were stimulated to create an experience of the five senses in the world of gemstones.
“Senses” Show in Vancouver
Another event I really love is the fashion show we organized in Europe´s largest solar power plant at the time in Seville. This was the first time a jewelry brand showed its commitment to sustainable energy.
In the autumn of 2020, when there was a lot of frustration and loneliness after the first half year of living with Covid, we organized a jewelry show called “Hope” at the Temple of Heaven. We emphasized the concept of uniqueness and used a beautiful, philosophical excerpt from the Little Prince to inspire our audience. The Little Prince´s relationship with his rose, which he saw not only as unique in the whole world, but also as the only truly valuable he had on his planet, was used as a metaphor to express how uniqueness can only be determined by ourselves and is essential to anyone´s existence, particularly in times of struggle and solitude. Therefore, the jewels we hold must be something that we cherish, and that support our specific vision of the world.
What are some of the biggest challenges that you have overcome?
I have chosen to build up the brand on my own in order to realize every aspect without compromises. This means, however, that I need to rely on my own and have no one for advice or support, which is not always easy.
Another challenge is the maintenance of a stable team. We invest several years of training into each person on our team. Unfortunately, it is very common for employees in China to change their job every few years. I also have to admit that cultural differences sometimes make communication more challenging.
Paloma Sanchez with Actress Gina Torres (Suits) wearing Paloma Sanchez Jewelry at Toronto Fashion Week
What would be your recommendations for other brands?
My recommendation is simple and very much the cliché: You need to have passion for what you do and know your goals. Don’t doubt, don’t overthink, and go ahead with courage and confidence. If you are young, it is ok to fail, you will learn and grow out of it stronger. If you are an experienced professional, you have probably spotted gaps in the market so put your expertise to work. In any case, keep your eyes open and remain flexible while never losing sight of your goal and remaining loyal to your core values.
What are your plans for the future? How do you envision Paloma Sanchez Jewelry in 5 years?
We are currently working on scaling up the brand so its potential can be fully unleashed. We plan to open a showroom in Aranya (by the end of next year´s Q1. We are also finalizing our new online platform where our customers from around the world can receive tailored services and access our new online collections. In addition, we are looking to expand the production of our Marina line to meet global post-pandemic growing demand.
In terms of brand positioning, we expect Paloma Sanchez Jewelry to increase its share of the luxury tailored-made jewelry market in Beijing, Paris, and Aranya. We are also expanding the retail pret-a-porter brand, Marina collection, through our new online platform and distributors around the world. Concerning the company´s organization, we are working towards automatization and team development in order to allow myself to retire from active work in the firm by 2030.
