This week marks a pretty special milestone for me – it's been ten years since Tim and I took over Scarlett Jewellery. Ten whole years! It feels like both a lifetime and a blink of an eye.
Back in 2015, Scarlett was at a crossroads. The original founder had lost her spark for the business and was ready to close the doors for good. As the manager and the person customers knew and trusted, it felt like watching something with so much potential just slip away. The business was still very much old school – a clunky website that didn't work on mobile phones, telephone orders, mail order catalogues, the works – but I could see the possibilities of what it could become online.
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Image: Scarlett in Red Direct Magazine in 2009 - we used to create exclusive designs for this popular women's magazine from the late 1990's until 2009 when customers shifted from mail order catalogues to ordering online. |
| Image: Scarlett in Vogue.com back in 2008 with our Pick & Mix Necklace - a piece that was popular for the time and allowed customers to choose charms for their own necklace. Charms have been the cornerstone of our range since way back in the late 1990's. |  |
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Image: Scarlett Mojos from back in 2008 - the launch of our engraved charm beads. These were discontinued when we were able to create them with custom engraving to order after our investment in design knowledge, software and state of the art engraving machines. |
So Tim and I made what felt like a massive leap. With a 9-month-old baby and a two-year-old at home, taking on a struggling business wasn't exactly the sensible thing to do. But sometimes you just know when something is worth fighting for, don't you?
Those early years were... well, let's just say they were character-building! Learning to balance nappy changes with customer emails, figuring out the ever changing world of e-commerce while dealing with teething toddlers, and essentially rebuilding a business from the ground up. There were definitely moments when I wondered what on earth we'd gotten ourselves into.
But here's the thing – it's been absolutely worth it. Over the past decade, we've transformed Scarlett from a traditional mail-order business into something I'm genuinely proud of, even throwing a global shut down into the mix, a bit of emergency life saving surgery, and the occasional stress busting family holiday when we can wangle it, we've managed to survive and continue to grow whilst maintaining the small business ethics we love. We don't want to sell up, sell out or out-source, we like it small and that's how we plan to keep it.
We've continued making some of the much loved designs that were the foundations of the business and also expanded into a great wealth of personalised jewellery gifts. We've invested in cutting-edge engraving technology that lets us offer personalisation options I could only dream of back in 2015. We've built a proper online presence that actually works for our customers. And we've even expanded with Off The Map Jewellery, focusing on travel and men's jewellery – something that started as a side project and has become a real passion.
None of this would have been possible without our amazing customers, both those who stuck with us through the transition and the wonderful new faces who've joined our journey since. You've trusted us with your special moments, your gifts, your stories – and that trust has never been lost on me. Whether it's a first anniversary necklace or a retirement gift for a colleague, every piece we create carries a bit of someone's story, and that's what makes this job so special.
Running a family business while raising a family, has had its challenges. Much of the time it's been me flying solo, supported by our brilliant little freelance team who've become like extended family. But there's something quite beautiful about building something together, about creating a business that reflects who we are and what we value.
As I sit here writing this, looking at where we are now compared to where we started, I feel this deep sense of contentment. We've weathered the storms, embraced the changes, and created something sustainable and meaningful. The jewellery industry has evolved massively in the past decade, and we've done our best to stay true to our foundations whilst evolving with customer demands.
So here's to the next chapter. To new technologies we'll embrace, new customers we'll meet, and new stories we'll help tell through the pieces we create. Thank you for being part of this journey with us – it genuinely means the world.
Here's to ten more years of Scarlett Jewellery!
Stevie x
