From Repurposed Luxury to Recycled Silver
Whether you’re a lover of luxury or adore jewelers who are doing their part to save the planet, this is an interview you’ll want to read!
Just last Tuesday, I was able to schedule a Zoom call with the two founders of Dov Jewelry, Sofia and Maria Tapas. Based out of Washington, D.C, and created by the two sisters during the pandemic, their jewelry business has been growing quickly. With special attention paid to the important details and the love of their customers shining through, picking their brains on entrepreneurship was a fun and easy task.
What inspired you to found Dov?
Growing up, they watched as their father ran his own business. Yet, he always managed to be there for the important moments. This slowly sunk into Sofia’s brain and soon she knew that she wanted to be an entrepreneur. However, jewelry wasn’t exactly the original plan. When COVID hit, Sofia had already finished college and was working, but she moved back home to be with her family. Maria, however, was still in college. As the sisters watched the pandemic unfold from their family home, they had the itch that many of us did; to focus on something else. For them, though, something else wasn’t Tiger King and sourdough starters, but rather creating jewelry from luxury buttons.
“It was very spur of the moment,” Maria explained, glancing at her sister, “Sofia came up with the idea but it was just- I liked it immediately! So on Black Friday we went out and bought soldering tools and started making jewelry.”
While originally creating repurposed jewelry by hand in their home, the sisters have transitioned to just designing the jewelry and having it manufactured. By manufacturing the jewelry, they can focus on environmentalism by creating eco-friendly jewelry made from sterling silver.
I see that you work with your sister. Are there any tips for running a business with friends and family?
Both laughed, this was my opening question. An ice breaker, because as much as I love my family, the idea of working together sounds about as easy as swimming through shark-infested waters. For Maria and Sofia, though, it seems quite the opposite. Below were the little insights and tips they provided.
Sofia: “Separate personal life from work. You can be mad for personal reasons, but still, need to communicate for business reasons.”
Maria: “Sure, it can be a little challenging because we live and work together, but at the same time I want to work with someone I enjoy spending time with. Plus, it’s helpful. No one knows me better. For instance, I’m not a morning person, so when we do a pop-up show early in the morning Sofia can focus on the customers and give me time to wake up.”
I noticed that there are two sites, one contains thrifted items and the other is re-created luxury jewelry. Why are they divided?
When Googling Dov Jewelry, you will notice that two websites will pop up. As a writer, this was fantastic for research purposes but I couldn’t imagine the difficulty that it would cause them for shipping. The thing is, like all humans; I missed something. Since Dov Jewelry started with repurposed jewelry but is slowly transferring into its own jewelry brand with signature designs, one site is the repurposed items, the next is their more current products and portfolio for selling in stores that support small businesses.
The freebies are such a cute idea, what inspired them?
If you’ve scrolled on either Dov website, you’ll notice that at the bottom of the shop page there are a few downloadable ‘freebies.’ This was one of the first features of the brand that I couldn’t get over. One was a stunningly perfect planner page –which is saying something coming from me because I obsess over planners — the other was a well-organized printout that explains how to find the best colors for your skin tone.
The sisters wouldn’t give much away, but apparently, these two freebies are just the start. “We might not be able to give away free jewelry, but this is another way to give back to our customers. They’re all so kind and supportive, it’s the least we could do!” Sofia explained.
How are you getting your brand out there? Have you worked with influencers or noticed a large growth on social media?
Starting out by ‘reselling’ their jewelry on both Poshmark and Mercari and putting thank you cards on their website and Instagram, Dov Jewelry’s social media presence began to grow. By using TikTok and Instagram reels, they’ve seen the most growth. However, there have been partnerships with different influencers.
“The difficulty,” Sofia said, “Is that with influencers you never know the quality of the content or the audience's reaction.”
The way that your photos are styled is stunning, what inspires them?
Once again, I urge you to scroll through Dov Jewelry’s website. Beautiful, feminine, and minimalistic images will greet your eyes and dance in your vision. The goal was, put simply, “to keep femininity and nature together.”
With each shoot and collection centered around a different theme, flowers keep the images cohesive. And if the packaging is something that tugs at your heart, these photos certainly will.
To wrap up, I may have fallen head over heels for both Dov Jewelry and the founders of Sofia and Maria's charming honesty and love of their craft, but if my adoration is for a sustainable brand…what’s the harm. Except, of course, for my credit card.
