Meet Jessica Rausch | Owner & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Rausch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Before I started selling jewelry, I worked in a retail boutique that sold a lot of really nice handmade jewelry. It was absolutely gorgeous stuff, but I couldn’t come close to affording most of it. I started making my own designs inspired by those high-end pieces, but using lower-priced metals and gemstones. My coworkers kept asking to buy my pieces and eventually the store’s jewelry buyer wanted to try selling my jewelry to customers! I realized that I wasn’t alone in wanting handmade jewelry that wasn’t an extravagant purchase, so I started creating a whole line of jewelry focused on using less expensive materials in beautiful ways.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Many people who make products start by designing a thing, then they calculate the price and then sell it. I tend to tackle that process backwards! I usually start with a price in mind and then figure out what combination of techniques and materials I can use to design jewelry for that price. Most of my designs end up being pretty minimal because I like to let the gemstones be the star of the show.

My journey to this point has been quite the winding road. I have a business minor, but never had the intention of owning my own business. I thought I was going to have a career in retail, probably as a manager of a big box store. I didn’t study jewelry design or even pick up a pair of pliers until after graduation! My hobby became a side-hustle for four years before I decided that I was ready to do whatever it took to make this my full-time job. And it worked!

Running my jewelry business has almost always been fun, but it has almost never been easy. Tenacity, perseverance, and the occasional stiff drink have gotten me through!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love the Westside/Old Colorado City part of Colorado Springs. As a small business owner, I love to support other small businesses and there’s such a concentration of them in that part of the city!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been so many people without whom my business wouldn’t be where it is today. My husband, for letting me try making my business my full-time job and for supporting me when doing this full-time feels like the worst idea I’ve ever had. My sales rep Danielle, without whom I wouldn’t have connected with stores across the Rocky Mountains. My retail partners, who I consider part of my sales team, for sharing my jewelry with their customers. And the jewelry buyer in the boutique I used to work in, without whom I probably never would have turned my hobby into a business!

Website: www.jstarjewelrydesigns.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jstarjewelrydesigns/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JstarJewelryDesigns