WHEN THE STORY OF MY JEWELRY BEGAN...
When the story of my jewelry began, I was just doing it for fun. It was time-filling, it was creative, it was with my best friend. It just made the whole day better and it had nothing to do with money. If it did bring in money, it was just the cherry on top.
I was in Bali, the sun was shining, my two small children were at the Kindergarden, Nadja and I were riding around on our scooter looking for the perfect place to work, if you could even call it work. Every day, a different café or sometimes just at home by the pool. Yes, I was financially dependent on my husband, but that was okay, I had so much freedom. The darker side of the story came later. But looking back, it was a wonderful time. There were hardly any tourists in Bali, at least the island wasn't built up so hardcore yet. The only people who were sometimes annoying were the bawling Australians who were already drunk on beer on the beach in the morning.
I was in Bali, the sun was shining, my two small children were at the Kindergarden, Nadja and I were riding around on our scooter looking for the perfect place to work, if you could even call it work. Every day, a different café or sometimes just at home by the pool. Yes, I was financially dependent on my husband, but that was okay, I had so much freedom. The darker side of the story came later. But looking back, it was a wonderful time. There were hardly any tourists in Bali, at least the island wasn't built up so hardcore yet. The only people who were sometimes annoying were the bawling Australians who were already drunk on beer on the beach in the morning.
Our jewelry slowly but surely ended up in many stores on the island and so an afternoon hobby turned into a small business. The business of two best friends. Unfortunately, our paths diverged after 3 years. I had the feeling that we had developed in different directions professionally. I can't say today whether that's true or not, but that's how I felt at the time. Unfortunately, the friendship was put on ice for the time being. I decided to continue with the jewelry as before, just under a different name, my name. That was the year 2015, when VIKA Jewels was actually born. My father also died that year. One comes, the other goes. Maybe that's why I'm so attached to the label.
In the beginning, I had incredible energy, I was able to work day and night, even though I had two small children who I was also looking after. Nevertheless, I never felt exhausted, perhaps the constant sunshine also played its part in the endless motivation. And the "simple life". It is empowering in its own way. I learned a lot from the locals, for example that not everyone or everything is for sale, that money doesn't have to rule your life. They were happy and content without a penny in their pockets. I admired it and adopted it.
In the beginning, I had incredible energy, I was able to work day and night, even though I had two small children who I was also looking after. Nevertheless, I never felt exhausted, perhaps the constant sunshine also played its part in the endless motivation. And the "simple life". It is empowering in its own way. I learned a lot from the locals, for example that not everyone or everything is for sale, that money doesn't have to rule your life. They were happy and content without a penny in their pockets. I admired it and adopted it.
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I find it increasingly difficult to fall back on this feeling because it was so long ago. In this world where money is a priority, remembering "back then" and allowing yourself to be different is so difficult. So difficult that it seems more and more impossible every year. And I'm unfortunately diving into something that is no longer my waters.
I had never been a big jewelry fan, yes I liked jewelry and I wore jewelry, but if someone had ever told me I would be a jewelry designer and also have a limited liability company, I would have flipped them the bird.
I had never been a big jewelry fan, yes I liked jewelry and I wore jewelry, but if someone had ever told me I would be a jewelry designer and also have a limited liability company, I would have flipped them the bird.
And suddenly it was my passion.
For the first five years of VIKA jewels, I was so strongly behind the brand. There was nothing else. And I knew it would be successful. Whatever success means.
Another thought simply didn't occur to me. There are few things in life you can be sure of. But with VIKA jewels, I was rock-solid.
Doubts crept in from time to time. Whenever nothing was bought for a long time or I didn't get any other feelings of success. But it was precisely then that miracles happened to pull me out of my miserable situation. Some of these miracles were so intense that I couldn't believe them myself. Spontaneous encounters with celebrities of all kinds who wore my jewelry for free and advertised for me and even wanted to work with me. Customers ringing my doorbell and wanting to store for jewelry, big companies calling me and wanting to work with me. One call came shortly after I held a ceremony at a sacred waterfall in Bali, for example. I have an incredible number of stories to tell about this. But that's for another time.
I'm not saying I'm a good business woman - in fact, I don't think I am. I think a good business woman would have gotten a lot more out of all the opportunities I've had. But I was mostly just happy when other people found my jewelry beautiful. As soon as you create something with heart and soul, it's not just about sales figures. You make yourself so vulnerable with your creations that a compliment is enough to make you feel appreciated and loved. At some point I realized that the things I make are good. They are good because the quality behind them is unique. They are good because the craft behind them is a passion. They are good because we love and appreciate our planet. They are good because I am the designer behind them. They are good because I have the courage to swim against the current. Admittedly, that doesn't necessarily make my life any easier. I don't follow every trend, on the contrary, it's rare that I follow a trend at all. It's usually a coincidence. I want to create timeless pieces of jewelry that my customers can wear today as well as in 20 years' time. I can't follow trends, trends fade away. They come and go faster than you can look around. If I want to create something long-lasting, then trends are out of the question.
After separating from the father of my children, jewelry became my support. An afternoon hobby turned serious. The more serious it became, the more the fun was taken away. And finally I found myself not wanting to do anything anymore. The fun had gone. Now my passion became a fight for survival. So often I felt left alone. Again and again I found myself looking for help and not finding it. How often I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and thought "now everything will be different". But the light went out, the deals didn't materialize. I was alone again. Many deals didn't come to fruition because I also decided against them. I just always listened to my gut feeling. But there were also deals that I wanted, but they didn't want me.
Giving up was never an option for me, but when the struggle drags on so much, when passion becomes a struggle at all, I sometimes think, maybe it's just not "my" way? And although I love VIKA jewels, I have to make a living. Unfortunately, air and love are not enough. And I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to fight alone anymore. I like to create, I like to make people happy with my creations, even though I see myself happy first and foremost. Happy and completely covered in my jewelry, because that was the reason why I started in the first place. I started to give myself the jewelry I always wanted to wear.
