How SKEN Studios began
Oh hey! Thanks for reading our very first blog post. This is where I’ll be dishing out jewellery tips, care advise and plenty of SKEN Studios BTS.
I’m starting at the beginning with our business origin story, when I, Sabira, was on maternity leave with my, now three year old, son Rupert. Having a new baby in the summer meant I spent many a knackered morning pushing a pram around in the canal, near my house in Manchester, absent-mindedly picking wildflowers.
While trapped under a sleeping baby, I began drawing the daisies I’d picked, with a blank expression in my iPhone notes app, as that was the only drawing tool to hand.
I’d studied jewellery at Uni, so it was quite easy for me to imagine translating these little doodles as silver flowers with gold faces. These early drawings soon became the ‘Indifferent Daisy’ collection.
After studying jewellery at uni, I’d been working in a hellish retail job, alongside making jewellery part-time in a shared studio.
Determined not to return to my department store job, I set up a jewellery bench in our garden room and got to work whenever I could.
I’d makes the silver jewellery prototypes during Rupert’s naps, then switch to writing my business plan in the evenings.
Ready for a fresh start, and with only my maternity leave salary (if you’ve not had a kid, trust me, it’s absolutely f*ck all), I got the business ready to launch.
A friend designed my logo and branding in exchange for a ring. I chose colours which loosely represented elements of the brand or process (i.e: the lighter blue was inspired by the blue jewellers wax, which I carve the signets from).
I made the first designs from scrap silver while Rupert played next to me in a doorway bouncer. Unless he was sleeping, this meant all of my early prototypes were made in 20 minute chunks. An interesting take on the pomodoro method, which I wholeheartedly don’t endorse.
Just as I was preparing to launch, the pandemic hit, most of my suppliers shut and we were thrust into lockdown.
I decided I had nothing to lose and nervously launched regardless in May 2020 and I’m so happy I did. It was definitely a challenging time, but sometimes having limitations can force you to be more creative with design processes.
Luckily, I was locked down with my videographer boyfriend, so I roped him into taking my product pictures on our daily walks. If you’re reading this Matt, thanks for being patient while I posed my hand next to flowers for all of our allotted 30 minute walks!
The lockdowns forced me to get super hands-on with every aspect of the products and packaging. I hand-stamped bags and
even made my own colourful shredded paper inserts by shredding waste paper we had at home.
Since then I’ve designed and created a few more collections, taught loads of you how to make signet rings at our workshops, as well as having the honour of making bespoke and wedding rings for lots of lovely people.
Not to get too cheesy on a Monday afternoon, but if you’ve ever bought a piece of SKEN jewellery, attended a workshop or shared an instagram post, thank you SO much! I appreciate you so much for allowing me to make silly little flower rings every day.
Thanks for reading,
Sabira x