INTERVIEW SAMSARES, FRAU GIEDRA JEANNERET

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31.03.2021

INTERVIEW SAMSARES,
MS GIEDRA JEANNERET

The women's jewellery manufacturer SAMSARES, based near Basel, is a classic start-up and has been successfully active in direct sales since 2015. Ms Giedra Jeanneret, founder and designer of her own company, has kindly made herself available for an interview with Displaysolutions and tells us about her professional life and work.

Hello Ms Jeanneret. We are delighted that you have agreed to be interviewed by Displaysolutions. We'll get straight to the first question:

What made you decide to design and produce your own jewellery collection? Why did you choose the jewellery business? Is it related to your education, to your previous professional career?

The decision to launch a fine jewelry collection was an intuitive and evolving process. Already as a child I was very creative, always drawing, painting and crafting something. Ironically, I never considered a creative profession, but chose to study medicine and become a plastic surgeon. Creativity became my escape and my source of relaxation. Though I always knew that I was born with a soul of an artist, I didn’t have a preferred medium. When I was about 16 years old, I got a pink sapphire as a present. The beauty of the stone triggered a genuine fascination which ultimately grew into a lifelong collectors affection and later evolved into fondness for fine jewelry. I loved the energy of gemstones and wanted to wear them, so one day I started designing around the gemstones from my collection. Initially I was designing for myself and my friends, experimenting and learning different jewelry making techniques while working with different artisans. I really learned by doing because I did not have any professional background in jewelry making or gemology. This actually turned to be an advantage because it gave me freedom not to follow the rules, but carve my own path in jewelry design. The more I worked with gemstones the more I realised that I’d found my passion and this is what I was meant to do. Launching a fine jewelry brand seemed as a natural step leading towards my destination.

What were the biggest difficulties at the beginning and how did you manage them?

Because I had the passion, nothing felt really difficult. I think, passion for what you do turns work into fun and difficulties into interesting challenges.

What is the vision of your brand? Please, describe the woman to whom you create jewelry?

From the very start SAMSARES’ identity was shaped by the vision of a woman with an independent spirit who lives the life she wants, dares to break convensions and always follows her intuition. I’m fascinated by the multifaceted notion of contemporary femininity which I explore through my designs. I aim to create jewelry which captures the enigma of a self-defining modern woman.

How would you describe the style of your jewelry? What materials do you use?

SAMSARES design philosophy is driven by passion for gemstones and dedication to clear geometric lines. I focus on blending tradition and modernity and always search for the perfect balance between classy, sensual and edgy. I aim to imbue SAMSARES designs with audacious youthfulness and offer novel, unconventional ways of wearing fine jewelry. Lightness and comfort are also very important to suit the active lifestyle of the modern women. Precious gemstones like sapphires, rubies, emeralds and diamonds set into 18 carat gold are meant to inspire emotions and become personal symbols of freedom, love or strength.

Where do you find inspirations for designing jewelry?

My very first inspiration is the beauty and symbolic energy of gemstones. I always considered gemstones as empowering companions for everyday and this is the spirit that I want to instill into my collections. I’m fascinated by symbolism and get a lot of inspiration from mythology. When travelling, I always observe different cultures and traditions. Folklore and traditional art from all over the world has so much beauty and wisdom! Modern art, architecture and fashion is a huge source of inspiration to me. I also love the dynamic energy of street culture and get very much inspired by the urban pulse.

What is the price segment of SAMSARES jewelry? What kind of collections do you plan to launch in the future?

At the moment SAMSARES offers several collections of affordable fine jewelry for everyday wear. More designs are on the way to be launched. My big dream for the future is to enter the high jewelry segment, featuring only very exclusive and rare gemstones.

Please describe the direction of jewelry trends in the future?

When I started designing, fine jewelry was mostly considered for festive or formal occasions and was often seen as prestigious artifacts which were stored in the safe most of the time. Now there are no stiff rules anymore of when and how to wear it. Fine jewelry is becoming more and more a fashionable accessory for everyday and an integral part of the street style. People now wear precious fine jewelry in more casual and creative ways- with jeans and activewear, stacking, layering and mixing together different styles, different gold colors and even fine and costume jewelry. Fine jewelry is increasingly considered as a fun way to express own individual style. Wearability, comfort and fashion-led attitude are becoming key attributes for fine jewelry design. Also, there’s a growing interest in branded jewelry versus no name products. In the future, fine jewelry designers will be focusing more on inspirational, story telling designs and on finding ideal balance between fashionable and timeless.

What ist he story behind the brand name SAMSARES? What does it mean?

The story behind the brand name Samsares is symbolic to me. When I was a little girl I invented a game- a magic world where nothing was impossible. It was my surreal universe of absolute freedom and there I could fly like a bird, dive like a mermaid or walk on the clouds. To get into this magic world I created a password, an imaginative word "Samsares". Over the years, this childish fantasy has turned into a kind of mantra which I recall whenever I need to feel empowered. Every time it brings back the wonderful feeling from my childhood game: the feeling of freedom. And freedom is priceless because it gives you power to break the limits and fly wherever your heart leads you.

You have now decided to have displaysolutions to produce the presentation displays for your great collection. How did you found Displaysolutions? Was Displaysolutions recommended to you?

I was searching for a company to conceptualize and produce my branded display prototypes. Most of the visual merchandising companies that I contacted were only working with big orders and couldn’t provide the service I needed. However, most of the people I encountered in this industry were very friendly and willing to advice or recommend other options. This is how I got the contact of Displaysolutions.

How has the cooperation with Displaysolutions been? Would you recommend Displaysolutions AG to others? What particularly convinced you?

I feel very lucky to be able to work with Displaysolutions. My small project was treated with the same respect as if it would have been a huge order. Professional, but warm communication, expertise and readiness to advice, efficiency and fast execution are the key aspects that makes working with Displaysolutions a positive experience. I would absolutely recommend this company and actually, I already suggested it to my friend who just started developing a clean cosmetics company.

Thank you very much Ms Jeanneret for your open and honest answers. We thank you very much for the sympathetic conversation and wish you much success with your future business!

Thank you for having me.