Author’s blurb: My favourite kind of jewellery is the simplistic ones. No need for colourful, big, or loud pieces; just something small, simple, and minimalist to add to my outfit. Those are the ones that catch my attention the most.
JW believes that everyone can be like the Disney princess Cinderella, a girl born of minimal simplicity transformed into a princess with a modest pair of glass slippers.
Similarly, she thinks jewellery can do the same by accentuating every woman’s natural features through a small statement piece.
Thus, she named her company Cindertoella.
Inspired By Her Travels
As a former flight attendant, JW was always inspired by jewelleries that were unique to each city, catching her eye in the process.
She quit the job that flew her around the world and put her entire savings into this jewellery business, which only started making returns one year later.
Thankfully, she’s able to keep costs low as her business partner is a graphic designer cum branding consultant herself.
However, the handmade jewellery market in Malaysia is already dense, with plenty of other established brands selling elegant pieces at affordable prices too.
JW herself doesn’t deny this, but said, “It’s true that the jewellery industry in Malaysia is saturated, but the world is my oyster!”
Realising that most other jewellery brands consist of a mix of style, Cindertoella wants to set itself apart by making minimalisitc yet statement-making pieces without using much bling material.
“We simply believe that everyone is born with pretty features that just need a gentle touch to amplify it,” JW said.
It’s also a small piece of jewellery that brings out one’s sense of style and accentuates an outfit.
That’s the brand’s beliefs. JW hopes that by staying true to it, they’ll be able to resonate with like-minded others out there.
Plenty of the pieces are inspired by her travels too. For example, the silver925 collection are pieces she discovered when travelling to the North of Thailand, a city where silver is beautifully crafted.
Another example is Mi Mundo and Tu Mundo, two necklaces with a globe pendant. JW even named some pieces after the people she’s met in different countries.
At the moment, her pieces range in price from as low as RM18 to as high as RM289.
From Employee To Entrepreneur
Though she shares a passion for both flying and jewellery making, it wasn’t easy to go from an employee to entrepreneur.
“Keeping yourself driven daily is a challenge as there are many setbacks such as the lack of resources, skills, and knowledge, which can easily deflate my motivation,” she said.
She also admitted that she doesn’t have the finest jewellery making skills yet, so she’s attending courses to learn the craft and latest techniques to keep up with market trends.
Cindertoella’s pieces are also curated and examined by experienced jewellers before being packed and sold to customers.
What keeps her on her toes in improving her jewellery making skills is passion. It’s what made her quit flying to pursue the business in the first place.
“The moment I started receiving compliments from customers about the quality and uniqueness of my products, I felt really proud of my trade,” she said. Some local artists started wearing her pieces too, which made every hurdle worthwhile.
On average, JW is able to sell at least 200 pieces of Cindertoella’s jewellery each month.
Currently, the team is planning to gradually expand Cindertoella into the international environment, and they’ve already started to ship worldwide.
They’re hoping to bring more unique pieces from around the world and be the bridge between diverse cultures through jewellery.
To do this, JW said that the brand will need more exposure, a larger following, and quality endorsements from KOLs on social media.
Bottom line: Their pieces are definitely attractive and simple enough which would make them suitable for anyone regardless of style. It’s also great to see the diverse pieces and prices the brand has to offer for customers of different tastes and wealth classes.
- You can learn more about Cindertoella here.
- You can read other Malaysian startups we’ve written about here.
Featured Image Credit: JW, founder of Cindertoella
