Developing your First Jewellery Collection? Don't Make these Mistakes...

Starting your own jewellery brand is an exciting journey, but developing your very first collection can feel daunting. Due to a lack of experience, it’s easy for a new jewellery designer to make mistakes that could hinder the success of their brand. Understanding where bumps in the road often lay can help you to make informed decisions and lay the foundations for success. We’re here today to talk you through some of the most common pitfalls for a fledgling jewellery brand; offering a written take on our Managing Director Kim’s popular YouTube video…

Check out Kim's YouTube channel

1. Overloading Your Collection with Too Many Jewellery Designs

One of the simplest but most impactful mistakes a new jewellery designer could make is trying to develop too many designs or variations at once. Of course, as your imagination runs wild and an array of exciting possibilities present themselves to you, it’s easy to pursue a wide range; and to believe that greater variety will appeal to a wider audience. However, this can backfire.

Over-stretching yourself in the early stages can lead to excessive industry costs, logistical challenges and overwhelm, both for yourself and your customers. Remember that if your target audience is ‘anyone and everyone,’ then you run the risk of alienating most. Instead, a small, well-curated selection can help you to ensure cohesiveness, attention to detail and a design language that really speaks to your chosen customer.

2. Lack of Cohesion in the Jewellery Collection

A successful jewellery collection is underpinned by a clear theme or concept. Without a unifying aesthetic, your designs may appear disjointed, making it difficult for customers to understand your brand. It's difficult to identify a common thread between a rose pendant, star-shaped stud earrings and heart-shaped drop earrings, for example.

Referring to a specific inspiration or story will make your life much easier whilst designing and marketing your collection. A floral theme, for instance, could involve hand-engraved motifs of various flowers, with each product named after the relevant bloom.

3. Overcomplicating Variations

Whilst it’s important to offer variety, too many variations of the same design can overwhelm your customers. If you design a rose pendant and then create multiple sizes, metal finishes and gemstone options, you may end up with an unmanageable number of SKUs. Instead, focus on a few key variations that make sense for your target audience, such as select colour and size options that align with customer demand without overextending your inventory.

Bliss Lau's compact and cohesive Kaleidoscope Collection, manufactured by us

4. Not Testing the Market Before Production

Many new designers assume that every piece they create will sell well - and whilst authenticity and confidence in design is crucial for a strong brand identity, market preferences can be unpredictable. Investing heavily in production without testing customer interest first can lead to excess inventory and financial losses.

To avoid this, consider producing small sample runs and gathering customer feedback before committing to large-scale production. Engaging with your audience on social media, offering pre-orders or launching a soft release can provide valuable insights into which designs resonate most – and generate some noise around your new collection, too.

5. Ignoring Inventory Management

Ordering too much too soon can lead to cash flow problems and unsold inventory. It’s crucial to balance supply and demand, especially in the early stages of your business. Rather than producing large quantities of stock upfront, start with a limited run and monitor sales patterns. If a particular design is selling well, you can scale up production accordingly. This approach allows you to stay flexible and reduce financial risk.

6. Choosing Designs Based Solely on Personal Preference

As a jewellery designer your personal taste plays an essential role in your designs, and it’s important to take pride in what makes your brand unique. Equally, it’s crucial to refine this vision with an understanding of what your target audience desires. Some designers become attached to certain pieces, believing they will fulfil the best-seller role, only to find that their customers prefer other styles.

We recommend making data-driven decisions by analysing market trends, customer feedback, and competitor research. This will help you create a collection that embodies your signature aesthetic whilst fulfilling the genuine needs of your customer.

7. Failing to Consider Brand Storytelling

Jewellery is often an emotive purchase; a milestone investment, a gift to a loved one or an extension of the self to be worn every day. Jewellery customers like to buy into jewellery that tells a story - jewellery that invites them to feel as though they’re not just making a transaction, but forging a personal connection with a brand whose history, accreditations, language and designs form a ‘world’ that invites them to step in.

A compelling brand narrative can set you apart from other designers and enhance the meaning and desirability of your designs. Instead of offering a random assortment of pieces, think about how your collection is rooted in a larger story. For example, if your pieces are inspired by nature, you might wish to describe the place and time that gave rise to that very inspiration – then highlight how each piece represents a different aspect of that natural world.

8. Not Factoring in Production and Supplier Limitations

Before finalising your designs, it’s essential to understand what your manufacturer or supplier can realistically produce. Some suppliers specialise in certain types of gemstone settings, metalwork, or finishes, while others may not have the capability to execute complex designs. Thankfully, here at Thai Design, our dedicated crafting facility accommodates a variety of specialist skillsets, from hand-engraving to stone-cutting and inlay.

Discuss your requirements with your supplier from the outset – taking care to identify any specialist cuts or finishes - and ask them to clarify their limitations at the same time.

9. Not Having a Pricing Strategy

Setting the right price for your jewellery is critical for saleability and profitability. Due to a lack of experience, many new designers either price their pieces too high, making them inaccessible to their target market, or too low, undervaluing their work and making it difficult to cover costs.

When pricing your pieces, consider every last expense: from materials to labour and time, packaging, marketing, and overhead costs. Additionally, research competitor pricing to ensure your jewellery is positioned appropriately in the market. A well-balanced pricing strategy will help you sustain your business whilst remaining attractive to customers.

10. Skipping Quality Control

No matter how beautiful your designs, if their quality is inconsistent, you will create more work for yourself down the line and your brand’s reputation will ultimately suffer. Before launching your jewellery collection, establish strict quality control criteria that can be repeated every single time a collection is complete. This strategy should include checking for defects, looking out for metal porosity, ensuring all gemstone settings are secure, and verifying that all pieces meet your design standards. A quality assurance process will reduce returns, improve customer satisfaction, and help build long-term trust in your brand.

Developing your first ever jewellery collection is such an exciting milestone. Approaching the learning curve with careful planning and strategy can lay a strong foundation for a thriving and sustainable jewellery business. Thai Design is your partner for design development, production and supplying. For over 50 years we’ve supported our clients in creating beautiful, high-quality collections for their audiences – and we’re always ready to champion the next up-and-coming talent. To learn more about what it means to collaborate with us, click here or get in touch.

How One Jewellery Manufacturer is Cutting Carbon Emissions with Renewable Energy Credits

Hear the word “sustainability” in a conversation about jewellery, and recycled gold probably springs to mind first. Whilst reusing precious materials is of course a logical step towards a circular economy – reducing the demand for mining – recycled metals alone only scratch the surface of the jewellery industry’s carbon footprint. In fact, if we are to acknowledge the biggest environmental impact, we need to look back to the very beginning of that metal supply chain. For every piece of jewellery created, it’s thought that 95% of its carbon footprint is attributed to the mining and production of its metal.

And the biggest culprit behind greenhouse gas emissions in mining? Electricity.

As a jewellery manufacturer committed to reducing our impact on the environment, we at Thai Design are passionate about sharing our knowledge with our customers, partners and peers; casting light on the lesser-known aspects of carbon emissions in our industry. Here’s what we’ve learned, what we’re doing to take responsibility, and why we believe Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) offer a viable, scalable solution for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) like ours.

Mining, Electricity, and Carbon Emissions: What You Should Know

It’s not widely known – even within the jewellery industry – that the carbon footprint of gold and silver mining varies dramatically depending on where it takes place. That’s because these emissions are closely tied to the electricity grid in the country where the mine operates.

Countries like Canada and Finland, where electricity is largely generated from hydro and renewable sources, have some of the lowest-emission mining operations in the world – sometimes under 300kg of CO2e per ounce of gold. That’s less than half the emissions of high-intensity mining in regions like Australia, South Africa, China or Russia, where fossil fuels dominate the grid.

This is important because understanding the source of emissions helps us to make better decisions. Once we began learning about the differences between energy sources, we knew we had a responsibility to act – not just within Thai Design’s operations, but by contributing to the global transition to renewable energy.

First, What are Renewable Energy Credits - and Why do They Matter?

Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are market-based instruments which prove that 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source and fed into the grid. They’re used by companies worldwide to offset the carbon impact of their electricity use. Offsetting is, in other words, the act of compensating for carbon dioxide emissions by participating in schemes – like RECs – designed to make equivalent reductions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Here’s why RECs are a smart solution for businesses that wish to take responsibility:

• They scale renewable energy: Most RECs support projects commissioned in the past 15 years, with the highest quality credits linked to projects under 5 years old - meaning an investment actively supports the growth of new clean energy.

• They offer flexibility: Unlike on-site solar, which only offers one technology, RECs let us support a range of renewable options, including wind and hydro.

• They’re efficient: Large-scale energy projects tend to be far more efficient than small on-site builds of renewable energy systems, offering better environmental returns for each unit of electricity.

• They’re accessible: For many SMEs, RECs are one of the few affordable and meaningful ways to reduce Scope 2 emissions (those that arise directly from the purchase of electricity.)

While RECs aren’t perfect – they don’t generate cost savings in the long-term like solar installations can, for example – they offer a practical and immediate solution to climate action.

Taking Action: Offsetting Thai Design’s Electricity with Renewable Energy Credits

We’re proud to share that we’ve purchased International RECs (I-RECs) to match the entire electricity usage of our jewellery crafting facility in Chiang Mai, Thailand – not just for this year, but for the entirety of 2024, too. Our RECs certify that the electricity we consume is covered by locally generated Thai renewable energy, helping to reduce our Scope 2 carbon emissions by an estimated 68 tonnes of CO2e each year.

The details of our I-RECs investment are as follows:

Country:                 Thailand

Source:                   Rom Klao Wind Farm (Onshore)

Commissioning:      April 2019

Capacity (MW):       44.85

But this isn’t just about our emissions – it’s about wider impact. By investing in RECs, we’re directly supporting the growth of Thailand’s renewable energy sector. These projects need backing, and we’re proud to contribute to their expansion.

Why we Chose These RECs Over Solar Panels (For Now)

We’ve explored several options for reducing our energy footprint, learning that on-site solar panels are not always feasible for SMEs in Thailand like ours. Some of the common barriers include:

• Space limitations: Smaller facilities often lack the roof or land area needed to make solar viable at scale.

• Grid restrictions: Thai SMEs currently can’t sell excess power back to the grid. That means any electricity generated when the business isn’t officially operating (lunch hours, weekends and holidays) is effectively wasted unless expensive storage solutions are installed.

• Cost and efficiency: Small solar setups lack economies of scale. In contrast, RECs are tied to large, efficient renewable energy projects built specifically to maximise output.

  RECs neatly solve many of these problems. By matching our electricity usage with large-scale renewable generation, we eliminate waste, maximise impact, and support technologies that might otherwise be inaccessible to SMEs. Differences of opinion do of course exist, but wind energy projects are widely acknowledged to have certain advantages over solar. Due to their higher capacity factor, wind turbines produce more electricity per unit of embedded carbon. This leads to a stronger carbon efficiency profile over time - about two-thirds that of solar.

  
  

Rom Klao is among only a few high-quality wind options currently available in Thailand, and also represents one of the newest I-REC generating projects in the country. Supporting this project contributes to diversifying the national renewable energy mix, and is also RE100 compliant.

RE100 is a global initiative bringing together the world's most influential businesses committed to using 100% renewable electricity in their operations. Led by Climate Group, the mission is to accelerate change towards zero carbon grids at scale.

How to Choose the Right REC

We encourage any business considering RECs to do what we do and conduct thorough research. Not all credits are created equal, so it’s important to take a selective approach. Here are some of the factors we took into consideration:

• Location: We chose credits from a project based in Thailand to support the local grid and ensure that our energy use and generation are aligned.

• Technology: We favoured wind technology due to its efficiency.

• Project transparency: We insisted on familiarising ourselves with the project our credits came from, so we could verify its credibility and ensure alignment with our values.

• Commissioning date: We prioritised newer projects, which means our investment contributes to the creation of new renewable capacity, not just supporting what already exists.

• Vintage: We matched the energy production year (vintage) with our year of consumption. This is best practice for anyone investing in RECs because it ensures transparency and credibility in renewable energy purchasing, making it easier for us to track and verify the direct relationship between our consumption of renewable energy to its production.

  
  

One resource we found helpful whilst researching our options was Green Power Hub, a global renewable energy trading network with access to high-quality RECs. A high-quality REC is one that offers the most positive environmental benefits, represents genuinely new renewable energy and is properly tracked and retired to avoid double-counting.

Looking Ahead: A Call to the Industry

We’re sharing our journey not because we think we’ve got all the answers, but because we believe in transparency - and we know we’re not alone in wanting to make a difference. From independent designers to larger manufacturers, we know that the jewellery industry is teeming with businesses that are ready to begin reducing their environmental impact. For those who are unsure of where to start, perhaps this blog post could sow a seed. By raising awareness of electricity’s leading role in the jewellery industry’s carbon footprint and discussing practical, scalable solutions like RECs, we hope to inspire others to take the next step.

There is no such destination as ‘perfection’ so we continue seeking opportunities to further reduce our impact and invest in renewable energy. For now, our RECs offer us a powerful and effective way to make a measurable difference today.

New on YouTube: The Jewellery Q&A Series

Join our Managing Director Kim over on YouTube as she helpfully navigates some of your most frequently asked questions.

Over the course of this multi-part Jewellery Q&A Series, Kim will be covering three key areas:

🔑✨ Our development process

🔑✨ Our production process

🔑✨ Our focus on sustainability

You can now watch Parts 1 & 2 on our YouTube channel to dive into the multifaceted process of design and sample development - from the "What" to the "Why," the "How" and the "How much?"