Irina Kharina Of Tsarina Gems: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder

Sometimes “no” just means “not now”. When I was first starting out, I thought of every person who showed interest in my service as a potential client. When no sales comes out of it, I saw it as a failure on my part, because I did not achieve my ideal final result. My mindset has now changed. I highly recommend focusing on the experience that you provide for your customers. Just because they don’t buy from you right away does not mean that they won’t work with you in the future, or even refer you to their friends and family.

As part of our interview series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Irina Kharina.

Irina Kharina is a GIA certified gemologist and a luxury jewelry concierge who takes pride in working with ethically sourced diamonds and gemstones. As the founder of Tsarina Gems, she is a millennial female entrepreneur who started her business during the pandemic after spending 12 years in the gemstone and jewelry industry. Irina now provides 1:1 private consultations on luxury custom jewelry to clients all over the world. Irina has lived in 5 different countries and is currently based in Toronto, Canada.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Thank you for inviting me.

I fell into the diamond, gemstone and jewelry industry by complete chance in 2009, after a successful interview for an admin position at a Canadian diamond wholesale company.

The following year I decided to take the next step and begin my journey of becoming a gemologist (a diamond and gemstone expert). Three years later and several trips to the New York and Carlsbad campuses, where I participated in hands on training, I received my Graduate Gemologist diploma from the Gemological Institute of America.

By 2020 I spent 11 years working in different areas of the diamond, gemstone and jewelry industry and I suddenly saw an obvious gap in the market. When we think of custom jewelry, our mind often goes to engagement rings or gifts for milestone anniversaries.

It made me think, what about successful, self-sufficient women who are looking to invest in themselves and celebrate their work or personal wins by buying their own bling? I wanted to connect with these amazing women and help them create one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry they would be excited and proud to wear.

I saw an exciting opportunity to leave my job in the midst of the pandemic and follow my dreams of starting my own business and provide private 1:1 consultations on custom jewelry.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

When I first started, I didn’t have a website, a fancy office, or even a physical product in my hands that I could sell. I was selling the “idea” that my clients could “create a piece of custom jewelry of their dreams”. It was challenging to explain what that actually looked like.

I was trying to curate high end pieces of jewelry worth thousands of dollars literally from my living room in Toronto! It also became my Zoom meeting room as well as my photography studio.

I started inviting my clients to meet there, and was pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere (compared to their local jewellery store which they found intimidating or a stuffy wholesale office).

During our meetings, we enjoyed a cup of tea or a glass of bubbly while selecting gemstones and designs for their perfect ring, necklace or earrings.

I also realised that I can provide private consultations to clients all over the world from the comfort of my own home via Zoom.

Thanks to modern technology, I can acquire ethically sourced gemstones, work with CAD designers, jewelers, setters, polishers, gemstone suppliers and fellow gemologists to curate unique, high end pieces of jewelry from home or anywhere in the world while travelling.

Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

That’s such a great question. I actually had two driving factors.

To be honest, by the time I decided to quit my steady 9–5 office job, I was tired of working for someone else. I felt bad asking for time off or taking extra vacation time to travel to Europe to see my family and friends. My initial decision to become an entrepreneur had a lot to do with being able to set my own schedule and now I can!

I also genuinely wanted to show people that when it comes to jewelry, you are not just limited to what you see in stores or online. I have been very lucky to have incredible clients who thank me for providing a service they could not find anywhere else. Hearing such wonderful words really gives me that extra drive and reminds me of why I decided to start my own business in the first place.

So, how are things going today? How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?

Things are going well and there is still a lot of work to be done!

I am building my business and a steady list of clients, many of whom I met through referrals. Some are returning clients, which is great, because we have a relationship and they know what to expect from the process. I love keeping in touch with potential and existing clients, it is a great way to get to know them better and learn how I can help them.

I share my knowledge on my Blog and Instagram pages and my readers and followers appreciate it, even if they are not yet my clients. I believe it is important to keep providing value to them one day at a time. Also to not give up, especially when things are not going as planned. One day, your content will resonate with your dream client.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I once had a client who requested to see a Morganite for a custom piece (a peachy coloured natural stone from the beryl family). When I presented her with some gorgeous options, she was surprised, she was expecting to see a white coloured stone that looked like a diamond. It turned out she was looking for a completely different stone called Moissanite (a synthetic/man-made stone that has become increasingly popular in the last few years). I went on to source a Moissanite for her instead.

I now make sure that the clients and I are on the same page and spend more time talking about the stones and asking for photos or mood boards of what the client has in mind to avoid any misunderstanding.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

1. I am a great believer in self-purchasing and I encourage women to buy their own jewelry, without waiting to receive it as a gift.

I often hear women share stories about their previous experience of receive jewelry they did not like because it simply “wasn’t them”. It is not a matter of being ungrateful, it is about knowing what you want and what you don’t want. My female clients love the idea of having a final say in what item to purchase, instead of being surprised with something they will never wear.

2. I am changing what people think about custom jewelry.

The idea of working with a private jeweler or a jewelry concierge is fairly new. Good news is that you don’t have to be a celebrity to do it! Many of us assume that we are limited to what we see in stores or online and that going custom will cost you an arm and a leg. I am here to assure you that this is not the case.

Although custom jewelry design can be a longer process than popping down to your local jewelry store or clicking the “add to cart” button on your computer, the personalised one-on-one experience truly is priceless. My clients are often pleasantly surprised by what their money can get them.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Burn-out is a challenge faced by many entrepreneurs. Whether you are just starting out or have been on this journey for a long time, setting boundaries is key.

You can start by setting “work hours” and sticking to them during the week and taking the weekends off. I know it can be hard to not think about your business, especially if you are a creative person, inspiration can strike at any moment. In this case, if you find yourself working during the weekend, don’t forget to book some time off to yourself during the week.

It also doesn’t have to be anything drastic, small changes really do make a difference.

Personally, I have been enjoying taking the time to prepare and enjoy my meals, away from my computer. I highly recommend it.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

My parents have always encouraged me to strive for more and think outside the box.

Thanks to them, I realised that starting from the bottom and spending a lifetime working your way up, climbing the corporate ladder was not the only way to become successful. At a time when some thought it was a crazy idea to leave a steady job in the midst of a pandemic, my family and my boyfriend supported my decision to start my own business, and for that I am truly grateful.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I am using my success from my previous positions to help clients avoid making costly mistakes when it comes to jewelry. Instead of making a large investment in an online piece they have never seen in person before, my clients are able to purchase something that they truly love and feel safe and comfortable with spending their hard-earned money on.

It may not seem like a lot, but I am making their world a better place.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my company” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Get clear on who you want to help and why. In the last year, I kept hearing that if you are trying to help everybody, you end up helping nobody. As a new entrepreneur I wanted to work with everyone who was interested in creating custom jewelry. I still help a variety of clients but I also realised that what lights me up is working with successful, self-sufficient women who are looking to invest in themselves and celebrate their work or personal wins by buying their own jewelry.
2. Be open to changing direction, this ties in with my previous point. The diamond and jewelry industry is heavily focused on engagement rings. When I quit my job to start my own business, many people including myself assumed that engagement rings and bridal jewelry should be my main focus. However, although engagements are an incredible milestone and should be celebrated, I believe that women should not have to wait for jewelry to be gifted to them. I am in the process of pivoting my messaging and my new mission is to encourage women to treat themselves to a custom piece of jewelry “just because”. I am open to the fact that my business is constantly evolving and moving in a different direction.
3. Sometimes “no” just means “not now”. When I was first starting out, I thought of every person who showed interest in my service as a potential client. When no sales comes out of it, I saw it as a failure on my part, because I did not achieve my ideal final result. My mindset has now changed. I highly recommend focusing on the experience that you provide for your customers. Just because they don’t buy from you right away does not mean that they won’t work with you in the future, or even refer you to their friends and family.
4. Slow down. Running my own business is a 24/7 job. Working with busy clients all over the world means I have to be available for calls and follow ups on different time zones, be it in Toronto, London, Prague or Moscow. I am, however, learning to set boundaries and slow down. It is ok to message a client on a Friday and let them know that I will be in touch on Monday without feeling guilty taking the weekend off.
5. It’s ok to say no if the client doesn’t feel right for you. It may be tempting to say yes to every single client or project, especially when you are starting out. However, there will always be people who are looking for a bargain and I learned that it is ok to politely decline if the client is not right for you. I am always happy to share some knowledge or free resources with potential clients, however I also learned not to start the gemstone sourcing or jewelry design process until there is a financial commitment.

Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder”?

Yes, a life as a founder may feel like a rollercoaster. One month I might have a busy month and celebrate a big sale and then have a quiet month that follows, which can feel like a low at the time.

I try to concentrate on all my wins, big and small, like meeting new people and discovering new ways to engage with my followers. It is also important to focus on why you decided to become a founder, during your highs and especially your lows.

I think another key to success is not comparing yourself to others. It is ok to see what others in your field are doing for reference or inspirational purposes, however they should not become the main influence behind what you are doing in your business.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Thank you.

My movement would be to stop the hustle culture.

We shouldn’t be proud of working 12-hour days and constantly keeping up with work emails. Having no work-life balance really doesn’t have to be “part of the job” and overworking is not a sustainable lifestyle.

We as a society really do need to address this issue. That includes employers, employees and entrepreneurs.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

I invite readers to connect with me on Instagram @TsarinaGems for lifestyle and educational content or via LinkedIn.

For my weekly Blog and Ready-to-Wear collection please visit my website at www.TsarinaGems.com.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Always a pleasure, thank you for having me!