Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Tourgeman
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hello again and thank you for having me back. If you haven’t been introduced to me and my jewelry business, Violet Tiger, just a quick back story. I started my business in 2013 after a very surprising diagnosis of MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Making jewelry was a distraction for me during my recovery (and also endless hours of Mario Kart!). This time of my life was rather surreal, but I was truly fortunate to meet some amazing doctors and advocates that helped me. I wished to give back, and began to donate a portion of my jewelry sales profits to various MS and Autoimmune Disease organizations. OK, let’s fast forward to the past few years. MS is an unstable disease; ups and downs, literally in bed DOWN (and out). I was very disengaged in my business, and most of life almost a year and a half ago, but I am resilient, and told myself, “try again.” I don’t really want to make this a sob story, nor an inspirational story, as I don’t think of myself as some “poster child,” but I was bored. I needed a challenge, so Violet Tiger was reborn in a way. (And let’s hear it for even better doctors and some new MS drugs.) I need to wrap this up and get to the goods–OK, rapid fast forward. My family and I have been renovating a home in Malibu; it is my dream home as a born and raised Californian. It forced me to work, it forced me to hurt and it forced me so out of my comfort zone that I started to sell my jewelry at the Malibu Art & Vintage Brunch aka the Malibu Farmer’s Market every Sunday. Why? I hate waking up early, but I started to (don’t even ask about my Lab puppy who also wakes me up!) and I found joy. I discovered my fashion niche–a real beachy vibe. My jewelry incorporates vintage pieces and gemstones in a boho, yet timeless way. As we all know fires have devastated Southern California, my dream home was saved, though it is unsafe to live in right now. We will all survive. My new goal is to help in any way that I can, be it with a percentage of jewelry sales donations, or literally putting my work boots on and helping my neighbors.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think as a creative, as a small business owner, I have questioned myself. Am I good enough? Do I have the goods? Can I succeed? And I would imagine most successful people do across all industries. I have found that nervousness, actually motivates me to bring on my A-game. And I am talking about a little bit of anxiety, nothing overwhelming that keeps me up at night. The more I think about this question, I am realizing that most of my challenges are from within; my personality can be its own obstacle! Throughout my career as not only a jewelry designer, but also the owner of a boutique Pilates studio, I have learned to be adaptable, which does not come easy to me as I am stubborn. And by adaptable, that means being honest if something is not working and being willing to change it. I also have a very creative mind and lots of ideas for new jewelry designs, but too much can often not be a good thing. I had a mentor that told me, “you don’t want your fashion line, or online store to look like a swap meet or garage sale.” So that advice has forced me to rein in my eclectic nature, and fine line my designs, niche and customer demographic.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
It is 2025! Reset, renew, resolve–RECYCLE! I work with gemstones in my jewelry designs, but in the past few years I have wanted to branch out into metals: sterling silver, 14K gold, rose gold. I started to source supplies and thought what I am doing? Increase my supply budget? Maybe not, I am not independently wealthy. . .Then I thought about what do I wear regularly, which are tons of vintage chains and bracelets, some of which I have had since I was in high school. I also thought about, slow fashion, green fashion, eco-style, you know, all of those hashtags. Or perhaps, you do not. Baseline definition is recycle or repurpose what we have, don’t dump reusable items in landfills, and source supplies locally so that there is less of a energy impact. So, I am now not only selling vintage jewelry, but also incorporating all kinds of antique bits and pieces into my designs. I have had a great reception from this new approach. I think most of my customers enjoy wearing an item that it is not produced en-masse, and has a history and story to tell (which if I can, I will provide for my customers).
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Oh wow. Too many to choose from. . .alright, the time that I saw Rudolph as in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Maybe I was 8 or 9 years old and I just remember waking in my little twin bed and seeing this red glow through my curtains. It was Christmas Eve, and I just knew that Santa was flying over my home to deliver my brothers and I some skateboards. I took a peek out of my windows and saw a sled with many deer, No, Santa, but that was OK. This is a memory that sounds silly, but why not believe? Some things are not explained in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.violettigershop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/violettigershop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/violettigershop
Image Credits
Photos of Model: Erika Bierman Photography
All other Photos: Violet Tiger, LLC
