Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Wolf.
Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always enjoyed personal adornment and style from a young age. I knew going into college that I had an interest in both business and art and ended up studying advertising, which was a combination of both. While I loved this degree, I was definitely missing the physical, creative outlet that an art path would have lent itself to. I decided to take an in-depth jewelry training course in San Miguel de Allende with Billy King at the Sterling Quest Jewelry school, based on a recommendation from a friend. It was during my time with Billy that I developed a true love and appreciation for metal-smithing. I was determined to carve my way through the jewelry industry at a young age and attended another intensive program at FIT in New York City – another place that I developed a true love for, NYC! I spent eight years in New York working for jewelers, studying, and further honing my jewelry skills and contacts. I ended up making a move to the West Coast in 2010 and had the opportunity to open my first retail location, ESQUELETO, in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, CA. This small but mighty location helped pave the way for selling the work of several jewelry artisans and gave us a larger platform to eventually expand the brand to Los Angeles, New York City, and to our newest location in San Diego. I consider myself more of a retailer than a jeweler these days, but I guess that is still a combination of both business and art. And I love what I do!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s difficult to start any type of small business and the jewelry world is no exception. Jewelry is steeped in tradition and at the time that I began jewelry, there were not a lot of female jewelers in the fine fashion jewelry world. There were female jewelry designers designing for larger brands, but you did not see as many female-run jewelry businesses. So, I think there were a lot of obstacles in that sense, but at the time the consumer market was really looking for this type of work, so it was becoming a successful and growing part of the market. Jewelry also carries a high price point and investing so much in a monetary sense is hard at a young age, so there was a lot of risks involved in that area as well. And owning retail locations has come with other sets of challenges and skills, but I have learned a lot along the way. What I’ve discovered is that having an amazing team behind the brand is truly what makes things successful at ESQUELETO. I also love working with all of the amazing artisans that we carry and sell.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The word ESQUELETO means skeleton in Spanish and is a nod to my time spent in San Miguel where I first studied jewelry. It also incorporates my love of designing jewelry from breaking elements apart and rebuilding ideas from the ground up – rebuilding from the base of the skeleton to something beautiful and unusual. We carry this idea through the work we sell at ESQUELETO; we make an incredible effort to represent designers that have their own point of view yet who can exist and complement other artists in the same way. It’s a difficult thing to achieve, but we love supporting unique artists with a strong sense of design, along with making sure it fits within our brand aesthetic. We are known for a great selection of fine fashion jewelry with a focus on alternative engagement. The ESQUELETO bride knows they can come to us for unusual, unique, and one of a kind engagement rings. I believe our customer service sets us apart from others. We truly love and believe in the product that we are selling and want our customers to feel that way too! So the selling part is easy and we have amazing clients and customers. Brand-wise, I’m really proud of the brand that we have built, but again it is all about the team. I love the people that I work with and they have worked hard to make ESQUELETO what it is today. Stop by one of our 5 locations to see our amazing selection of jewelry and experience our top-notch customer service – I promise we will make it fun!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I feel that honesty, quality, and a strong work ethic are characteristics that really make the brand and have helped to contribute to the success of the company.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.shopesqueleto.com
- Instagram: @shopesqueleto
- Facebook: @shopesqueleto
- Youtube: https://vimeo.com/esqueleto
Image Credits:
All images courtesy of ESQUELETO image 1: one of our signature ring stacks image 2: a selection of Lauren Wolf Jewelry rings image 3: a selection of vintage/antique rings image 4: a selection of rings by one of the other designers we carry, Maiden Voyage image 5: a selection of bracelets by one of the other designers we carry, Rene Escobar images 6-8: interiors/exterior of Echo Park ESQUELETO location images 9-11: interiors/exterior of Los Feliz ESQUELETO location
