A blend of quality and uniqueness is changing the landscape of handmade jewellery in Guyana, and it is coming from a small business named Dolni with Love.
The pandemic saw the rise of entrepreneurs taking a leap of faith and launching their businesses, and 24-year-old Amanda Jaisingh followed suit with Dolni with Love, a line of polymer clay jewellery.
DOLNI was birthed in April, 2021 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. For 18 months, Amanda Jaisingh has been churning out new collections of earrings, all handmade and individually crafted. According to her, this business is her greatest achievement, and she is capable of achieving anything.
DOLNI with Love was named after the oldest known fired clay sculpture to date; The Venus of Dolni Vêstonice. Found at a Paleolithic site in the Moravian Basin south of Brno; this beauty was discovered on July 13, 1925 in a layer of ash, broken into two pieces.
Young entrepreneur Amanda Jaisingh shared, “When I first researched it, I knew that was going to be the inspiration for my business, as that brokenness serves as a metaphor for myself. Put together again, The Venus of Dolni Vêstonice is an imperfect figurine of a woman, and it all clicked for me. I would brand my business based off of a figurine of a woman, which encapsulates and gives meaning to my slogan, ‘Birthed by a woman, for women to feel and look their absolute best’.”
Launching the business was also an avenue for her to not only tap into the entrepreneurial side, but to have multiple streams of income and not be tied to a 9-to-5 routine.
“I was always looking and constantly thinking and coming up with ideas of what I can do and what would be longstanding. I initially wanted to start a pottery studio and do classes, because I tried my hand at pottery before and I was not bad at it, so I knew (that) with practice, I would be even better. However, startup capital for such a business would be high and probably would not have been profitable for me, so I thought the next best thing to do was try polymer clay,” she explained.
With social media exposure and the necessary research, she imported all materials and started practising. Samples were given to friends, co-workers and family to test the quality, durability and anything that could have been improved before officially launching.
Jaisingh has been whipping up batches of clay jewellery, and converted a regular oven to bake them. For small custom orders, she has even used a toaster oven.
“Once I know exactly what I am going to be making and I have all the tools I need, I could sit down for twelve hours straight and make the entire collection, or I can take three days or an entire week (pre-baking process). It depends on my mood and how creative and motivated I am feeling, so I can’t exactly tell you how long it takes, because I have learnt not to push myself as hard as I was (doing) at the beginning of my business, because burnout is real and it puts you in a place that, if you stay there too long, you find it hard to come back to your creative self,” she detailed.
Dolni with Love offers jewellery that includes mostly earrings, but bracelets and necklaces are also produced. Amanda has also had orders of rings, pendants, trinket dishes, coasters, ornaments, and other décor.
“Even though earrings are our primary product at the moment, we plan to dive into expanding our line into other products that customers can enjoy,” she disclosed.
Speaking about the process and what goes into it, she reflected that every artist has their own unique process, and work best with their respective techniques.
“For me, I launch collections per month, and I usually know I will have about six designs per collection. Sometimes, coming up with a name for the collection can be a bit challenging, so I would find myself doing polls, so my clients can have a say and I can get an idea of what they want as well. But before I start my creative process, I need to know the collection’s name, then develop a theme before I can actually start making my earrings. The length of time for this can vary from one hour, to one day, to a week, depending on my creative flow or lack thereof,” she said.
The young entrepreneur has said that behind the scenes involve selecting a colour scheme, choosing shapes, and pairing her creations with gems and charms, and it can be a little tricky. She added, “But I trust the process, and hope they put together well, and most times they do. With full transparency, I do struggle at times with designs that I personally love but (are) not always a best-seller, and at first I would be hard on myself for that, but, over time, I have also accepted that that’s also a part of the journey, and I welcome it graciously, as I do with my best sellers.”
The entrepreneur added that the effort and time that goes into a small business is tenfold in nature. It entails being the manufacturer, marketer, social media personnel, and every role needed to see the business through.
“Crazy amount of hours, days and weeks go into the entire process, including making, baking, sanding, polishing, and assembling earrings; not to mention taking product pictures, editing and uploading on to our website, as well as website updates and actually launching and marketing the products. It takes sweat, tears, and sometimes even blood, because the amount of times I have been pricked or cut is actually ridiculous. It sounds overwhelming, and it can be at times, but like I have mentioned, being patient with myself and listening to my mind and body helps me overcome those negative emotions and creative blocks,” she explained.
Jaisingh said DOLNI with Love prides itself in offering an experience. Apart from the products, the aim is to create an unmatched experience for clients.
“At DOLNI, we place great emphasis on our clients, and our clientele can attest to this. DOLNI is unique, because you’re not just buying earrings or necklaces, etc., you’re having an experience: receptive and kind customer service, great packaging, and you can always look forward to gifts inside your order! A girl loves a good surprise, so I always make sure that’s something I do for my clients. Whether it’s a cute stud, an earring, necklace, or fun stickers, opening your package with us will always be an experience,” she declared.
As a small business owner, she relayed, one of the biggest challenges is shipping and clearance rates, which affect her profit margins.
“Challenges now for me would be shipping and clearance rates. As a small business owner, that directly affects my profit margin. I am not sure how effective this would be for others, but what I have started doing is ordering in bulk, and it alleviates the hassle of running out of materials, delayed shipping, etc. and it has been working for me,” she disclosed.
“Another issue that is not so much of a challenge but an issue that needs to be addressed is the availability of marketing platforms for small business owners,” Amanda has said. To date, she noted, the business has generated a booming response from the Guyanese populace.
“From the very start-up to this point of DOLNI’s life, I have received nothing but immense support and love. Whether that comes in the form of likes, shares, recommendations, compliments, suggestions and sales, all have aided in the development and success of my brand.”
In her spare time, Amanda is an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction literature. “I am fond of animals, as they are of me, and that is a quirk of mine that I value a lot. I spend most of my days binging Friends, that 70s show, and Harry Potter; it helps with my anxiety. I also love spending time with my close friends, and I cherish the bond that I have with them and the comfort they bring to me, as well as stability.”
Anyone who wants opportunity to browse the collection of jewellery can visit or contact dolni.handmade on Instagram or DOLNI with Love on Facebook.
