On this episode of Ask The Experts, Alka Sharma talks to Tasha Sattler, a goldsmith and jewellery designer with 20 years’ experience in the industry and an extensive background in customer and gold jewellery manufacture. Since starting her company, Rhythm Jewellery, in 2017 she has designed jewellery for high-profile artists and celebrities.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

•  I started working in a jewellery store when I was 15 as a part-time high school job and it really found me and stuck with me. I didn’t go out with a plan to get into the jewellery trade. My mother is an artist, so that part of my life was always nurtured in childhood and I knew I always wanted to do something creative and artistic. But, it can be hard to pay the bills doing those things, so jewellery making is a nice blend of financially viable while nurturing my creative side.
• My background is in designing engagement rings, doing repairs for jewellery stores, any kind of gold and diamond jewellery. But, I have some friends who are heavily involved in the dance community, one who has taught ballet for over 30 years, and they kept saying to me that there’s nothing out there that really represents us, adult professional dancers, everything’s designed for 5-year-olds, it’s a little on the tacky side – costume jewellery. I thought, what do I know about designing for dancers? But I looked into the market and found there really wasn’t anything for them.
• Dancers can really identify with what I do because there are so many similarities between the two: They’re both artistic,  you spend your whole life improving your technique, we spend so much time in the studio – despite my studio looking very different to theirs – there’s a lot of overlap. What’s really helped me is relying on the dance community to give me feedback. Every design that we launch I pass by dancers first because who better to design jewellery for dancers than dancers?
• As a personal brand it’s really important to stay true and be authentic to who you really are. Sometimes in jewellery, especially high-end jewellery, it can get a little stuffy which I am not. When I post on social media and am interviewed I think it’s OK to throw in jokes and make fun of yourself, but there’s a fine line between being yourself and being professional. At the end of the day you are still trying to sell a product and you want people to see you as an expert or an authority in your field.

BEST MOMENTS
‘I’m not a dancer unless you count in my kitchen! I named the company rhythm specifically so that if I expanded into different types of dance down the line it would encompass all of those things.’
‘It’s not always necessarily about making what I want to make and hopefully finding someone who loves it as much as I do, it’s about finding what people want to purchase and making something that  they want and trying to blend the two together.’
‘Do market research and make sure there is a need for your product, then really hone in on the product and make sure it’s really what people want to buy. Make sure the product that you’re making and the brand you put behind the product is going to sit right with the people you’re trying to sell to.’
‘In business and personal relationships I’ve always come at it from how can I give you value? If you show up to another person saying “how can I help you?” it’s more authentic, less sales-y, and a lot of people have trouble selling themselves, their brand or product.’

ABOUT THE GUEST
Tasha Sattler is a Canadian goldsmith and jewellery designer with an extensive background in fine jewellery manufacturing. She is also the owner of Rhythm Jewellery, a company creating gold and sterling silver jewellery inspired for dancers. Since inception, she has had the pleasure of collaborating with several high-profile artists in the performing arts community.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tasha-sattler-b50149226/ 

ABOUT THE HOST
Alka Sharma is a Real Estate Investor. She has a zest for life, helping her clients gain knowledge and insights into property investing. Alka takes her time to make sure her client’s needs are met.
Alka is an accomplished, professional ballroom dancer having competed both nationally & internationally.
Alka is grateful for all her experiences that have shaped her today as a successful Entrepreneur, Real Estate investor.
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