'It's Elemental, my dear Watson' -behind the scenes at Senzu's Elements Spring Collection

With Valentine’s Day come and gone, and New York Fashion Week in full swing, today’s blog post we are going to take you behind the scenes of how our 2011 Spring Elements Collection was designed. 

Overlooking Hong Kong Harbour

When we sat down to determine what the look for Spring 2011 was going to be, we knew we wanted to make sure that whatever the look, the jewelry had to be light and versatile. For our Elements line we really wanted to go back to the basics; using clean, natural lines, shapes that look great on any facial shape and body type and play with texture. 

For our Naturals Collection, 2011 would be the year of warm tones, inspired by Africa and tribal jewelry. More on this collection and the trip that inspired it in the next post!

When we went to Hong Kong in early Fall 2010, our goal was to work with out manufacturers to create these looks exclusively for Senzu, and the results are now online at Senzu.  

Rose Gold & Black Hematite
plated Senzu Jewelry. 

The 2011 Elements Collection has already become a great addition to the Senzu jewelry lines. The simplicity of the shapes, being mostly round and oval shapes, flatter all facial structures and soften those with more angular jawlines (like myself!). Hoops are the most popular type of earring for most women because it is so versatile and timeless, that we included a variety of sizes and twists on the hoop theme. 

The continuing theme throughout the Elements Collection though is the unique ‘scratched’ finish on each and every piece. This finish adds interest and depth to each jewel, and gives it almost a matte look. As always, we looked for a strong and allergy-safe base material (brass) and added luxury premium materials such as 925 sterling silver, rose gold and 18 karat gold plating, as well as rhodium and black hematite. This gives the Elements Collection a great variety of colours and looks, in necklaces, earrings, bracelets and bangles. 

I’ve been wearing the new Elements pieces a lot, and both in Canada and here in Thailand there has been a great response to the collection. Which brings me to the second bit of news: Senzu jewelry is now also available in Thailand through our sister company, Senzu (Thailand) Limited! Visit our senzustyle.com contact page for all the details. 

Tomorrow night Senzu will be participating in The Wine Ladies Dinner in Support of The Heart and Stroke Foundation. In this month of love and Valentine’s Day, it is a great opportunity to support this very important organisation. Enjoy a great wine-paired dinner at Cucci, swag bags with Senzu jewelry in it, and bid on the Inori© for Senzu Stainless Steel & Crystal jewelry set in the silent auction, all for this amazing cause. 

We hope to see you there! 

Cristel,

Your Senzu Style Insider

This is not a jewelry blog post

Rene Magritte - This is not a Pipe
and this is not a post about
jewelry, or is it? ;-)

“Many of life's failures come from people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas Edison.

I thought it would be a nice change to talk about something other than Senzu jewellery for a change (though I am always happy to talk about that!). So I thought it would be more interesting to give you a bit of an insight as to why we started Senzu, and what challenges come with building your own business. 

Playful Metal Colours Necklace
& matching bracelets
SZFNL37

The quote this post started with was tweeted by Bear Grills, one of my favorite personalities on the Discovery Channel. I love his ‘can do’ attitude towards any situation he’s dropped into or that crosses his path. In one way, he is the ultimate boy scout; always prepared. On the other hand, he improvises when he does not have a particular tool to get him out of a pickle. When he can’t have elk steak in some tundra he’s stuck in, he opts for catching something or eating bugs. Ok, I would not go that far, but the underlying idea is flexibility and adaptation to your environment. It was also tweeted the same day by Anthony Robbins, the well-known self-improvement and inspirational speaker. The bottom line is, don’t give up too soon! If you truly believe in a project or concept, the business model and the strategy, then go do it! Nay-sayers be damned ;-)

Multi-Tone Metal Chain Necklace
SZFNL45

For me, I always wanted to get back into in the jewelry industry. Many years ago, when living overseas, for a while I worked with another jewelry company that used a proven, no-pressure networking sales method and I got a taste of it, and ever since then it was always in the back of my mind to return to that industry. 

If I had given up on this idea for a jewelry business concept over 15 years ago, Senzu would not exist today. Timing is everything, and the rest is enthusiasm and perseverance! 

So if you’ve ever had the idea to start your own business, work for yourself (no boss!) or work from home, then why not grab the bull by the horns and make 2011 your year? There are lots of options out there, a Senzu Stylist bring one of them. 

Next blog post I'll talk about the advantages and challenges of being your own boss as well as working from home. 

Until then, Style it Up and Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Cristel, your Senzu Style Insider.