Bod & Ted Interview with Joma Designer…Katie Doyle

How did you decide on the name Joma?

The name Joma was the Tibetan name I was given by a really sweet Tibetan lady where we first found our turquoise stones and put together our first few designs. My Tibetan name was Joma and my boyfriend (and business partner) Geoff’s name was Jashi. so the little J heart J symbol that stands for Joma Jewellery also stands for us which I love!

How many of you are there in the Joma team?

We are a team of 22 in the UK and a team of 40 in China, where we have our own factory and distribution units. We are incredibly lucky to have such a loyal and hardworking team.

How would you describe the concept of Joma?

The concept of Joma is to create beautiful, high quality jewellery with a classic and timeless feel at a strong price point. As I design for each season I try to make sure all designs will sit with our previous collections and complement existing pieces to create a wonderful collection that you can build upon and use to tell your own story.

Who is the Joma wearing woman?

We have so many different Joma Women (or ‘Joma’s Jewels’ as we say in the office!) because our jewellery design is classic and timeless and playful we are have such a wide age range of customers, but at the heart she is beautiful and elegant and kind.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I take inspiration from everything, I see patterns, colours and shapes in fashion, fabric, nature, shapes in the sky etc. I might see a shape or texture and my mind will just race through a hundred different ideas and possibilities. I love rooting through vintage jewellery stands and looking at different settings, colours and styles. My all-time favourite thing to do is go and stand at a Cartier, Tiffany or beautiful Jewellery shop window and feel the magic and romance of jewellery shopping which just inspires a thousand new ideas!

How long does the process take from designing to the finished product?

Sometimes it can be very quick, but normally start designing about 9 months ahead of launching a collection, I’m constantly drawing and jotting down ideas, but I will draw my final image, and then a new model is made for each individual link and component, which takes around 3 weeks. Sometimes, it is perfect first time, but normally I go back and forth for the next few months tweaking each piece, looking at texture, colour, finish, shape, weight etc and then we go into production of stock ready for the next seasons launch. Samples are made and distributed and finally the end pieces are ready for delivery. It is quite a long process, but never feels it, for me the time just flies, probably because I enjoy every moment!

What is your favourite piece from this seasons collection?

Probably our ‘kiss-me-quick mistletoe earrings, I think they are just gorgeous and have a wonderfully playful side. They are perfect for this time of year, but will definitely be coming back next Christmas!

Who would you love to see wearing Joma?

ooo, someone classic and cool, like mirander kerr, or liv tyler! I love women who dress elegantly and embrace everything beautiful about womankind.

Who is your style icon past or present?

I don’t really have one person, I just love a classic elegance and a romance which is quite hard to find these days. Maybe a mixture of Grace Kelly and Marion Cottilard !

What can we expect to see from Joma in the forthcoming year?

This year is SO exciting for us, we are already busy working on Christmas for next year which is looking as sparkly and beautiful as ever. We are introducing a gorgeous new range of resin roses, and clusters of flowers for spring, and we are expanding our bestselling line of ‘a little ‘ bracelets on cards. In January we are expanding into Ireland and france, we are growing so quickly it’s just such an exciting process. I expect to be thoroughly exhausted, but if all goes to plan this next year should be our best yet!

Finally….what three words would you use to describe Joma?

Love, love, love!

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