Welcome to the fourth edition of the Get To Know Your Jeweller Series where I sit down with the one and only Dragon herself; Stephenie Denault, and discuss all things shiny!
In this 4 part series, we will discuss how she came to be the Jeweller we all love today, the ins and outs of her craft, her inspirations, the struggles and everything shiny in between!
Pull up a seat and stay awhile, things are heating up fireside in the Dragons Den!
Q. Your business growth was phenomenal this year when the Howl Ring was showcased on TikTok... Nuts as you mentioned earlier! A well deserved vacation is in the works soon, super exciting!
How do you recharge and take time for you when you are on vacation?
I try to make myself disconnect from my shop and online as much as I can. Like this recent road trip I took with a friend of mine, I like to go somewhere fun, be it to an open pit mine to go rock hounding, to visiting nature parks like we did last summer in Gaspe. The end of October we're going for a 2 week vacation to Walt Disney World with family, a much needed detachment from work (I'm a workaholic and tend to work 60+ hours a week when home!) For business owners, we all need to just detach from the business for a little while. It's not easy, especially with smart phones. So I make myself only check up on my shop once a day if possible.
Q. A little birdie told me you are digging for amethysts while away! Will you be putting any of your potential finds into some new creations when you return?
LOL, not really! My friend and I are heading to Thunder Bay for amethysts, and they have 3 open pit mines the public can visit. I was a rock hound before I became a jeweller, and most of what I'm looking for is for fun pieces to display at home, and maybe add to my displays at shows!
Q. Is there any new collection pieces in the works that we can get some insider information about? Sneak peek if you will?
I'm presently working on a pendant for a customer that will be added to the website soon. All I can say it's Stargate related... So you'll need to join my email list for the news when it comes out!
Q. What does your business look like in the next 2 years? Are there any big plans, changes, or vending in the works for Le Dragon Argenté?
I'm hoping to be able to streamline my online shop more, but if things get back to normal, I'll be back to doing conventions again, and hopefully I can get some more inspiring ideas for new pieces! Plus if possible, I want to take 3 weeks to drive to Tucson for the mega Rock & Gem Jamboree!
Q. If you had the ability to go back in time 5 years ago to 2016; what would you tell yourself then, knowing what you know today?
I'd tell myself to get my own stand alone site up NOW! Etsy is great, but it so much more worth having my own website! And I'd warn myself to avoid a few disaster shows coming up! I had some horror stories from shows in 2016!
There you have it folks, the ins and outs, the good the bad, the struggles and hustles and all things shiny here in the Dragons Den!
Huge thank you to Stephenie for sharing her story!
Stay tuned for next months editions where we dig into Conventions, show stopper pieces, limited editions and more!
Join me soon, fireside, in the Dragons Den!