Stella & Dot: Designer Boutique Style Jewelry to Wear or Sell

Founded by Jessica Herrin, Stella & Dot is the realization of her vision of wanting to help women achieve success through a rewarding career. She knew it would take offering an irresistible product as well as outstanding personal service to rise to the top of the heap of home-based business available to women.

Stella & Dot Inspiration

Inspiration for their jewelry designs comes from places such as fashion runways, architecture and the design world in general.  With the belief that women are seeking to live bold and joyful lives, Stella and Dot designers have come up with a beautiful and bold selection of jewelry with enough diversity of size, color and texture that there is something for everyone in their collections.

For a design to eventually become a Stella and Dot piece it must pass several criteria, such as being stylish and wearable, as well as versatile.  It must also have that “wow” factor, so that it becomes one of those irresistible “must-have” pieces that women fall in love with immediately.

The Stella & Dot Business Model:  By Women, For Women

By utilizing the living rooms of their independent stylists as showrooms and also using the internet to sell their pieces, and by scouring the world for direct sources of gems and other materials, Stella and Dot is able to offer excellent quality jewelry at a price point that most women can afford.  They are designed to work with casual as well as formal and business attire.  Any woman can expect to go from simple to stylish in a flash with Stella & Dot jewelry.

Buying Stella and Dot jewelry is easy – women can attend trunk parties in the living rooms of stylists or of friends, or they can buy jewelry online.  Buying online is fast and very convenient, although you will be required to create an account before you go through checkout.  This actually makes things more convenient the next time though, because you can then create a wishlist that can be shared with friends and family, track your purchases, and get personalized recommendations based on the pieces you have purchased in the past. Your personal stylist will receive credit for anything purchased online, provided she has subscribed to Stella & Dot’s website plan for stylists.

The Jewelry

The various collections available include necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, and charms.  There is even a darling collection of girl’s jewelry featuring acrylic beads, grosgrain ribbon and enameled pieces. The Kristin Pearl Bracelet shown below has a matching pink enameled daisy ring that my own Kristin would have loved when she was little. Talk about feeling just like Mommy!

All Stella &Dot pieces (not including girls jewelry) are designed with sterling silver or 14K vermeil over sterling silver, and genuine gemstones such as labradorite, quartz and turquiose or pressed cut glass. Most pieces are nickel and lead free, also. They will be labeled as such if they are. One unique feature of many of their rings is an internal size adjuster, so you can be sure that every ring in their collection will fit you, and you don’t have to worry about getting the wrong size and then having to return the ring.

Along with their own team of talented designers, Stella and Dot has teamed up with jewelry designers such as Lizzie Fortunato, Maya Brenner and Nancy Liebowitz to infuse their pieces with fresh, amazing styles.  The Leona Pendant Necklace below was designed in collaboration with Nancy Liebowitz and features a hand cut Labradorite stone measuring approximately 2″ x 1″,  with a 30″ chain:

One of my personal favorites is the beautiful After the Rain bracelet.  The bracelet is $79, and stretches to accommodate most wrist sizes. A coordinating brooch and ring are also available in this design. This bracelet could be worn with jeans and a sweater or a business suit and look awesome either way!

The Business Opportunity

Stella & Dot offers women the opportunity to start and grow their own jewelry business as an independent stylist. For $199, a starter kit can be purchased that includes sample jewelry, training guides and materials to help you succeed. A social media guide is included to help jumpstart your business. Additional samples can be purchased for up to 50% off at signup.

Earnings for personal stylists ranges from 25-30% of sales, and there is a 50% discount for samples. There are no quotas, or credit card fees. For those who sign up other stylists, there is a commission of up to 18% offered on the sales of those stylists.

A website is also offered to independent stylists.  As of this writing, the first 30 days is being offered for free, and then charges of $99/year or $33/3 months apply.

The Long and Short of It – Stella & Dot Delivers

If you are looking for quality, stylish, boutique jewelry at an affordable price, then Stella and Dot deserves a look.  You will find many coordinating pieces as well as a small collection of handbags available to browse online or at a trunk show given by one of their independent stylists. For any woman looking to start a business with minimal investment, their plan and start-up costs are very reasonable.  As with anything, the amount of rewards reaped will be equal to the amount of effort put in.

Happy Shopping!