2020 may have been a dreadful year for British business, but for sisters Mehreen and Maha it was the start of a journey. A journey to change the face of the jewellery industry and the way in which it is viewed.
Co-founder Mehreen Arshad takes up the story:
“It all started back when gold prices were going up and good pieces of jewellery were hard to find. So we thought, okay if we can’t find anything we’ll create something. It came from an idea jewellery should be affordable and sustainable, we found a gap in the market which was you couldn’t find high quality created diamonds and gemstones. So we got to work. Jewellery is in my blood so my sister and I were really into this. We wanted to come into the niche of demi fine jewellery, which is actually a new niche that’s emerging now. And essentially, that’s the gap we found. So that’s how it started.”
What was your main inspiration?
“I think it was a little bit of frustration about not being able to find the high quality jewellery at an affordable price that you wanted. And the fact that there’s so many people that are going to be feeling in the same position when I think during that time, and this is a very technical point, but gold prices because of clothing and other things went up higher than platinum, which is never the case. “One of the things that we really wanted to get across was that we wanted an affordable, luxurious brand. So it needed to be something that people could cherish for a long time, but also affordable. And I think that’s where this came from. A lot of brands out there, you could probably get one or two pieces and that’s it. But we wanted to bring in that same luxury feel of these jewellery pieces, but for it to be affordable and so people can feel empowered by jewellery.”
What makes Creatiste unique/special?
“We’re challenging the status quo in that we’re bringing unique designs and making them affordable and opening up a whole new market for demi fine jewellery with created diamonds and gemstones. I think the fact that Creatiste pairs gold Vermeil with created diamonds and gemstones is a unique space, which I don’t think a lot of brands have even explored. We’re exploring a different diamond cut within our stones and then bringing that into a base. Metal silver, which is our jewellery, is mainly sort of weighty. So on a per gram basis there’s a lot of silver we use and then we use a thicker placing of gold vermeil, at least two and a half microns, but we can go up to as much as three or five microns and essentially that is a layer plating. The design process takes up to six months from sketching out what our collection should look like, then going to the technical designers who will then look at every facet such as the dimensions etc. It then goes on to the craftsmen to tweak the design, prepare and hand craft the pieces so you’re looking at a jewellery item which undergoes a quality and lengthy process to bring it to market.”
What does sustainability mean to you?
“It’s being more ethically conscious as a consumer and as a brand. I want to look at practices – not just for diamonds and gemstones but also precious metals too. We use sustainable gold vermeil and plating methods and this is essentially what sustainability means, there’s so much about looking into practices we can implement in our daily lives.”
Where do you see Creatiste in five years?
“Creatiste has got a lot of potential. I wouldn’t work this hard if I didn’t believe in it. If customers are happy with our jewellery items and cherish it every day and they keep coming back and saying they’re a sustainable and ethical brand then that is quite an achievement for Creatiste. We want to build as much awareness as much possible into created diamonds and gemstones and having jewellery that is ethical, luxury but reasonably priced as well. The sky is the limit for Creatiste, the main goal for us is to ensure every customer is completely satisfied and happy with their jewellery. The experience for them matters to us. We don’t just want to be a company that wants to sell, sell, sell, you need to look at what’s behind the brand and we’re consistent in what we stand for. This is our niche and this is what it’s going to be for us. We want to appeal to every customer across the board from all walks of life.”