Conversations with Hsiang-Ting Yen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hsiang-Ting Yen.

Hi Hsiang-Ting, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My love of jewelry started at an early age. Just like every little girl, I loved to play with my mother’s jewelry. I was drawn to the fun geometric shapes and the bold colors, especially the 80’s clip resin earrings. Years later, I began to collect my own jewelry when I was in college. As a maker, I was fascinated with the idea of making my own jewelry and fortunately in 2006, I was introduced to “Beginning Metals and Jewelry” class in my junior year. As soon as I held that jewelers saw in my hand, I knew I had found my calling.

In 2012, I received my M.A. and M.F.A. degrees in Metals and Jewelry from Savannah College of Art and Design. During the three and half years of my graduate school training, I created one of a kind jewelry not only for my loved ones but also for clients that I met at the Philadelphia Museum of Art craft shows. I truly enjoy the sense of achievement that comes from knowing how much joy my jewelry brings to my clients. I became absorbed with the challenge of problem-solving and brainstorming designs and making the jewelry. I didn’t want to stop. In order to continuously share my passion with the world, I founded HTY Jewelry in 2013 in Raleigh, NC.

My studio locates at Artspace in downtown Raleigh, NC where I create my jewelry and meet my clients throughout the week.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always ups and downs, but the biggest struggle I’ve experienced so far since I started my business is the Covid crisis last year. I have to learn to pivot my business model to more custom jewelry focus since all my craft shows were canceled due to the pandemic (most of them are still canceled in 2021). It was a learning curve to adapt the new normal and finding the balance. That’s also one of the main reasons I decided to move my home studio to Artspace in downtown Raleigh last summer in the middle of the pandemic, it allows me to be more approachable to the potential clientele in the Triangle region.

It was definitely scary in the beginning to make such a big change while I was experiencing financial challenges and now adding rent payment onto the top of my existing business expense. In the meanwhile, I was also working with a content/marketing strategist to help me to revamp my website presence in order to target the custom jewelry clienteles. Fortunately, I started to see the difference by the end of last year, and I’m glad to say I made the right decision to pull the trigger and made the move in order to survive from the pandemic.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
HTY Jewelry is focusing on two directions:

HTY Jewelry Collection is designed for the woman who is independent and confident.

Custom Jewelry Service is for clients who are seeking more personalized, top quality jewelry.

The style of my work has been shifting from literal context to a more abstract and organic aesthetics, and it’s emphasizing on the relationship between the jewelry and the wearer. My jewelry is designed for confident and sophisticated women, it conveys the symphony of bold colors, organic forms, gemstones, wearability, and artistic instincts. My goal is to always trust my artistic gut when it comes to jewelry design, and I’m determined to create the most unique and timeless piece to every single of my jewelry lovers. It’s not dare, it’s a promise.

All pieces are handmade with time and care. I am determined to create the timeless jewelry that you can cherish not just for your lifetime but for generations!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Don’t put all eggs in one basket. Be flexible and adaptive.

I believe one of the main reasons that HTY Jewelry was able to survive from the pandemic is because my business structure wasn’t solely rely on one source of income. Before the pandemic, there are five main elements as my business revenue: In-person craft shows, wholesale to galleries, custom jewelry service (custom engagement ring, wedding ring, heirloom redesign, jewelry for special occasions), online sales, and teaching. During the pandemic, I re-balanced my business model to focus on custom jewelry service and online sale because I already had the foundation built in those categories, it made the transition easier than started from the scratch.

Contact Info:

• Email: hsiangtingyen@htyjewelry.com
• Website: www.htyjewelry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/htyjewelry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HTYJewelry

Image Credits
Portraits: Catherine Davis (Catherine Davis Photography) Jewelry work: Hsiang-Ting Yen ( HTY Jewelry)