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After five years in business, Jane Winchester Paradis’s jewelry brand, Jane Win, has earned fans, including Jill Biden and Debra Messing. The brand’s focus is bold coin charms, inspired by antique coins of the 1900s worn on gold necklaces. Topped with meaningful symbols and words like “hope,” the coins are often purchased to mark significant moments in one’s life, Winchester Paradis said on the latest Glossy Podcast.
Jane Win’s sales increased 113% during the pandemic from December 2020 to December 2021. It relies on DTC and wholesale sales channels and regularly hosts trunk shows to give customers an in-person shopping experience.
Below are additional highlights from the conversation, which have been lightly edited for clarity.
How Covid propelled the business
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“Our business is built on core values that are very clear. We’re gritty, and we dig in. Yes, I had that moment of fear [during the pandemic]. There was so much fear in the world. But also, from that point forward, after taking a deep breath, I thought of myself as a linebacker — someone who’s low to the ground and gets a lot of hits. And you just take them and move forward every single day. And so that was our mindset. And as the business grew during that time, [when] factories shut down, the production cycle blew up. That’s when we got very creative.”
Establishing a loyal customer base
“We spend a lot of time and energy connecting to customers digitally through digital advertising. Of course, everything’s social, and we see a return. We focus on new consumer acquisition through that channel. Then, we bring them through our funnel of repurchases after spending the time and energy on digital advertising. [The customer] enters [the brand] through the core coins. Once she gets that first piece, we say it can be a bit addictive, she ends up a collector. It’s kind of fun to [be able to] help her build. In the digital landscape, I’m on Instagram Stories every single day talking about products. She connects with me and she connects with the piece because she always has her phone with her.”
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Conceptualizing coin jewelry
“With the coin jewelry, specifically, I knew I wanted something classic, and that was the coin. I’m more of an illustrator, so when I was drawing and sketching, I did want a little bit more space. So having them be two-sided, a true coin, was essential. Then, who wants small diamonds? Who wants small bits of gold? We want bigger bits. So immediately, the brand’s core was around these original coins that were just a notch bigger. As we layered on charms, they felt good. Most everything is sterling silver plated and 14 karat gold. And it has a heft and a weight to it that really exudes the quality that we want in the semi-fine space.”
