Meet The Creatives: Tomasz Donocik

04 Aug 2020

Continuing our series of conversation with designers working in the UK today, Belinda Morris puts globally renowned, award-winning jeweller Tomasz Donocik under the spotlight.

 

Belinda: Was jewellery designing/making your first career choice? Where did you train?

Tomasz: As a teenager when I was still living in Vienna, I wanted to be a painter and it was actually during my foundation year at Central St Martins in London that I was introduced to jewellery and goldsmithing and that completely changed my career choices. So after my foundation course, I completed a BA in Silversmithing, Goldsmithing & Jewellery at Central St Martins before getting a MA in Jewellery from the Royal College of Art.

 Image: Stellar Dusk Morganite Halo Cocktail Ring

B: How did you progress to making and selling jewellery commercially?

T: After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2006, I first designed for Stephen Webster and Garrard, then after a year, I started working as a freelance designer for other labels, and simultaneously started working on my own designs. My first commercial range was mainly silver jewellery for men.

By 2009 I was selling silver men’s jewellery collections to several stores in Japan and Europe. In parallel, I was also making my first bespoke fine jewellery pieces for local clients in London. In 2010 I created my first fine jewellery collection to be sold in stores, called ‘Garden of Good and Evil’.

 

B: What was the inspiration for your designs?

T: I have always been inspired by fine art, architecture and literature.

My ‘Electric Night’ collection takes its inspiration from the neon-lit skyscrapers of cult 1982 sci-fi movie Blade Runner. Fusing Art Deco and Futuristic aesthetics, this collection symbolises an epic journey where electric colours travel through baguette-cut stones. The geometric shapes and negative space featured in my ‘Stellar’ fine jewellery collection were inspired by American artist Frank Stella’s artworks from the 1970s.

 Image: Electric Night Blade Runner Ring

B: Describe your design ethos?

T: To describe my design ethos I would like to quote Oscar Wilde: “for those who don’t resist temptation but pursue it”. I design fine jewellery pieces for those who want something unique and special to reflect their personality and stand apart from the crowd.

 

B: What would you do differently (if anything!) if you were starting out now?

T: There are so many opportunities today online through e-commerce platforms and special media, which weren’t there when I first started so of course, if I were starting now, I would make my social media and e-shop my priority. As to the running of the business, with the benefit of hindsight, I would team up with a business partner as co-founder of my company, so that I could dedicate all my time to what I love most: designing and creating jewellery, and leave the day-to-day running of the business in the hands of a trusted partner. In any case, if I had the funding when I first started out, I would have set up a whole team instead of growing my brand on my own. 

Image: Electric Night Emerald Wing Earrings 

B: What are the key lessons that you have learned? What advice can you give to jewellery designer-makers starting out…

T: If someone is a versatile designer and maker, I would advise them to choose one specific category (such as men’s or bridal jewellery) and stick to a defined price range and materials, in order to appeal to a well-defined specific audience. It’s easier to appeal and sell to a niche rather than to everyone.

Basically don’t try to do too many things at a time. And you don’t have to design matching sets (earrings, necklace, bracelet, ring etc); you can very well develop a concept and design on one type of category only (rings for instance) and become known for it. Only once this specific product range is established and successful, should you think about expanding your product offering.

Also remember it’s easier to get your existing clients to make repeat purchases than to recruit new clients. So take really good care of your clients, nourish the relationships with them, and continue building into the type of product they bought into.

Image: Stellar Dusk Ring  

B: Covid-19 aside, how important is online and social media for your business?

T: Even before the Covid-19 crisis, online and social media was crucial for me as an independent designer without my own brick-and-mortar shop. For the last few years since I launched my e-commerce website, the e-shop has proven very complementary to my other sales channels (direct to consumer fairs and wholesale sales to department stores and independent retailers).

 

B: And how are you keeping busy in these challenging times?

T: I’m continuing to fulfil orders for my trusting clients, despite the slow down. I focus on designing my next pieces, and also on the content making for my social media and website. Also, as the lockdown was implemented, I started an online contest on my social media (Instagram and Facebook), inviting people to comment with their favourite stone and a theme they would like to see interpreted, and I would create a fine jewellery sketch of a piece tailored to the winner’s comment. This initiative was really to celebrate creativity and gather people around the joy and fun of designing during these difficult times.

Learn more about Tomasz Donocik

 

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Source: The National Association of Jewellers