One Designer who Took Her Jewelry From a Healing Hobby to a Fulfilling Business

There’s nothing better than a jewelry designer who not only loves what they do but makes their work extra special by creating meaningful pieces. 

That’s why I can’t wait to share this story with you.

Meet Dawn Vizzi DiGesare, a woman who began making jewelry as a way to aid her on her personal road to recovery, but eventually turned it into a business that supplemented her income. 

When Dawn’s mother passed away, she was devastated. She began searching for a creative outlet for her grief. She turned to beading and started incorporating gemstones for their healing properties. 

Time went on, and as Dawn became better with her craft, she also became restless with beading. She wanted her jewelry to speak and had a desire to incorporate words into her pieces, but she wasn’t sure how.

When it came to the question of selling her work, she didn’t know where to start, either! She had no clear style or brand.

Dawn found herself stuck in the mentality that while her jewelry creations were custom-made pieces of art, they would still have a difficult time selling… 

These feelings presented a challenge, causing her to feel stuck, and more than just a little lost. 

Getting a business up and running felt nothing short of impossible, especially because she already owned a salon and thought of jewelry-making as a hobby, rather than as a profitable endeavor.

Regardless, she continued making jewelry as an outlet and eventually discovered Flourish & Thrive Academy. After some looking around on the website, she decided to become a member of the Diamond Insiders.  

It was through this membership that she became aware of everything else Flourish & Thrive Academy had to offer, particularly Laying The Foundation. 

She found herself contemplating whether or not Laying The Foundation would be a worthwhile investment. 

Dawn had never bought a course on the Internet, and she didn’t know anyone else who had done so, either. It just didn’t seem like something most people would do.

But after just a few months as a Diamond Insider, she had learned so much. There was a feeling in her gut she simply couldn’t ignore. 

Dawn knew she just couldn’t pass up the opportunity, so she decided to join Laying The Foundation.

Fueled by purpose and direction, Dawn got to work and made some major changes. 

She had struggled with figuring out the distinct personality of her brand and how to make it stand out from the crowd. “Beautiful jewelry” just wasn’t cutting it—she wanted her pieces to have purpose and meaning.

Soon after she started Laying The Foundation, Dawn discovered a way to imprint signatures and other custom imagery onto her jewelry. 

She began with her mother’s signature, the reason behind the birth of her brand, and after seeing the completed piece knew she had found her niche—signature imprint jewelry, or “signature tags.” Just like that, daVoria Jewelry was born!

With that, Dawn worked with her coaches to discover exactly what she needed to help get her business up and running in a professional way. 

Here’s what she did…

• Identified her positioning as a brand that was 100% handmade and mom-inspired 

• Discovered her dream client, aka the people she most wanted to market to

• Created a website to market her products

• Did daily Facebook lives, creating an online presence beyond her website  

• Expanded on her purpose and branding, sharing a story on her website that connected customers with her jewelry 

Dawn not only began to make more money, but this also allowed her to feel more connected to her work. 

Making jewelry from signatures fulfilled her, and she quickly discovered that seeing the reaction on her customer’s faces when they first laid eyes on the custom pieces filled her heart to the brim.

Now, Dawn runs two successful businesses—her salon, and daVoria Jewelry. She’s using the income stream to supplement her retirement as she continues to enjoy her dual life passions. 

What does she say about her experience with the Flourish & Thrive Community?

“I love belonging to the community! And how the coaches and designers all come together to help each other out. I think that Laying The Foundation is a perfect fit for anyone that is serious about building their jewelry business from the ground up, or growing an existing business.”

Dawn is planning to expand her business with new collections and more online courses on metal clay jewelry making. We can’t wait to see what she creates next!

If you have your own jewelry business and are finally ready to get it off the ground and quit your 9-5, then join Laying The Foundation.