Daniele Klein, founder of Anne x Joseph, describes her journey from the field of finance to creating bespoke jewellery in this intimate interview.
Q: Who is the founder of Anne x Joseph, and why the name Anne x Joseph?
A: My name is Daniele Klein and I am the founder behind Anne x Joseph. The name of the brand was inspired by my children. My daughter’s middle name is Anne, my son’s middle name is Joseph, hence the name. They are two most important people in the world to me, so it made sense to go with that.
Q: When did you start this brand and what inspired you to start it?
A: I started the brand during the COVID -19 pandemic, so this was late 2020. We were all in lockdown and while my background is in finance. My career is in risk management. I’ve always had a love for the arts, so quite frankly, I started making beaded bracelets as a form of self-care and a way to take my mind off everything else that was going on in the world.
Q: How did you groom yourself in the craft of jewellery making?
A: Believe it or not, it’s 100% self-taught. I have no formal training in jewellery making. But, I think, because I enjoyed it so much and because of how calming and relaxing the process was for me, I started looking at various online techniques, reading books and just through practice, my craft grew from there.
Q: What kind of jewellery do you specialize in?
A: For the most part, my pieces, I would consider them demifying. I use freshwater pearls, I use gold filled chains, essentially materials that won’t necessarily break the bank. However, you will get what you’re paying for in my pieces in that with proper care, they should last you a lifetime.
Q: Where do you get your design inspiration from?
A: For the most part, I would say my design inspiration essentially comes from life. In the beginning, you could see a lot of my own personal style, which tends to be on the more conservative side, reflected in my designs. However, as I grew in my craft, I realized that there are ways in which I can include my own personal style within my designs. However, I can step out of my comfort zone and make pieces that are attractive to a wider audience.
Q: What is your designing and making process?
A: I’m going to start with my process. It’s not really streamlined. I think because I’ve held on to the initial reason why I started the brand, which again, was a form of self-care for me. It’s something I enjoy doing. There’s no pressure for there to be a formalized process. So, if I come up with a design and you know, I love it and I think my customers or potential customers will love it, I implement it. I get the hardware that I need to make the pieces and I go from there and they’re all handmade by yours truly.
Q: As a jewellery maker, what product care advice would you give to people?
A: I think product care is very important, especially with the pieces that I make. I say this over and over again, that if you invest in a piece of mine, it should last you a lifetime. However, there are certain things that should be done to ensure that. So, actually with each delivery of mine, I include a care card, which gives details on how we should treat our pieces. So, for instance, not getting them into contact with water, with perfumes, etc. I also include boxes for my jewellery pieces as well as polishing cloths. So, I do provide that information with every piece of jewellery that they sell.
Q: What are some of the upcycled designer pieces that you have made?
A: Gosh the upcycle designer pieces. So, when I first started out, that’s a lot of what I focused on. But throughout the years, I’ve sort of taken the focus away from that and focused more on my designs.
Q: Could you tell us about some of your own personal favourite pieces?
A: In terms of favourite pieces, I’m actually wearing one right now. So, this piece, I actually purchased a vintage designer bracelet, which it consisted of five of these gold medallions. However, I have a tiny wrist and it wouldn’t fit. I actually took one of the medallions off and turned it into this necklace. So, pieces like this that tell a story, those are my favourites.
Q: How do you think Anne x Joseph is different from the other jewellery brands?
A: Since I began this journey, I’ve actually come into contact with and become quite close with a number of other female jewellery designers. So certainly, there are pieces that are out there that I think can suit various needs. I think, you know, speaking for my brand specifically, what I would say sets me apart is that there is no pressure to mass produce pieces. The brand keeps going because, like I said before, I enjoy making these pieces by hand and there is a lot of thought and a lot of care that goes into each piece that I make, that I list for sale, and that I ship out to customers. So for me, I would say that’s the one thing that I believe sets me apart.
Q: As a philanthropist, what initiatives have you taken towards worthwhile causes?
A: Philanthropy – this is something, you know, ever since I was a young girl, it’s always been something that I have been very, very passionate about. My father instilled that within me. He came from very humble beginnings. He’s always instilled within me and my siblings the importance of giving back. Once I started the brand, I decided that I was going to dedicate two collections a year to two worthy causes. We’ve been in business going on for years now. So, each year in April, I create a collection where the proceeds from that collection go to an individual organization who could use them towards help with promoting autism acceptance and awareness. Similarly, in October, I release a collection. It’s called the Rosa Collection and proceeds from that go towards advancing breast cancer support and care.
Q: What gives the brand its luxe standard?
A: I personally believe that the definition of luxury and what it means to each of us as individuals has evolved over the years. The pieces that I make, the level of care and thought that goes into the designs, as well as making them, packing them, shipping them, I believe that all of that adds to the luxurious experience. But most of all, the focus is the end user. Once you receive my product, once you put that piece on, whether it’s a necklace, a pair of earrings, a bracelet, once you feel luxurious in it, and that is my goal. With every single piece that I make, then I feel that I’ve done my job and I feel comfortable calling my pieces luxurious.
Q: What kind of clientele do you usually attract?
A: After almost three years of doing this and getting to know so many of my customers, because a lot of them are repeat customers. I am confident in saying that in general, the clientele that I attract, they’re very similar to me. They know what they like, they know what they want, they know what looks good on them, and they’re confident in that. They’re also comfortable with reaching out to me to say, I’ve seen this piece on your website. However, is it possible for you to make slightly different versions for me, for instance? And I love that. That’s how I get to build rapport with a lot of my customers. So, in short, I would say my clientele, they are women who are beautiful on the inside and out. They are confident and they know what they want.
Q: Finally, where can people find Anne x Joseph jewellery?
A: For anyone interested in purchasing Anne and Joseph jewellery, we are primarily online http://www.annexjoseph.com. We’re also on Instagram @AnnexJoseph. So again, primarily online, we ship worldwide. However, we do have collections in the Flying Solo store in Soho in New York City, as well as the My Runway Group store in Covent Garden in London. The goal for the remainder of this year is to expand our retail store footprint. So, lookout for us in new cities, hopefully by the end of the year.
