Tether Jewelry & Other Couture for the “Olympica” Design

At this year’s Exposition, Tether Jewelry & Other Couture won the Creative Innovator’s Award with their “Olympica” design. This design is available in yellow and rose gold, naked, and obsidian as part of Tether’s Noachis Terra collection. I had the opportunity to interview Paul Shinichi from Tether about this design and his experiences in the Expo.

Marina: This is your second year as a vendor at Conference. How were the two experiences different?

Tether Jewelry: It felt really good my second year to have studios and piercers come to our booth the first day specifically seeking us out, eager & excited to see the new collection. It makes me extremely happy knowing some- thing I designed is bringing someone joy and excitement when they wear it. It feels like I’m on the right path.

Last year I was so nervous, honestly now it is a giant blur. I made some rookie mistakes, but I definitely learned a lot! From a logistics standpoint, just knowing what to expect this year made it so much easier. We bring quite a bit of inventory to the Expo, so studios can take all the jewels home with them. This year, I had one person specifically handling all jewelry operations and that made everything smoother and quicker. Actually, I would like to shout out to my crew for making this year’s experience amazing. Eleni Evangelatos, Lilly O’Neill, and Sara Martin—y’all are magnificent!

Marina: You were awarded the Creative Innovator Award last year as well. How did that influence your submission in 2017?

Tether Jewelry: I really wanted to collaborate with someone for this year’s entry. Mike Knight, owner, designer, and jeweler for Other Couture, and I had been sharing little sneak peeks at what we had been working on in months previous. He is someone I have a lot of respect for, and he always pushes to do more innovative and detail oriented work, super inspiring stuff. So it just made sense to work together.

Marina: Tell us about the Olympica design. What makes it so special?

Tether Jewelry: I’ve been wanting to design a large gauge hidden hinge ring for quite some time. I just thought ‘wouldn’t it be cool if it was one continuous design and you almost can’t figure out where the seam is, almost like a puzzle!?’ After many failed attempts, I finally got it. This design in particular had several iterations because steel is so difficult to work with, especially when you are casting it. What works in gold and silver might not work in steel. It’s a great design idea and I’m already planning more larger-gauge hidden-hinge concepts for next year!

Marina: Aside from the Olympica design, do you have a personal favorite in this year’s collection?

Tether Jewelry: I’m a big fan of the Vitae design. I’m actually wearing them right now. That’s one of the perks of being a designer, designing things for yourself! This design is a nod to my love of marquise cut stones.

Marina: Last year, we asked if you had words of wisdom to share with small manufacturers getting their start in the body modification industry. You answered to “plan for the long game.” Can you expand on that advice?

Tether Jewelry: I am the new guy and I’m still learning how to run this business the best that I can. However, I’m not new to the industry. I’m putting in the time to Tether, much like I did in my piercing career. You need to put in as much time as possible, and just make it work. It can be super challenging at times. I mean, I still drive for Uber on the weekends. Also, it’s not always about designing jewelry. It’s about learning the business side too. I read and listen to a crazy amount of entrepreneurial articles, books, and podcasts. I can make a pretty decent customized spreadsheet now!

The definition of success can vary dramatically from one artist to the next. For me it has changed and evolved over time.

The long game is complicated. Most makers don’t want to make production pieces or outsource and I completely understand why. The long game, in my opinion, rests on the success of brick and mortar studios. If more makers in our industry build interesting products that will sustain a reselling market it’s a win/win. I think there is a huge void in our industry of mid-range retail products that are well made, interesting, and made from steel alloys.

The biggest hurdle for me as a designer was switching my mindset from “I want to make the best quality, most bad-ass jewelry ever” to “I want to make well built, bad-ass jewelry, that studios can sell to a wider audience.”

Marina: Is there anything else you’d like to share with The Point readership?

Tether Jewelry: Do more 14 gauge piercings!