In Episode #71 of the Joy Joya Jewelry Marketing Podcast, I interview Mayumi Ishii, the exclusive U.S. distributor of Chrysmela, which makes and sells the most secure earring back in the world. Since it was launched in 2008, the proven technology has been patented in five countries: the US, UK, France, Italy and Japan, where the brand has dominated the entire jewelry category for a few years.

We love the story behind Chrysmela: Founder Eri Kikunaga came up with the idea after fighting and breaking up with her then-boyfriend over losing an earring he had gifted her. All of Chrysmela’s products are made in Japan with the same precision technology used for smartphones and fine watches. Each back has its own serial number and is hypoallergenic with a surgical stainless steel mechanism. In addition, the platinum and gold coatings are 99.9% pure. 

In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to introduce a disruptive new jewelry product into an industry that’s based on long-standing tradition. Some other topics include:

• The goals Mayumi had for Chrysmela when she introduced the brand to the US market
• How the brand differentiates itself from competitors
• How Chrysmela brings glamour and a luxury feel to a kind-of-boring category
• How to adjust the approach to marketing and sales for both B2B and D2C audiences
• The marketing and public relations tactics that have yielded the most success
  …and more!

Be sure to visit the Chrysmela website to view their earring-back solutions and follow them on Instagram @chrysmela. In addition, Mayumi wanted me to share that, for retailers and jewelers, Chrysmela’s wholesale price starts with just 12 units per order, in any combination of their 6 SKUs.