By Lazeena Yearwood
Lazeena@newsroom.gy
‘DOLNI With Love’ is a jewellery business that was birthed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 to provide women with staple pieces and boost their confidence with every wear.
The owner, 25-year-old Amanda Jaisingh, started her journey of creating pieces made of polymer clay while also maintaining her office job.
With a desire of creating her own footprint, she took the risk of launching an online business.
Her handmade pieces range from necklaces to earrings and include bracelets and much more.
“It took me a while to come up with something to actually bring to the market that would be different and that people would actually like,” Jaisingh said in an interview with the News Room.
Jaisingh explained that she wasn’t always a creative person but became immersed in the field after seeing similar pieces on Instagram. She was 22-years-old at the time, didn’t have a lot of money and with little to no training or exposure to handmade jewellery, Jaisingh decided to self-train.
With her new interest in clay designs, Jaisingh found herself searching YouTube to learn to make these pieces for herself and she spent several months practicing. When she felt confident in her craft, she launched her business.
“I’d watch videos like almost every day. I got the tools that I would need and at the time I didn’t have money but I just took the risk to buy all the materials and I tried it. This was like October 2020 and for six to seven months I was just practicing and trying to perfect it,” she said.
Jaisingh also gave out samples to friends as a way of figuring out what people liked and how she could improve the jewellery. She said there was a time she was using the wrong clay and it caused her jewellery to break but her handwork paid off.
“They [my friends] didn’t know I was creative and I didn’t know that myself. So when I showed them, they would ask: ‘you made this?’ and I would say yes. I received a lot of support from my friends,” she said.
Jaisingh also mentioned that sometimes she gets discouraged but her new found love for the craft and wanting to create a product that her customers will love has kept her going. To Jaisingh, her business was not an easy investment. She explained that she had to leave her job to focus on her business. She also spends countless hours designing the jewellery.
“I have periods where I feel burnt out and I would just give myself a break so I don’t completely lose interest in the craft. On average I work for like two days straight, work through day and night only taking breaks for lunch and dinner. That includes conditioning, cutting, polishing, assembling, the photography and uploading on my website,” she said.
The young entrepreneur is able to carry on with her business with the support she receives. She said the support has been both shocking and encouraging. She hopes to continue perfecting the art and eventually offering classes to other interested persons.
Her store can be found at shopdolni.com or at the Sachstore on Waterloo Street, Georgetown.
