At MASAMI, we aspire to partner with other like-minded indie brands whose products are luxurious, diverse and sustainable. We struck gold with Access79, a tech-enabled, try-before-you-buy fine jewelry brand.
Luxury jewelry shopping is known for being intimidating and the service of trying jewelry on at home is often reserved for ‘elite’ clients. Access79 believes it should be the complete opposite experience so they created an easy process for their clients: take a style quiz online, select 3 unique pieces and try for 7 days at home.
Read our interview with the very inspiring Priyanka Murthy, Access79 CEO and Founder. Discover more about what luxury means to her, how their service works, her favorite jewelry piece and other female founders she admires. Plus, a few fun facts we learned about Access79 and the details about our upcoming joint giveaway.
What does luxury mean to you?
If I had my way, I’d spend 50% of my time on my family and 50% on my work. So I define luxury as convenience, such that every other task or experience in my life, whether it is eating out, traveling, or shopping for accessories, wardrobe, or wellness is as seamless and efficient as possible. I don’t want to spend a lot of time searching for the perfect product or booking the best service, because every minute I’m doing that it’s eating into my 50-50 split.
How do you make luxury accessible?
Fine jewelry is inherently a luxury purchase. Unfortunately the process of buying fine jewelry is far from luxurious and is full of friction, and fails to take into account what luxury means to the modern consumer. Modern luxury is not about pomp and circumstance or exclusivity or opacity, rather it’s about accessibility -- which translates into convenience, seamlessness, and personalized and tailored service. Our try-before-you-buy brand hits at the heart of that -- we provide women the luxury of time and space to shop at their own time, without having to navigate stores. It gives her the luxury of her own personal jewelry stylist who helps find pieces specifically for her. It puts her in the driver’s seat without the pressure and intimation that comes with the traditional jewelry shopping experience. All these factors make luxury accessible to our client.
Access79 Curated Box
What does "sustainability" mean for fine jewelry?
It means the jewelry is produced in a way that minimally impacts the environment. Minimal impact means that the sourcing of materials is transparent and ethical and isn’t involved with conflict. This also means that all the folks involved in the soup to nuts supply chain are paid fair wages and work in safe conditions.
Where do you source your products?
We carry the work of independent jewelry designers with a unique point of view and are deeply committed to sustainable who create and craft jewelry and craftswomen. We also carry our own Access79 collection of elevated essential jewelry, crafted by an illustrious group of in-house artists and master jewelers. Our work is crafted in recycled metals and uses conflict-free diamonds and gems.
Beautiful rings available on Access79
Who is the Access79 client?
We have a diverse group of women from all walks of life who love our brand. They all share a few things in common -- they are warm and multifaceted; they are engaged in their community; they are in the throws of a career or had a career; they like to look polished but do not obsess about their outfits; they value deeply their time and want to spend it on meaningful endeavors.
Do you think a female designer can bring a different sensibility to jewelry design for women?
100%. As the actual wearers of the piece, we have a totally different and nuanced view of the piece. We are able to discern whether the piece works in terms of function -- i.e. is the chain too thin such that my kid will break it; is the dangling earring lightweight enough to wear all day and design -- i.e. will it work with my winter turtleneck; can I layer it with other pieces.
Do women still rely on their significant other to buy them jewelry or are more women buying for themselves?
These days women are overwhelmingly buying jewelry for themselves. Most of the time, they simply decide what they love and buy it. Sometimes they send their significant others the ecomm link or image of what they want and then they complete the last and final act of purchase. We here at Access79 consider that a self purchase still!
What's your favorite piece?
It is a mother-of-pearl amulet necklace by one of the designers Access79 carries, Ayva Jewels. The piece has four sapphires, with each sapphire representing a man in my life -- my husband, my father, my father-in-law, and my son. These are all guys who I am really close to and who love and support me unconditionally. The necklace represents my #heforshe take on feminism which is that for women to truly achieve advancement and equality we must have the support of men. Men can and must use their position of privilege to elevate women, without men’s full participation in this endeavor, nothing will change.
Priyanka Murthy's favorite piece of jewelry by Ayva Jewels
What's been the most surprising thing about your business since you launched?
The rabid loyalty we have from our clients and community. We are still quite small but our community is so engaged with us. They post on social media about us without us even asking, they recommend us to their friends and we have yet to develop a formal referral program. Building a brand is not easy, building a business that hasn’t existed (i.e. a try-before-you-buy fine jewelry concept) seems daunting. So, we are so grateful for our community of Access79 evangelists.
Can you give a shout out to another female founded brand you love?
Oh gosh I can’t pick just one, so here are my top 5:
- Equipt Movement by Kodi Berg
- Modern Picnic by Ali Kaminetsky
- Swiminista by Andrea Bernholtz
- El Camino Travel Clubhouse by Kata Mayorga
- MilliMilli by Kelsey Searles
Fun facts we learned about Access79 - the 79 in their name is a reference to Gold in the Periodic Table of Elements; People Magazine featured them as one of the top gifts for Mother's Day; and they were recently included in celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe's CURATEUR hi-end subscription box.
We partnered together for an IG Giveaway. Follow @Access.79 and @lovemasamihair for all the details and how to enter to win a prize package worth $786.
