Woman Behind the Brand: Randa van Santen
Sorrow can bring forth something very beautiful, you know that when you listen to Adele's music.
Randa's life didn't always color as she had imagined. Getting pregnant – and staying pregnant – was difficult. Stones gave her support and reminded her of her strength and the importance of keeping faith, no matter how hard that sometimes was. In the meantime, she is the mother of Jayce and Jara and decided: I need to do something with this. Et voilà, Jara Jewelry was born, with the wonderful tagline: your stone, your strength.
Randa, you had a job in sales at various publishing houses, were of course busy with your family, and yet you thought: I'm going to do this. I'm going to start my jewelry collection with special stones as a leitmotif. Tell me.
“During that period, I was still living in Sweden. Due to some challenges in my pregnancy, I ended up at home earlier. In Sweden, women get twelve months of leave, so suddenly there was space, space to reflect and allow new ideas. That coincided with the corona period, a time when everything seemed to stand still.
I was very sure that I wanted to be with our little one as much as possible in the first years. And then, as a cherry on top, I got pregnant again quite quickly. Doing absolutely nothing didn't suit me. It was precisely during those years, in between motherhood, that Jara Jewelry slowly took shape. From a feeling, not from a strict plan.
When my youngest got a bit older, I felt: now is the time. From that moment on, I fully focused on the business.
There are many women who express their love for jewelry by starting their own line. How does Jara Jewelry distinguish itself from the rest?
For me, it's not just about the beauty of a piece of jewelry, but especially about the function and energy of the stone, and what it can mean for a woman. We women are incredibly good at being hard on ourselves, at doubting, at making ourselves smaller than necessary. Gemstones can play a gentle but powerful role in that. Each stone carries its own energy. Sometimes you need a loving reminder to be softer with yourself. Sometimes you need a push to speak up, take your space, and feel: I am good as I am.
My mission is to help women remember their strength, everything that is already within them. That's why: Your stone, your strength.
How does your process work? From choosing the stone to having it made by the right people. I know that sustainability is very important to you. How did you find the workshop that met all your requirements and standards?
The search for the right partner was long, and to be honest, I fell hard a few times. I had no experience in this industry, so unfortunately, I had to learn some tough lessons.
The partner I have been working with for almost two years now fully shares my vision of sustainability and ethically responsible production. I find that, especially in this industry, very important. We work exclusively with recycled materials, natural gemstones that are ethically sourced, and everything comes from trusted, sustainable sources. This way, it feels right for me from start to finish.
Who is your ideal Jara Jewelry woman?
That is the woman who keeps all the balls in the air. Who runs a busy family and tries to combine her work, her friends, her sports, her relationship, and her hobbies with love. But it is also the woman for whom life becomes a bit quieter, the empty nest, rediscovering who you are.
It is the woman with a desire for children. The woman who is approaching menopause, with everything that comes with it. And actually, it is every woman who, whatever her life phase, wants to continue feeling beautiful. With softness, with strength, and with class. That is the Jara Jewelry woman for me.
I can imagine that if you see someone walking with a ring of yours on – just on the street – it must feel just like when an artist hears their song for the first time on the radio. Have you had such a moment yet? And did you tap that person on the shoulder to tell them who you are?
That moment is yet to come, but when it happens, I certainly wouldn't be able to resist telling them how special I find it. And how grateful I am for the support.
What I do experience are the messages from women who share what a piece of jewelry means to them. Recently, I received a message from a woman who lost her husband. She told me that the ring gave her strength and that she felt how much love it was made with. I really got a lump in my throat. This is why I do what I do.
You have a young family, a husband with a solid job. How do you maneuver your workday and projects around that?
That is sometimes quite a challenge. In a few months, the youngest will also go to school, and then I will have a bit more space to give time and attention to Jara Jewelry. For now, it sometimes runs at a slightly lower level, and that's completely okay. Just because it was a bit quieter, I had the space to consciously determine how I want to do it, what I want to convey, and what I truly stand for.
I am greatly supported by my family in this. That help makes it possible to keep building, step by step, in a way that fits this phase of my life.
There is of course never an average workday, but can you still describe a Randa day for me?
It actually always starts the same way: the youngest is always between us around 5:30 AM. So we get up early, having breakfast together is very important to me, that moment at the beginning of the day is truly sacred for me. We start the day together, no matter how early it is.
After that, I take the kids to daycare and school and then open my laptop at home. I always start with processing the orders and keeping up with my socials. Marketing, emails, new ideas, everything that is needed for Jara Jewelry at that moment gets attention.
Around lunchtime, I consciously make space to exercise. That is really my moment to clear my head and recharge. After lunch, I handle some emails and administration, and before I know it, it's already time to pick up the kids.
The days are intense, but also very rich. It's constantly switching between being a mother and an entrepreneur, and that combination suits me perfectly.
I really believe in the power of clothing. Is there an outfit that makes you feel extra powerful? And is there also a perfume that goes with it?
I really believe in that too. I naturally like to wear black. During my time in the office, I often chose beautiful dresses and skirts. As a cargo bike mom, I've become a bit more practical, but that love for style has never disappeared.
Now I like to wear a good pair of jeans, with sneakers for the playground, but just as easily with heels and a nice blouse or blazer for business meetings, a dinner, or a drink. And if we really go out to eat? Then the dresses, heels, and beautiful bags come out of the closet again. Then it can be all ‘on’ again.
I actually never change my favorite scent: Atomic Rose by Initio. It fits me so well. I can really lose myself in clothing, scents, and makeup; it's a form of expression for me and a way to strengthen myself.
Do you think that if I had told young Randa that she would later have a jewelry line, she would be surprised or just very happy and satisfied? In other words: was this something you always wanted to be?
Not necessarily in this form, but I think she would have been very happy and satisfied. The love for stones and jewelry was already there early on. I can still see myself sitting at my mother's dressing table, completely absorbed in her jewelry. I was really such a little magpie. I also had a different stone for every occasion. Looking back, it fits quite well!
What business advice has always stuck with you? My father always said: make sure you are at the office earlier than your boss and that you leave later. Did you also have such a lesson that you often adhered to?
What beautiful advice. I was always told that there is actually nothing I can't do, and that true success starts with self-confidence. Not overthinking everything endlessly, but daring to trust your feelings. Just do it.
I take that lesson with me every day. Because ultimately, everything only really grows when you dare to take the step.
What are the upcoming plans for Jara Jewelry?
“We are currently really in a transition. At the moment, I mainly sell online, but I am in talks with a distributor to also bring Jara Jewelry physically to stores. That feels like a very special next step.
In addition, I am working behind the scenes on new designs and expansions of the collection, while staying true to what Jara stands for: meaningful jewelry with real energy and a story. It feels like everything is really coming together now, and that makes this phase super exciting, but above all very beautiful.
