Claudia_GyoieDear Gyoie friends,

I’m very happy to announce the launch of my new website. I can’t believe that it’s finally here. A CEO I once workedfor used to say about the products we sold that we should “eat our own dog food”…it’s a strange saying, I know, but it meant that we should be using the technology that we sell to our customers so we understand their experience. Well – I’ve been in high tech for over 20 years and worked so many of the leading names in Internet and E-commerce…so it’s about time that I eat my own dog food and start to use the innovative technology that I’ve been so passionately implementing and marketing for so many years. This year marked the re-launch of Gyoie (after 10 years from its deubt) – I finally had enough time to dedicate to the business (really…that’s what I like to tell myself…not sure that my family agrees) to start attending local events and launching new collections. It’s only fitting that I finally provide a better presence online to support all these activities. So now I’m here to stay and I hope that you will continue to visit and enjoy my collections!

It would not be a launch if I couldn’t recognize all the people that made this possible :-). I want to first of all thank my husband and daughter who so patiently put up with our house turning into a depot for all our event stuff and for supporting me through the hours that I spend in my studio making jewelry after work and on the weekends. They have eagerly become my sales and marketing team at our local events, making Gyoie a family affair. I also want to recognize all my Gyoie friends who have bought my jewelry, helped me grow my business and encouraged me to keep on designing and most especially for wearing my collections and being evangelists for me…you know who you are! My friends who spent countless hours traveling around the world with me and going on bead, gemstone and pearl shopping expeditions should also be recognized for their patience and their support throughout our crazy adventures. And a very special thanks to my friend Jan who shares my passion for everything artistic and is a fellow jewelry designer who re-invigorated my passion for this art.

Finally – this website is dedicated to my beloved mother – who gave me my first pair of pliers when I was 10 years old and taught me how to use them to make jewelry that I would sell on a small table to passerbys in the campground where we spent our summer vacations. She gave me the artistic talent to inspire me and pursue my love of art and design and she is really the driving force behind my desire to launch this business. My father should be recognized too, for giving me the business acumen to know that I should turn a creative talent into a business.

Welcone to the new world of Gyoie – I hope you enjoy!

P.S. I want to also recognize Shahzad, a very dedicated web developer in Pakistan who spent several days and sleepless nights re-designing and building my new website…with all of our communications going on on Skype for a week. This is a true testament of the small world we have become! .