Choosing a Jewelry Business Name

by Mendy Ouzillou.

Choosing my jewelry business name was very likely the most demanding of all the challenging tasks I have had to engage in. I obsessed, I lost sleep, I got mad and I got frustrated, but in the end the name I created was a winner.

These tips won’t make the task any easier, but at least they will guide you through the process of picking a jewelry business name that you will not only love, but also serve you well in the future.

Bracelet by Trezora – glass cabochons in sterling silver

Tips for Choosing
a Jewelry Business Name

1. Be honest and decide how far you want to take your business. Is this a hobby and you want to pay for the cost of your materials, or are you looking to build a web empire? The answer is important because it will dictate the amount of work required. I’ll provide the “web empire” version and you can decide which steps are germane to your own situation.
2. I know it sounds good to name your jewelry business after yourself, but leave the ego behind and try to come up with a name that will resonate with your audience (otherwise known as customers). Also, if you ever decide to sell your business, the purchaser wants a brand they can continue to expand. There are many famous examples that go counter to my advice, but unless your name is unusual or something memorable, go with the advice.
3. Write down the qualities that exemplify your work. Is your jewelry hip and funky, or is it refined and elegant? Write down as many words as you can think of and ask other people to describe your work. Free association works very well in this instance.
4. From the list of qualities, start putting words together, changing spellings look up their meanings in Italian, French, Latin, Spanish, Japanese, or whatever is your favorite language. Write everything down. Mash things up – take them apart. This part is what took me forever and caused so many sleepless nights. Eventually, you will run across a word or set of words that will resonate with you.
5. Don’t fall in love!
6. You will need to search the name you chose and make sure someone else is not using it. I am aspiring to build a “web empire”, so I wanted to make sure I had a name that would work around the world. There are three basic searches to conduct.
   • First, Google the name you chose and look at the results. Be thorough and look specifically for the name you chose associated with jewelry. You do not want a letter from an attorney asking you to cease and desist using a name they’ve been hired to protect. Which leads me to the second search.
   • Go to www.uspto.gov, follow the links to the trademark section, and conduct a search on the name you want to use. I am not a lawyer and will give no advice here. Follow your judgment and common sense and decide what you should do. If you decide to pursue a trademark, be sure to work with a good attorney who can advise you on the pitfalls.My jewelry business name, Trezora®, is a registered trademark. Based on my experience, I can tell you it can be painful and expensive but also very rewarding to pursue a trademark. Having a registered trademark can really increase the value of your business especially if the mark gains wide public acceptance and recognition.
   • Finally, if you wanted to launch a website, you will need to see if someone else has registered the name. The easiest thing to do is go to GoDaddy.com and type in the name you wanted. If the name is taken, try simple variants like adding the word “jewelry” at the end, or using a dash, etc. as long as you do not conflict with the previous step. We could spend an entire page talking about the right domain name. Generally speaking, I would suggest adding a modifier to your chosen name that best describes your product like “jewelry”. Search engines will give you more attention when your domain name has an important keyword.You may notice that my website, trezora.com, does not include the word “jewelry”. I chose to only use the name “Trezora” because long term I knew I was going to expand into art glass and did not want to be limited by my domain name.
   • If your search turned up something that would conflict, don’t fret. It doesn’t matter anyway because you have plenty of other names and you didn’t fall in love – right?
7. Depending on the results of your searches, repeat step 4 through 6 until you come up with 2 to 4 more names.
8. At this point, I strongly suggest a glass of wine.
9. Now for the hard part – take the list of 3 to 5 names and without telling your friends and family which one is your favorite, let them choose in secret. Tally up the results and ask them why they choose that name. The results of this simple exercise can be very insightful because what you were trying to project or evoke may not be understood or felt in your target audience.
10. If you are feeling edgy about the results, repeat step 8.
11. Once you have chosen the jewelry business name you want, quickly proceed to register your domain name. You may want to register all 3 to 5 names you chose during your domain name search so that someone doesn’t jump your claim as you are going through step 9. It’s a small investment and a great way to protect yourself as you are going through the process. You can always let the names you did not want lapse in 1 year.
12. Okay – FALL IN LOVE! Shout out your name, print your business cards, get your DBA, and enjoy.
13. If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You are not only patient but hopefully also done with choosing a name for your jewelry business!

This process can be very draining and you begin to see why large companies hire professional firms to come up with brand names. We are much smaller and can do as good a job or better than the large Madison Avenue firms.

We know ourselves and our jewelry better than anyone else and with a little help from friends and family, we can come up with a great name upon which to build a great business.

Jewelry Set by Trezora –
purple sprinkles on top of clear glass

Mendy Ouzillou
Trezora Glass Jewelry and Art Glass

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