MY STORY

In this fast-paced world we now find ourselves living in, everyone can benefit from mindfulness

Fiona Stretton-Emerson

Hello

I launched One Jewellery in September 2020 after a few very uncertain and stressful months during the first Covid19 lockdown.

In March 2020 I was due to open One Float, a floatation therapy shop based in my local town Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire. Due to the pandemic the opening couldn’t go ahead so plans were halted, along with the funds we had secured to make this venture happen.

Fast forward 3 months and it was clear the uncertainty surrounding the economy made this a very risky investment indeed. I was still hopeful though that we could make it work, it might just take a few more months.

Then, just 1 month later I lost my job. All hope of getting my floatation shop open any time soon had been taken away. I now had no job, no income and no plans for my business, that just 6 months earlier had been within touching distance.

Undeterred, I knew I had a long term vision for One Float and it was always going to grow and expand to help people by using alternative therapies. As someone who practises mindfulness, I decided to turn this situation into a gift.

I had to come up with a business plan that allowed me to work from home with minimal contact with others and no large financial outlay, while still in keeping with alternative therapies, which I am so passionate about.

I have always been interested in the benefits of using crystals alongside mindfulness so I came up with a plan to learn how to make jewellery and incorporate crystals into every piece I made.

One Jewellery was born.

I set up my website and social media shops and started selling crystal jewellery. 6 months later I opened an Etsy shop and started to attend local farmers and craft markets. After 12 months I knew that just selling crystal jewellery wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to get my vision back on track. My vision to help others live a calmer, healthier and happier life, through mindfulness.

So I got a business mentor, took a Mindfulness Teacher course and a Meditation Teacher course and set up One Sanctuary which I launched in September 2021. I launched my first subscription box, "Crystals, Mindfulness and You" in 2022 and a self care subscription box in early 2023. Unfortunately sales declined rapidly during 2023 and left me looking at the future of my business.

In September 2023 I decided to go back into full time education and started a sports science degree at university. I made a decision to close One Sanctuary, my Etsy shop and to reduce the markets I was attending.

Now One Jewellery focuses on bespoke handmade jewellery and jewellery making parties, while I study for a degree in sports science which I hope to use to help people discover the power of self care, healthy exercise and nutrition.