Her Story
About Rosanna
I've been in the jewelry industry for over 20 years, though I originally went to FIT for fashion design and international trade and marketing. I started with what was supposed to be a temporary job, but it turned into something I really liked and grew into a full career. I worked my way through production and production management, then moved into design for a popular diamond house for a couple of years. From there, I joined Signet in Product Development, one of the largest jewelry retailers in the U.S. and second in the world. Now I'm with their independent company division, where I'm in charge of anything related to rebranding. I handle all the product development, work on catalogs for new products, and recently designed the jewelry for our cases at JCK, one of the biggest jewelry trade shows in the U.S., held in Las Vegas. I also handle all the graphics, coordination with art, and anything that has to do with concept and storytelling, though the product is really the biggest part and what I enjoy the most. My main area of expertise is product development, design, and concept - design and development as a whole. I've also taken some courses at GIA, though I didn't complete the full gemologist degree because I felt I was learning everything as I went in this industry. I'm considering going back for my gemologist degree just because it's important to me personally, not necessarily for the work that I do.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rosanna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think my ability to be adaptable has been crucial to my success. I've had to adapt not because I wanted to, but because I was kind of thrown into different situations where I needed to adapt and learn what needed to be learned at the time so that a certain fire was put out or a project got done. I think adaptability is very important - it's very important to always be able to recognize that some kind of adaptability needs to be there. I think adaptability, hand-in-hand with my work ethic - both of those have been very, very important to getting me where I am today.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say your work ethic is going to take you far. People will forget a lot of things, but they won't forget that you delivered what you said you were going to deliver, when you said you were going to deliver. And never over-promise and under-deliver, that's the other thing. Keep your work ethic - your work ethic is always going to speak for itself, and people will remember that.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think there is very little exposure to what this can be as a career path for people outside of a particular culture. Because this industry is very close-knit and usually family-based or people are related, it makes it look unattainable to many people. We're dealing with luxury and high-ticket items, which makes it a little unapproachable and intimidating for some people, not only starting but also for people who are not part of the community itself. I feel like they maybe don't fit in because their background or name isn't recognized in the industry. It's an industry that's very much South Asian and East European, and there's not much progression for people like me - Hispanic women - in this industry.
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