Meet Kim DiVine: Founder / Jewelry Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim DiVine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea for Loveable came to me last year just before the pandemic. I have been selling handmade jewelry for years and as I was researching new packaging options, I thought long and hard about the investment I was about to make before ordering a large quantity of product. During that time of business reflection, I felt compelled to do something bigger, something more, and BOOM, it hit me! I want to create an online boutique space where people can find meaningful, high-quality jewelry but also unique and fun gift-able goods. I knew a lot of other women like me – artists and budding entrepreneurs – who were looking to get their reach new audiences for their products. Out of this, the idea for Loveable was created. All of the handmade goods featured on Loveable are crafted or designed by female artists and entrepreneurs based in sunny California.
The most exciting part for me has been hand selecting each Loveable Maker and building an all-female power team of artisans. I love to collaborate and work with each Maker to determine the most fitting products from jewelry to art, candles to keychains, personalized gifts to other fun accessories. My goal with Loveable is to add a dose of happy to the everyday and help spread love to others. As of now all of our products can be found on our online shop (shoploveable.com) but we are already expanding to local pop-up markets as Covid restrictions begin to ease.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Prior to re-branding as Loveable, I had been successfully creating handmade jewelry as “Delicate Charm” before changing to “Kim DiVine Jewelry”. I first dipped my toe into the jewelry world on Etsy before spending countless weekends at pop-up markets across Southern California. What started as a weekend hobby turned into something more serious. I focused on hand-stamping and found so much joy in making meaningful jewelry for others. It was also fun to learn how to properly run a business, be strategic and create a professional presence. I immersed myself in research to understand simple topics to source the best materials, determine pricing and creating a unique and engaging shopping experience for my customers. I also signed up for jewelry classes in order to expand my skills with soldering and stone-setting, and created a stand-alone website in order to stand apart from my Etsy shop.
Side note: during all of this time I was also a budding singer-songwriter recording and releasing music and pitching songs for placements in film & TV. There were also many personal life changes and challenges throughout my jewelry journey that caused me to pause or slow down. Getting married, finding out my mom had stage 4 cancer, buying a house, trying to start a family, experiencing multiple miscarriages, caring for my mom and step-father while their health declined, and ultimately losing them within 5 moths of each other. There was a large chunk of time filled with struggle and sadness and I couldn’t fully show up for my business in the way I had hoped.

When 2020 arrived I was in a better place. My kids (thankfully I was able to have) were out of the newborn phase and the internal drive to create overflowed from my body. I had no choice but to listen. Launching a new business during a global pandemic, with two toddlers and a husband at home all going a bit crazy, wasn’t easy. But I jumped right in and I am so happy with what has emerged as a result. Loveable launched, officially, in October 2020 and we are on a steady path of growth.

A medium once told me I was put on this earth to love and to share that love with others. That purpose is what I have set out to do with Loveable, and in my daily life.

Next time you are seeking a unique gift for special someone in your life or want to add to your jewelry collection, we hope you think of us. We put love and handcrafted care into every piece we make.

As mentioned, I come from a mother who followed her creative dreams, so in order to give back, Loveable donates 10% off all proceeds to @iamsogal foundation to help close the diversity gap in entrepreneurship.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve been living in LA for a little more than 12 years and it is truly a magical place full of wonder. Something I have yet to cross of my list of ‘things to do’ is rent a convertible and drive up PCH on a sunny day. Music blasting, window blowing my hair and just enjoying the moment. I love to pop into the boutiques on the Malibu Pier, and of course must grab a bite at Malibu Seafood. One can never go wrong when the beach is involved! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Empowering women to follow their dreams and spread their beautiful products is a passion of mine, in part because I was raised by a mom, my role model, who did exactly that with her life. My mother Maureen, who is no longer with us after a brave battle with cancer, was strong, creative, and super driven. She grew up with very little and ultimately made so much of her life by following her entrepreneurial goals. Even in the lowest of times she found a way to create multiple successful businesses while holding numerous patents for products that she sold around the world. I have so many fond memories of my sister and I working in her craft product warehouse while growing up. I wish I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, and see with clear eyes the true level of her success and accomplishments. Her best-selling product was called Stich-A-Photo and my nursery school picture was on the front cover of the packaging!
The last gift she gave me was one of my most prized jewelers tools, my flex shaft. I remember her telling me she was so happy to gift me something that could help me grow my business and make a living for myself – as she truly knew what that was like. So much of my creativity and determination to succeed comes from her and I feel her with me every step of this journey.

Website: http://www.shoploveable.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shoploveableco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shoploveableco

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/shoploveable

Image Credits
Lena Parker-Duncan