Meet Jeana Rushton | Jeweler

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

Hi Jeana, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

My dad is the one who taught me to be a risk-taker in life and business. He was a pilot for many years (now retired) and an entrepreneur for most of his life. From a very young age, he taught me the value in risk and reward that comes from the successes and failures that inevitably follow.

Often when an opportunity presents itself, I will say yes then evaluate the results. This propensity for saying yes has meant that throughout the years, my company has taken some big risks and personally I have done things I never thought I could. We have had some big ‘misses’ over the years that have cost the company, but we have also had some fantastic wins. It seems trite to say that I’ve learned more from the times those ‘yeses’ let me down, but I never saw them as a failure because to fail means that not one redeemable fragment was saved from the situation and in every circumstance I have learned. In fact, I almost always learn more from the times we tried something and it didn’t work than the times we succeeded.

When something isn’t going well, I spend time figuring out why and if I can change course before it turns disastrous. Not only that, but everyone in the company discusses why it’s not working, evaluates new ways to either scrap the idea or alter what we’re currently doing, and discusses how/why it could work in a different business model or perhaps just wasn’t a good idea from the start. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Regardless of the results, everyone in the company is now fully engaged and actively participating in making us better. That is always a win.

Another reason I continue to take risk after risk is because every time I do something that scares me I am less scared the next time a similar opportunity presents itself. The first time I had to pitch my company to someone I was shaking, sweaty and breathless. I did it! But it was awful. The next time, it wasn’t as bad because I knew that I could. Fear of failure has less of a stronghold in my life when I know that no matter how a decision ends, I will know more at the end than I did at the start.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What truly sets me apart as a jeweler and full-time artist is my propensity for taking risks in my business. Jewelry is a very saturated space and yet there will never be an end to humanity’s ability to be creative. Hence there will always be more room for new designers and artists if they’re willing to take risk and make space for themselves. My dad taught me to take risks, then pause and learn from both the good and bad results. I sold the first piece I ever made, not knowing if it would be more than just therapy for the depression and anxiety that was crippling at the time. The spark of joy I found in creating pushed me forward to keep designing and the thrill of seeing someone else love a piece as much as I did propelled me to start selling as a business.

Over time, the need to create as a form of therapy gave way to a need to create simply to continue being myself and eventually to support my growing family during a time when we lived below the poverty line. I’ve learned that boldness is always rewarded. Those rewards can seem good or bad at the time, but the hardest lessons were always the most effective in changing the direction I moved next time. Every time I did something that scared me, the next time was less scary. Every time a project, design, idea, etc. flopped I knew more than I did at the start and either tweaked my idea or scrapped it knowing it wasn’t the right time or wasn’t the right idea at all. This constant willingness to evolve is key to growth and for me is part of the thrill of entrepreneurship. I have also realized what is truly important to me and incorporated those ideals into my business. I have become passionate about not contributing to the morally ambiguous gemstone trade and today the Fox and Stone is fiercely ethical in our stone-buying.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in rural Eastern Washington State, so there really isn’t much to see here except the beautiful expanse of natural desert surrounding the Columbia River. The downtown area of my little town has a quaint bookstore/coffee shop that’s one of my favorite places to take a friend or spend an afternoon working. We have a wonderful Mexican bakery that makes mouth-watering conchas and a fantastic library that’s only a short walk away. These comforts are part of my beloved town. Life moves a little slower here and that’s what makes it so special to me.

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?
My husband has been the biggest supporter of my dreams since we first started dating and when my jewelry business started growing beyond what I was capable of handling on my own, he quit his corporate job and began working alongside me to make it our dream together. Without him and the support of my friends, who have all worked for me at some point, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Website: www.thefoxandstone.com

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