Meet The Black-Owned Jewelry Brand That Was Born From A Love Of Travel

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Tenisha Wilde didn’t start making jewelry with the intent of running a business full-time. The artist, designer and passionate traveler began making and selling adornments at festivals with a friend to subsidize her wanderlust. But in 2016, after a few years of exploring new countries and cities, Wilde formally launched Ten Wilde, a website selling affordable gold-plated, gold-filled and solid gold jewelry.

Through her work, Wilde wants people to express their personalities, style and values. She also hopes people feel inspired to buy these items for themselves.

“Traditionally, men would buy jewelry for women, or receiving jewelry would be a special-occasion-only type of thing,” she said. “I think breaking out of these gender roles or societal norms in this way and purchasing jewelry for oneself can be an act of self-love, which is really important because after self-love comes confidence! I encourage everyone to buy themselves that jewelry they’ve been eyeing, in the name of self-care.”

Ten Wilde’s eye-catching pieces have garnered the attention of consumers and celebrities alike, including Vanessa Hudgens and Tracee Ellis Ross. Still, Wilde said that running a small business — especially as a Black woman in America — isn’t all glimmer and gold. There was no blueprint for launching Ten Wilde, and its success took years of trials, tribulations and leaving shady web browser platforms that hindered brand growth.

“So much of what I’ve done and the decisions I continue to make have to do with following my intuition and believing in myself,” she said. “Ten Wilde is a minority woman-owned small business that I’ve entirely bootstrapped to six figures, which I’m really proud of. Growing up, there really was no representation of this in the media, so it just came down to putting a lot of trust in myself and the process. There’s no one but yourself holding you accountable, and that also takes tremendous discipline and resilience.”

When asked what keeps her going, Wilde’s optimism radiates.

“At the end of the day, I just chose happiness, which has blossomed into this beautiful thing,” she said. “I hope to inspire others to do the same with whatever that looks like for them.”