Creating jewellery, running a business, raising children

Sema founded the jewellery brand in 1992. Originally, she only wanted to support a friend in selling finished jewellery from Turkey in Germany - after all, she was focused on her social pedagogy studies. When her friend decided to leave the business behind and to return to Turkey, Sema took over the company, exhibiting at trade fairs after lectures and during the weekends. “These were purchased pieces of jewellery and completely different designs than they are today. To be honest, it didn’t work very well at first, but before giving up, I wanted to try it with my own collection,” Sema explains. “After launching my own collection, customers stood in line at my booth. I didn't know how to handle it!” she exclaimed, so she decided to quit her studies and focus on her role as a designer and managing director. To this day, she holds the red thread of the company in her hands.

In 1995 Bernadeta came along. Originally from Poland, she studied civil engineering before moving to Germany to study mathematics and simultaneously found a part-time job at Tezer. "I quickly realized that I didn't need a second degree and decided on Tezer and Sema," she told me, smiling. Because of her technical expertise, she handles all orders, products, and logistics. She acts as a walking computer and distributes tasks to two part-time workers and occasionally to Sema, the designer. 

In 1998, Stephanie joined and completed the trio. A friend told her about the part-time job at Tezer, where she found immediate fulfillment: “I initially planned to become an English and German teacher, but gave up my studies to work at Tezer. So I changed careers.” Like Sema and Bernadeta before her, Stephanie jumped into the new job and gained a thorough understanding of leadership in the jewellery industry as an autodidact. To this day, she is not only responsible for accounting, but above all for communications with Tezer customers.

When asked how the three work together, Bernadeta explains: “We basically do everything together and complement each other wonderfully. Sema is mainly responsible for the creation, but Stephanie and I have to work closely to make Tezer work. It’s great that we have such a similar understanding of work ethics and pace!” As a single parent of three daughters, Sema couldn't fully focus on running the company by herself, so Bernadeta and Stephanie agreed to join forces. Pushing Tezer forward as if it were their own business. 
The three also share a very close personal relationship: From pregnancy tests to jewellery design, Sema, Bernadeta, and Stephanie share a large part of their lives with each other. “We built a company together and raised three daughters. Sema is like a mother to us. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish which role we are in - does Sema speak to me as a supervisor, friend, or mother right now?”, Stephanie explains smiling. 

It is important for Sema, Bernadeta, and Stephanie to interact with the women who wear their jewellery: “We repeatedly notice that only a few women work in the jewellery industry at the decision-making and sales levels. The three of us, on the other hand, have the feeling of knowing our jewellery wearers, their requirements, and their wishes. We, therefore, create handmade jewellery that is not polished to a high gloss and is not manufactured in the same way most jewellery is." The three work together as individuals and don't maintain hierarchies. Sema continuously involves Stephanie and Bernadeta in the jewellery design and development of Tezer. As the jewellery pieces are created in small series, the trio enjoys creating new designs continuously, which allows them to move more freely during the jewellery design process. In conversation, Sema looks to the group and summarises for us: