1: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage it?
My biggest fear, in both business and in my personal life is failure. I don't know where that stems from, but I’ve been that way since I was a kid. I don’t want to let myself down, and I’m my own worst critic. When you’re running a business things get hectic - and with growth comes growing pains. More orders come in, you now have collaborations to manage, and you just want so badly for everything to run smoothly, but that’s just not always the case. Coming to terms with that reality was critical for me - in life things don’t always go your way. And in the midst of it all I have to remind myself that what happens isn’t a reflection of me. And I also have to remember it’s important to take care of myself.
2: How do you define success?
Success for me is being happy in what I do. Being able to manage all the things that are important to me harmoniously. I take care of myself, my family, and my business - this is what women do. You know, I put the stuff in the dryer, I take a zoom call, I go to yoga, I sell some jewelry, I ship it out, I have a trunk show, and I spend time with my family. Even though I’m running a business, I feel good when I'm able to be there for my family, and be a good mom because that’s most important to me. So success for me is finding that balance to be able to do it all. And it’s also having something I created that I get to share with the world.
3: Who are your real-life heroes?
Growing up my mom was always an inspiration. She was very fashionable, and she still is. The jewelry definitely came from her. I'm very close with my family - they really inspire me and they’ve always supported me. My husband and my son too. My son is just so inspiring, and so creative. I'll be drawing and designing and he'll just be near me building a computer out of cardboard. My son’s also taught me the importance of taking a break and to just stay in the present moment.
I love beautiful, glamorous women that have confidence, and that's really who I design for.
And women in general inspire me. Growing up and loving fashion, and the 90’s supermodels. I was one of the girls that had every model posted on the wall of my bedroom and I was always obsessed with the latest Vogue and Elle. I still have piles of these magazines on my floor. I love beautiful, glamorous women that have confidence, and that's really who I design for.
4: What is the best gift you've given yourself?
My son is my greatest gift. He's really helped change my perception of life, and really my perception of everything. But lately, the best gift I’ve given myself is permission to take breaks and to do things for myself. It’s allowing myself to carve out that time to do something for me that's not a work thing, or a household thing, or taking care of somebody else.
...the best gift I’ve given myself is permission to take breaks and to do things for myself. It’s allowing myself to carve out that time to do something for me that's not a work thing, or a household thing, or taking care of somebody else.
Being an entrepreneur, and having big goals for my business makes it tough sometimes to remember that I also need to do things outside of work for myself. For example, I recently started playing tennis. It’s something new that I’ve learned and that I can do that keeps me from thinking about work.
5: What was the last win you celebrated?
When we have a new collaboration or pop up, especially when it’s something I’ve had on my radar or that happened harmoniously, those are the things I like to celebrate. I get excited about this stuff, so for me celebrating is sharing the news. Sharing it with our friends, our families, and on our channels. I did recently celebrate a new collaboration by throwing us a party - I like to bring people together. People related to the business and also people that are in our orbit, and that want to support.
There are so many little wins though too. They happen amongst the work and its progress, but we also have to stay focused on the next thing, the next collection. So even though we’re celebrating we’re still thinking about what’s next, what needs to be done to get us there.
About Christina Caruso Jewelry
New York City-based Christina Caruso went from Parsons School of Design to accessorizing Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City. The designs garnered attention from some of the biggest names in the fashion industry which led Caruso to design for huge fashion houses in New York City. Christina relaunched her eponymous collection in 2021 with designs that continue to embody her bold, iconic, and glamorous spirit.
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