Charming Jewelry Queen Wows a Texas Crowd, Gives a Glimpse of What’s to Come: Inside the Billion Dollar Empire of Kendra Scott

The impressively near-perfect Kendra Scott sweeps into The Dunlavy, fresh from an afternoon with the Kendra Cares program for pediatric patients at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Though she has spent several hours helping youngsters create jewelry from the Kendra Scott Color Bar, the very ladylike, yet self-assured, jewelry mogul appears energized, ready to great the 200 fans set to arrive for a cocktail fête within the hour.

She is stunning in a rust and midnight blue jumpsuit by Roskanda, navy suede pumps from Gianvito Rossi, and a tasteful complement of her namesake jewelry, including pieces from her spanking new charm collection. In fact, the charms are why the Austin-based phenom has arrived in Houston.

This latest incarnation of the brand will be introduced nationwide next week and the invited ladies are about to get a rather grand preview with champagne flowing and crystal chandeliers glimmering overhead.

“I love when our customers are able to really personalize their jewelry. And through our Color Bar, our customers, since 2010, have been able to come in and customize by picking their favorite silhouette and picking their stones to put with it,” the CEO, designer and philanthropist tells PaperCity. “To me, charms are just another form of personalization that lets our customers  really be able to show their style and to really be able to tell their story.”

The idea was inspired by Scott’s grandmother who wore a bracelet laden with charms gathered from her travels and special occasions. “What I wanted to bring back was that heirloom quality, something that you can add to and can change,” she says.

With that, Scott is introducing more than 300 charms in six different suites including stones, symbols, letters and zodiac signs. Fans will be able to add them to pinch cuffs, adjustable necklaces, and hoop earrings. The array includes alphabet and healing stones charms as well as a selection of philanthropy charms, a percentage from the sales of which go to designated charities. In Texas, that charity is M.D. Anderson.

Of the many charms, think horseshoe, evil eye, keys with lockets, the state of Texas, the University of Texas longhorn and a butterfly charm representing breast cancer. The charms, she says, fold nicely into the three core pillars of her company — family, fashion and philanthropy.

In fact, Kendra Scott has partnered with 30 hospitals in its Kendra Cares program which each month has her sales teams introducing young patients to jewelry design. In addition, the firm has contributed $170,000 to M.D. Anderson. And to date, Kendra Scott has donated more than 125,000 pieces of jewelry to charitable causes.

A Worldwide Takeover

Her success continues in high gear. Scott just opened a store in Soho, filled with her jewelry and her namesake home decor and beauty products. “It was a big moment for our brand and for Texas,” she says, indicating that if you can make it there with all the naysayers, you can make it anywhere.

In addition to 30 free-standing shops, her designs are carried in 600 retailers across the country including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. She is poised to take her brand internationally with a shop-in-shop in the British retail stronghold Selfridges.

“There is a big white space in the market,” she says of expansion plans beyond U.S. borders.

Asked to explain the popularity of the brand, Scott says that color was one element of the success and the unique cut of the stones that  defines the brand. Also the price point. “We are creating such high quality products, beautiful handcrafted items in gorgeous materials at an obtainable price point and we’ve stayed true to that for 16 years from when I started in my bedroom.”

For those few who don’t know the story, Scott, who admits to having wanted pricy earrings but could not afford them, started designing in her bedroom in Austin with $500. She shopped her earrings store to store in the state capitol and had to sell her last sample to have enough money to fill her orders. Today, she heads, according to Forbes, a billion dollar company and she gleefully tells PaperCity that she remains the majority shareholder.

Before we part, I ask Scott what her husband, Matt Davis, is into. He too is an entrepreneur, she explains, delving into the tequila market with his just-launched Playa Real fire water.

“Try it. It’s delicious,” she said with her signature engaging smile. Of the three flavors (Silver, mango-infused and pineapple-infused), the pineapple is Scott’s favorite.