EntrepreneurshipLeadershipRetailEcommerceManagementMarketingPersonal Growth

How I Built a Muilti-Million Dollar Jewelry Brand

Foundr
Foundr•Apr 2, 2026

Why It Matters

Majuri proves that redefining luxury for women and leveraging organic DTC channels can scale a traditionally niche market, offering founders a replicable model for disrupting entrenched industries.

Key Takeaways

  • •Traditional jewelry model fails; women want to buy for themselves
  • •Pivot from crowdsourcing to DTC brand after first-year revenue shortfall
  • •Early growth driven by organic Instagram, email, influencer partnerships
  • •Culture fit prioritized over skills; hires only after team feels real pain
  • •Constraints forced focus on repeat customers and sustainable metrics

Summary

Founder Nora Sakija, a third‑generation jeweler, launched Majuri in 2013 to overturn the antiquated model of men buying diamonds for women. She envisioned a direct‑to‑consumer brand where women purchase fine jewelry for themselves, coining the mantra “buy yourself the damn diamond.”

After a year operating a crowdsourcing platform, the venture failed to generate sales, prompting a decisive pivot in 2015 to a brand‑centric DTC model. With a modest CAD 25,000 grant and a seed round that later reached a million dollars, Majuri focused on a clear point‑of‑view, tight brand universe, and scalable manufacturing partnerships, eventually selling 6.5 million pieces worldwide.

Key moments include acceptance into the 500 Startups accelerator, which reframed failure as data, and the early reliance on organic Instagram, email marketing, and influencer collaborations to build a community. Sakija also emphasizes hiring only when the team feels “real pain,” prioritizing cultural fit over technical skill to preserve momentum.

The story illustrates how constraints can sharpen strategic focus, driving sustainable growth in a traditionally exclusive industry. Majuri’s success signals a broader shift toward women‑led purchasing power and offers a blueprint for founders seeking to disrupt legacy markets through brand authenticity and disciplined metrics.

Original Description

Noura Sakkijha is a third generation jeweler who realized the entire fine jewelry industry was fundamentally broken—built on the outdated idea that men buy diamonds for women, not that women buy the damn diamonds themselves. In 2013, she launched Mejuri with a radical mission: create fine jewelry for women to buy for themselves. What started as a crowdsourcing platform quickly pivoted after just one year when sales didn't materialize. Over 11 years, Mejuri has sold 6.5 million pieces of jewelry and is now expanding globally.
In this interview, the founder and CEO of Mejuri breaks down why she completely pivoted the business model after realizing there was no product-market fit, the brutal 2021 lesson about hiring ahead of growth that forced her to revise her entire approach to team building, and why she now refuses to hire until the team feels real pain.
What you'll learn in this interview:
• Why Noura pivoted from a crowdsourcing platform to direct-to-consumer after one year
• How she started Mejuri with a $25,000 CAD grant while working full time
• The moment she realized building a brand requires a specific POV and staying consistent
• Why she prioritizes culture fit over skills when hiring every single time
• The 2021 market crash lesson: why hiring ahead of growth is dangerous advice
• How she rebuilt her hiring philosophy around waiting until the team feels pain
• Why a bad culture hire creates noise that kills momentum and collaboration
• Her mission to build one of the most loved jewelry brands in the world
• How Mejuri is expanding internationally into Australia and the Middle East
• Why she obsesses about brand distinctiveness more than ever in changing markets
• Her biggest regret: returning to work three months postpartum instead of taking more time
• Why 50% of the work is just showing up every single day and doing your best
If you're building a DTC brand, navigating team growth decisions, or trying to challenge an industry that's been doing things the same way for generations, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about brand building, hiring strategy, and sustainable scaling.
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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
CONNECT WITH NOURA SAKKIJHA
0:00 How a Third-Generation Jeweler Realized the Industry Was Fundamentally Broken
1:39 The Problem: Fine Jewelry Marketed Only as Gifts from Men to Women
3:08 Starting as a Crowdsourcing Platform (And Why It Failed After One Year)
4:26 The Brutal Pivot: When Revenue Didn't Come and Product-Market Fit Was Missing
6:44 Raising $1M After Winning Small Grants and Building the Tech Stack
9:15 The Decision Point: When to Quit or Keep Going
14:30 Building the "Buy Yourself the Damn Diamond" Brand Positioning
21:45 Selling 6.5 Million Pieces of Jewelry Over 11 Years
28:20 The 2021 Lesson: Why Hiring Ahead of Growth Almost Killed the Business
34:50 Culture Over Skills: Why Bad Culture Hires Create Noise That Kills Momentum
40:15 The Empowerment Initiative: Building a Philanthropic Mission Beyond Jewelry
41:08 Returning to Work 3 Months Postpartum (And Why She'd Do It Differently)
42:50 Building the #1 Jewelry Brand in the World: International Expansion Plans
44:11 The Worst Mistake: Hiring Ahead of Growth During the 2021 Market Crash
45:52 Why You Should Only Hire When the Team Feels Real Pain
46:25 Final Words of Wisdom and Wrap Up
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