The following article was originally sourced from the news piece “Start me up: Elaine Russell ’09,” part of Kellogg’s “Start Me Up” series, which spotlights members of the Kellogg community who are putting their entrepreneurial visions into practice.
The Internet Age has made buying things online a breeze and ease as shoppers get the convenience of similar options at their fingertips. One of the most uncertain and stressful items to purchase online, however, is jewelry.
To address that particular area of interest, Elaine Russell, alum from the Kellogg School of Management, has founded Heirlumé, a company that takes the guesswork out of gift giving, at least when it comes to all that glitters.
“The gift giving industry is a big one,” said Russell, who co-founded the company. “Jewelry is the No. 1 gift men give women, and people need a lot of help.”
Fine jewelry is a $40 billion industry in the United States, and 80 percent of the market is men buying for women.
How does the service work? Heirlumé sources independent, emerging jewelry designers across the country, including many Chicagoans, to provide a varied choice of unique jewelry designs. The shopper then answers a series of questions about the recipient. Questions include: What’s her perfect date night? What shoes does she wear to work? How does she dress on her day off?
Then things get interesting. The answers are run through a proprietary algorithm and Heirlumé gives the shopper nine jewelry suggestions. And if he still doesn’t know which to pick? He can send an email with links to her friends, or her sister whomever for help.
Even Russell herself has reaped the benefits of her website— her own mother used the site to buy matching necklaces for Russell and her sisters. “I have a three-diamond cluster necklace designed by Kamofie that I love,” she said. “I’m one of three sisters, and we each wear it every day.”