For our Belle & Kate Adores feature, we spoke to Roberta Kartasasmita, one of the co-founders of the fine jewelry brand Majene, about her entrepreneurial journey. She shares the profound fulfillment of working with her best friends and family, the biggest lesson she learned about perseverance in business, and Majene’s core vision to celebrate local Indonesian craftsmanship with every handmade gold piece.
Scroll down to read our full Q&A with Roberta Kartasasmita on drive, passion, and the vision for Majene.
Q: What do you love the most about what you do?
A: What I love most is just working with my best friend, my sister, you know, best friends that have become family.
Q: You've been doing a lot of business. How has your entrepreneurial journey shaped you?
A: I've been had so many different jobs, and I've done so many different businesses too. And I've always been drawn to fashion and design in the process. But you just have to have the drive and the passion to continue on.
Q: What's the biggest lesson you've learned from starting and growing your own business?
A: Just never give up. I mean, it's going to be tough, like I'm not gonna lie, it's not easy. But you have to strive and you have to have that positivity and always believe that there's always gonna be other opportunities. So, I think we just always have to be strong and motivated and grow with it.
Q: How does Majene celebrate local artisans and their craftsmanship?
A: With Majene, the vision that we had was to make Indonesian gold and manufacturing, and that's what we're doing. So, everything is made locally by local artisans and craftsmanship. It's all handmade, you know, we tried so hard to make it as local as it can be.
Q: What defines a perfect jewelry for you?
A: Thing that you just love and never wanna take off. It just matches for every occasion.