Better Together: SCAD sisters create jewelry business ‘Shop Gemelas’
What started as a quarantine hobby has now expanded into a full business for SCAD students Pauline and Paloma O’Riley. Shop Gemelas, an independent accessory company, got its start in 2020, when the identical twins wanted to teach themselves a new skill over quarantine. As lovers of anything crafty, learning to create 3D jewelry came naturally for Pauline and Paloma. With online videos, they taught themselves how to design intricate beaded pieces, usually consisting of fruit-inspired designs. After a few months of crafting, the sisters recognized how special their newly discovered art form was. “We realized that the techniques that we’ve learned are unique, and we really wanted to share our art with others,” says Pauline. Opening an online shop was the natural next step.
In early 2021, they decided to open their business up to the world, creating their social media platforms, Depop and online storefront. Before opening, they decided on what would be Shop Gemelas’ keystone products. “Our shop started off selling our fruit charms on chains, hoop earrings and beaded necklaces and bracelets,” says Pauline. “The original beaded fruits we had were mangoes, grapes and bananas.”
The online store consisted of only a few items, but it gained traction quickly. Soon, items were starting to sell out, with the most popular product being a cowboy boot charm, with the mango chains following close behind.
Everything for Shop Gemelas is created by the twins. The bags are handmade and the jewelry is hand-beaded, with the fruit charms being sculpted with a 3D technique. It’s a tedious process, according to Pauline. “Beading is a very lengthy process, and it takes a lot of focus, so a lot of time has to be set aside for it. But we love it,” she says. “It takes 1 hour to make a necklace and 15 hours to make a bag,” adds Paloma.
The technique Shop Gemelas uses for their bags and fruit jewelry is called peyote stitch. This has roots in Native American culture, which is significant to the sisters. “We started learning about indigenous beaded art and it captivated us. We learned the different techniques and stitches and it connected us to our native culture and ancestors,” says Paloma.
“Our family is from South Texas near the Mexican border. They are indigenous to the Americas and have always been in Texas. Beading connects us to our lineage and ancestry.”
Sisters Pauline and Paloma pictured left.
Although they were passionate about the craft, learning it proved to be difficult due to its intricacy. After some time, they were able to thoroughly understand the process. “It took several months of us practicing to get it down,” says Paloma. “We stayed up in our apartment making several versions of beaded fruits until they started to look how we wanted them to, but we enjoyed the process.”
All non-creation duties are also run by Pauline and Paloma. “(We control) website design, branding, product development and production, branding, shipping, customer services,” says Paloma. “There’s a lot that we both work on together. We simultaneously use what we learn in our classes and apply it to our business.”
According to Pauline, the hardest part of running the shop is making time for all its many moving parts. “We are also students and have part-time jobs, so it can be hard to find time to market ourselves, record and document our process and do all the customer service-related tasks,” says Pauline. Paloma agrees, saying the hardest part is “finding the time between work and school.”
In the future, the O’Rileys dream of opening their first in-person store. But until then, they plan on just enjoying the process and loving the time they spend together as sisters. “We’ve spent so much quality time hanging out while beading, talking about ideas, listening to music and making TikToks of our process together,” says Pauline. “We are so much alike, so it’s really nice to have a similar vision with the person you work with.”
To support Shop Gemelas, take a look at their Depop, website, and Instagram.
