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Celine Engelstad AS is a norwegian jewelry company headquartered in Oslo, Norway. The company was founded during the spring of 2007 by the designer, Celine Engelstad and the marketer, Gunnvor Vik from Oslo in Norway. The company produces exclusive, handmade and unique jewelries. The beautiful Oslo-girls launched their first jewelry collection in October 2008 , accompanied by the DJ Pierre Sarkozy, son of the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.

By today several well-known persons are fond of being associated with the brand Celine Engelstad. Among others, to be mentioned are Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Paris Hilton, Tone Damli Aaberge, Prinsesse Märtha Louise and Daniel Franck.

The Company

The Entrepreneurs

Celine Engelstad is educated within graphical design at Central St Martins College in London, and she has for several years explored and exploited use of different materials with respect to jewelries. Gunnvor Vik has a degree within marketing, communication and PR from Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh, graduation 2004, and has former PR-experience working for the danish clothing brand, Sand. In March 2009 they hired Sandra Drgala, primarily to be in charge of the company strategy. Sandra is originally from Germany, and graduated in 1997 with a degree in hotel management from Köln, Germany. She has many years of experience within sales project management from Barcelona, where she worked with international events, primarily directed at the automotive-industry. In August 2010 they hired Anette Blaasvar, after being employed on a fifty percent basis while she finished her studies in retail management at the Norwegian School of Management.

Strategy

Since their market entry in 2008 the company has been growing at amazingly 40 percent (2009–2010), highlighted by the recent establishment of an AS in 2010. This points to the fact that the girls are serious about their business. The girls have been clever at structuring their company preparing it to grow aiming at increased profit; by hiring more employees and carefully define their roles in accordance to each individuals core competences; improve logistics with respect to their closely related suppliers, located outside Hong Kong in China, regarding product development and quality assurance; and finally, working closely with their present sales channels, being in total 60 stores in the whole of Norway . The company's two main dealers are Mestergull and Thune. The next step is to expand to markets abroad, where Sweden and Germany are going to be their first targets.

Challenges

The greatest challenge has been to find appropriate suppliers, considered to be strong business partners. Further, they are dependent on the price of silver as well as international valuta, influencing their business.

Inspiration and Innovation

The girls naturally aim to create jewelries that the market want. This is not always an easy task. They need to look for trends, flows and changes in the market. The designer, Celine, often travels abroad to observe the market, she finds inspiration in architecture and international fashion magazines, and she looks at ongoing colours. The clue lies in figuring out and develop what is going to be the next hit. Innovation is crucial.

Products

The girls found a niche in the market. The kind of jewelries they make has not been present in the market earlier; exclusive, handmade and partly machine-made, unique jewelries at a reasonable price, focusing on details, hand-crafting and unique combinations of materials. Silver and gold are used as basic materials, solely, with 14 carat gold-coating. Additional materials compromise Swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls, leather, glass and other stones of exclusive choice. Some products are more traditionally designed, others are astounding, but they all fall in under their four adjectives expressing their jewelries; feminine, pure, sexy, and surprising.

The jewelry collection is designed and created with love regarding each piece of handmade work, aiming to inspire customers. Celine express that her vision is to make jewelry that is always prior to trends. The brands style is based on the philosophy that jewelries are not solely "accessories", but actually the most important human mode of expression. The girls vision high goals, where they aim to compete on the same level as e.g. the german jewelry brand, Thomas Sabo, both back home in Norway and internationally.

References

1. "http://www.bedriftsdatabasen.no/firmainfo.aspx?id=1383368&coid=3954849". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
2. "http://www.inmagasinet.no/ny-norsk-smykkekolleksjon.4512879-87160.html". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
3. "http://www.massiv.no/artikler/24/lady-gaga-digger-fam-irvoll-og-celine-engelstad". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
4. "http://www.celineengelstad.no/forhandlere". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)

• Interview with: Sandra Drgala, employee at Celine Engelstad AS

External links

• - Official Homepage for Celine Engelstad
• - Press release 2008
• - Dealers in Norway
• - Mestergull
• - Thune

• Orphaned articles from December 2010
• Jewellery
• Companies established in 2008
• Companies based in Oslo