Artist jewelry designer entrepreneurship: does it only glitter or is it also gold?

Purpose Creative entrepreneurship has contributed to economic development of regions and countries and have become models for the countries in the Western world. Jewelry designer entrepreneurs are one of the contributors toward creative economy for their role in economic prosperity. This article aims to investigate brand-building efforts of jewelry designer entrepreneurs. This study also aims to explore how jewelry designer entrepreneurs develop and communicate brand narrative, and how brand backstories confer value to jewelry. Design/methodology/approach This study used a qualitative approach. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with seven Portuguese designer jewelry. Findings The study identified seven themes to reflect the brand narratives of the Portuguese jewelry designer entrepreneurs: designer artists considered the importance of international recognition; designer jewelry uses the ontological metaphor to connect emotionally; designer jewelry making a jewelry piece that is fluid and organic; limited association with fashion; distinctive brand communication; fair pricing strategy; and identifying self as artistic worker. The study also shows that jewelry designer entrepreneurs adopt a distinctive brand communication tactics to connect emotionally with imagine customers. Practical implications This study proposes a general and managerial guide to boost personal brand jewelry designer entrepreneurs through brand narratives. Originality/value This study bridges an academia gap on personal branding, exploring how jewelry designer entrepreneurs develop and communicate brand narrative and brand backstories adding value to the jewelry industry.