Contact the senior marketing executive at your desired company (typically the CMO) and inquire if they have an in-house licensing group or agency, such as Iconix or Beanstalk. Present the group or agency with a nondisclosure agreement and follow with a licensing plan — a financial projection document outlining the net, wholesale and retail price with forecasted volume and reorders. This licensing plan must be formulated within each licensing sector you’re approaching.

Federal registration of the trademark with the U.S. Trademark Office does provide you with a number of additional benefits, including nationwide exclusivity, increased powers to enforce your trademark rights and eligibility to receive higher damage awards from the infringer with a successful trademark infringement lawsuit.

That luxury will forever be defined by exclusivity is a given, yet luxury brands must also embrace a new E-word: experience.

Every brand features the story of the designer or designers, but very few have a personal story about each piece. Since you only create one-of-a-kind jewelry, your story will be more intimately felt by that jewel’s destined owner.