UNDER THE RADAR:Geraldine Murphy's jewellery designs have been worn by actresses Olivia Williams and Maria Doyle in the film Tara Road, which is based on the book by Maeve Binchy.
VMary McAleese has also been presented with a piece of her jewellery, as has the first lady of the Dominican Republic. Former Formula One boss Eddie Jordan also has a set of Murphy's cuff links.
It's not a bad CV for somebody who took up jewellery design as a hobby a few years ago and is only working full-time in the business since 2003. "I started on a night course in NCAD one night a week and I found I liked it and continued to do night course after night course for maybe a year," says Murphy.
"When I started off designing, I was designing stuff for myself and some necklaces to give to my sister and my mum just because I liked doing it."
As more people saw the jewellery, the more she was asked to produce pieces for friends and acquaintances. Eventually a shop owner asked her to make a range for him.
It is easy to see why. Murphy's style is quirky and eye-catching. Her company, Saba Jewellery, specialises in limited edition jewellery with cat and kitten designs, monkeys, camels, elephants and sea horses. All pieces are hand-crafted from silver, gold and unusual semi-precious gemstones, as well as ranges using fresh water pearls in an array of colours.
Her work also features a distinctive clothes line necklace hung with silver socks, bras and a Marilyn Monroe dress.
The unusual designs have proven to be a major hit, not just in Ireland but around the world. Her camel cufflinks are all the rage in Dubai where they are selling like hot cakes.
"My inspiration comes from animals. I absolutely love all kinds of animals, from cuddly dogs and slinky cats to starfish and other sea creatures. I also have a background in animation so I love things that are both quirky and fun, but that are also designed with very defined shapes and lines. I tend to make everything look as if it was moving, so it is not static. I just transferred those designs into metal to see how they would work."
Saba Jewellery was set up full time in 2003. Until then, Murphy had been trying to combine her work in animation with the jewellery design. She got into animation when she returned from America where she had completed a master's in business communications and worked in marketing for more than five years.
Having worked the corporate life in the United States, Murphy wanted to do something different when she decided to return to Ireland. "I felt if I was going to come back and take a massive cut in wages, I really needed to be doing something that I loved."
Her love of drawing pointed her to animation and a two-year course in computer animation in Ballyfermot Senior College.
"I ended up working in classical animation," she says. "I worked on the Irish series Give Up Yer Auld Sins by Brown Bag Films in Dublin, the original of which was nominated for an Oscar in 2001, and on the Bafta award winning film Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for the UK's Channel 4."
But jewellery design was taking up more and more of her time. "I had been trying to do both the animation and the jewellery design together for some time, but it was far too much work and I had to make a choice ... - so I went with the jewellery. It is what I love doing most of all and it's great to work for yourself."
Despite her business background in the United States, the banks weren't exactly knocking down her door to finance her plans. First Step, a not-for-profit organisation which provides micro loan finance to start- ups that can't get funding elsewhere, stepped in with the start-up loan capital to get the business started. Dublin City Enterprise Board also weighed in with a small grant. It was enough to get her established.
Today, Saba supplies jewellery to retailers around the country, such as Kilkenny Design, as well as retailers in Britain, the US, Denmark and Dubai. The bulk of Murphy's business is wholesale although she says that an increasing level of business is coming over the internet through her recently relaunched website saba.ie, with customers from as far away as Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand ordering online.
Her marketing savvy is also showing through. Customers who subscribe to her website for free receive a quarterly newsletter on her current designs and offering a discount. "You get 10-15 per cent off that item. It is good for people who buy constantly. People who have bought from me tend to come back again and again, so it's just another way of building up your customer base and loyalty."
She also covers the cost of post and packaging which, she says, gives a little bit of value back to the customer. "The price they see is the price they pay rather than finding out they have to pay another fiver or tenner to get it delivered."
Murphy says the jewellery design market is tough and competitive. "There are a lot of good jewellery designers here and competition is pretty stiff."
The secret to her success has been finding a niche by offering something different and distinctive, she says. "People like animals. My stuff is designer wear that doesn't age. It is made from precious materials and secondly it doesn't rely on a certain era or fad. I designed jewellery that I liked. Nobody was or still is doing animal jewellery in Ireland, so I got into a niche there which now I have secured."
ON THE RECORD
Name:Geraldine Murphy
Age:37
From:She was born in Boston but moved to Rathmines in Dublin with her parents when she was six.
Education:Alexandra College in Milltown followed by a degree in history and sociology from Trinity College. She did a masters in business communication in Boston. Later on she studied animation in Ballyfermot Senior College and jewellery design through the NCAD.
Most admires:Martina Navratilova - "she has been so successful as an athlete and is a real animal lover".
Inspired by:Rigoberta Menchú, an indigenous Guatemalan who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her work on behalf of her people.
Most likes to:Walk her dog twice a day in Bushy Park, go out with friends, read and spend time with her family.
Favourite book:There are a few: English Passengers by Matthew Kneale; Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell; the Kite Runner by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini; and Small World and Changing Places by David Lodge.
Favourite film:Gone with the Wind and California Suite.
