Fishy business

Meet two spunky girls who will make you fall hook, line and sinker for their eclectic jewellery and accessories; the catch is that their products are sold on a first-come-first-buy basis

Fishy business

Meet two spunky girls who will make you fall hook, line and sinker for their eclectic jewellery and accessories; the catch is that their products are sold on a first-come-first-buy basis

As you're reading this a trendy neckpiece from The Fishing Hook has already been bagged online. That's what works for two post- grad students Vinisha Dugar (23) and Nikita Fernandes (24), who sell funky jewellery and accessories online.

A floral design necklace (Rs 400). Pics/ Nimesh Dave

Get hooked
Like hundreds of others, the have-idea-will-execute-on-Facebook mantra worked for the two city-based entrepreneurs. They upload photographs and prices of products every few days on their Facebook page and the first person to request 'I want it', gets the product. To confirm your order, you have to email your address and the product will be home-delivered.

The college friends devised The Fishing Hook to save their clients' timeu00a0--u00a0 "Our target audience is anyone who doesn't have the time and energy to visit different stores or people who miss out on exhibitions because of work," says Vinisha. Within three days of setting shop in July 2010, nearly 400 customers signed up. Most of their products get sold within an hour of going online.

For the curious, they chose the name The Fishing Hook since the clasp of a necklace / bracelet resembles that. "The Fishing Hook is an attempt to explore the market and build a client base, as we intend to open our retail outlet soon," informs Vinisha. Presently, they source 50% of their products from Korea while the rest is assembled in Mumbai.

Their range includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings and hair clips. Most of their products are made from brass or oxidised silver. Each piece is unique and includes designs that incorporate flowers, leaves, owls, parrots, butterflies as well as geometric shapes and kitschy stuff such as hearts.

"Our products are affordable; it complements Indian and Western attire," adds Nikita. Next on the agenda is to create jewellery in-house and to branch out into handbags and boxer shorts for women.

While neither is trained in jewellery design, their work experience has held them in good stead: Vinisha has acted in TV soaps and was one of the stylists for the Sonam Kapoor-starrer Aisha while Nikita has performed in musicals.

Call: 9820622640 / 9819584847
Log on to: https://www.facebook.com/u00a0thefishinghook?sk=info
Cost: Rs 50 to Rs 800 (Rs 100 delivery charge for purchases below Rs 1,000 and free delivery for purchases of Rs 1,000 and above)