A business for her 80s

[attach]4798[/attach]At age 78, Siloo Lentin decided it was time to be an entrepreneur.

Four years later, the Avenue Road and St. Clair Avenue West resident is still stringing customers along — making jewellery pieces in her apartment.

“I’m 82 years old and I’m making jewellery, most people think I’m cuckoo,” she said. “I wanted to do something as a business, I wanted to try it out.”

After working in advertising for a newspaper in India, Lentin came to Canada in 1969. After a few years of odd jobs, she went into real estate, where she excelled for many years.

“I belonged to the 100 percent club,” she said of the label given to those who earn over $100,000 in a year.

But after a difficult period left her with no choice but to retire, Lentin decided she wanted to keep busy. It was at a craft show in 2007, where she approached a woman who sold jewellery and asked her to teach her.

“She showed me for five minutes then said, ‘Let’s see what you can do now’,” Lentin said. “Then she said ‘You’re on your own, you’ve got a natural gift’.”

[attach]4799[/attach]Without a website or a store, Lentin has been relying solely on jewellery parties and word of mouth for her company, Eclectic Designs, to succeed. So far it’s been working.

“One of my best clients I found in a retirement home,” she said, adding they met at one of her pre-Christmas shows three years ago. “He bought $2,000 worth of jewellery.”

Recently, Lentin held shows at retirement homes on Bayview Avenue — places where she says she has sold in the thousands before. She also holds shows at L’Espresso Bar on Yonge Street near St. George subway station.

Aside from the sales themselves, Lentin says she is happy knowing her customers enjoy her wares.

“Whoever buys my jewellery appreciates it because I don’t repeat pieces and I use good quality things,” she said, naming Swarovski as where she buys most of her gemstones.

Lentin tends to use amethyst and pearl, among many other semi-precious stones and high quality glasses. But carnelian is her favourite.

“I don’t know (why),” she says. “I just love the stone.”

With her pieces ranging from $50-200, Lentin says she is aware her jewellery can be expensive for people. But she says it’s the quality and its originality that makes it worthwhile.

Being honest also helps.

“A purchaser came to me once and said ‘This is murano (a high quality glass)’,” she said. “I love this piece, how come you’re selling it so cheap?’

“I said ‘because it’s not murano’.”

Still, it’s all too common among some jewellery vendors to pass of fakes as the real thing, she said.

And what does she hope to get out of it?

“I want publicity,” she said, with a laugh.