Meet Kadriye and Aliye Hargett of Pearls for Pearly Whites in Tulsa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kadriye and Aliye Hargett.

Kadriye, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
[Kadriye] Growing up, our parents instilled in us a passion for service, perseverance, and hard work. We try to embody these characteristics in all that we do. Therefore, when our mother, who is a dentist herself, brought to our attention the amount of children in need who often do not receive proper dental healthcare, our minds began to work on how we could help alleviate this issue. Our mother explained to us that oral health is very closely linked to the overall health of a child and that when a child’s oral health is left untreated, it can lead to serious health issues when the child is an adult. We happened to be in our favorite beach town at the time of this conversation, where leather and pearl jewelry is very popular. Every year that we came to our beach town, we admired this style of jewelry, but it seemed too expensive for us to buy when we were already on vacation!

Then, I had the perfect idea – we could go to a pearl store in the area and buy the supplies to make it ourselves! Better yet, we could start a jewelry company that benefits a program that supports pediatric dental health nationwide! The next day, we had supplies to make our first necklaces, and we stayed up late perfecting our technique and trying to think of new designs! In the weeks following, Aliye and I launched a website, created our logo, started our social media pages, and decided on the program that we would donate to- the American Dental Association’s “Give Kids a Smile” program, which provides free dental care and oral health education to kids in need across the nation.

Although our company has grown so much since that fateful beach vacation in 2017, the two of us being only 19 and 17 years old, we have stayed true to our roots and our mission! You can still find the original style we made our very first night on our website, which is called “The Classic.” We now donate to an amazing program through the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry called “Big Love for Little Teeth.” This foundation works tirelessly to ensure disadvantaged children gain access to a dental home where they can receive patient-centered care. In addition, this program has awarded grants to 114 organizations nation-wide through their Access to Care initiative, and they are not stopping until all children in need receive the dental healthcare they deserve. Pearls for Pearly Whites is honored to donate to such an amazing foundation. We hope to help kids in need across the nation get pearly whites, one pretty pearl at a time!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, Aliye, would you say things have been easy for you?
[Aliye] There was definitely a learning curve for us when we first started. We had never done marketing through social media, created a website, or anything that is really important for a small business. However, we learned these important facets of business quickly, and it was an awesome bonding experience for us! We knew that our mission was important, so we were steadfast in our work to bring attention to our new company. Some amazing local businesses allowed us to do trunk shows in their free space, we told our friends and family about our newest endeavor, and we utilized social media to get the word out!

In addition, we are both very dedicated to school and love to be involved, so learning to balance school, extracurricular activities, and running a small business presented its own unique challenges. Over the years, we have learned that prioritizing our physical, mental, and spiritual health allows us to excel in the other important parts of our life! Kadriye graduated from Villanova University this May, majoring in biology, and she is now attending Harvard School of Dental Medicine. I am an incoming junior at Villanova University, majoring in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, and I hope to attend law school after graduation.

Besides the challenges that come with being a student-small business owner, we had one struggle that came about a year and a half into our journey. Our original organization that we donated to, the ADA’s Give Kids a Smile program, decided to stop taking donations as they worked on revamping their program and making some changes. We absolutely love the Give Kids a Smile program, but we were unsure of when they would allow donations again, so we searched for a new program that we believed would be just as impactful. The program we decided on is the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s “Big Love for Little Teeth” foundation. Today, we continue to donate to the Big Love for Little Teeth program, but we are so happy that the Give Kids a Smile program is again taking donations!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
[Aliye] We are so proud of how Pearls for Pearly Whites has grown in the past three years! We started out creating only leather and pearl jewelry, but we have expanded our collection to include sterling silver, gold, sea glass, and many precious stones such as labradorite and lapis. We believe that jewelry can transform not only someone’s outfit but also their self-confidence. We believe that teeth hold the same power! We were so blessed to grow up with access to dental health care, but we know that many other children cannot say the same. We yearn to bridge the gap in pediatric dental health with our jewelry company so that when someone buys a piece from us, they are confident by how it transforms their outfit, but they are also confident that they have done something to help a child in need get that same feeling.

[Kadriye] We hand-make all of our jewelry, and we carefully examine each pearl that we purchase to ensure we are giving our customers the highest quality of pearls. We are obsessed with attention to detail, and each of our pieces are one-of-a-kind! We also back all purchases with a lifetime warrantee, because our patrons become family, and we always want their jewelry to look amazing. We work to make every piece stunning, but we realize that every person is just as unique and beautiful as a pearl. This is why we work tirelessly to curate a collection that is true to our name and vision but can represent many different tastes and budgets.

What were you like growing up?
[Aliye] Growing up, Kadriye and I loved to be involved both in school and in our community. Kadriye cheered and played soccer, and Aliye played volleyball and soccer! In addition, we are both classically trained ballerinas, and ballet is our true passion. We believe that ballet has played a huge role in making us who we are today. Ballet taught us structure, poise, and determination, which are all characteristics we have employed as small-business owners and in life overall!

Pricing:

• We have a price range of $14-$350, and we work hard to make a collection that is inclusive to all budgets!
• We also do custom orders, which range in price! Contact us so that we can make your perfect piece.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2121 E 25th ST
  Tulsa, OK 74114
• Website: www.pearlsforpearlywhites.com
• Phone: 918-510-9895
• Email: pearls.for.pearly.whites@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Amy Herndon Photography
(For picture of Aliye in blue striped shirt in garden) with Elle endless pearls necklace

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