Enso Rings makes big move to Lehi
Angela Kyrobie sizes a ring as she and other employees fulfill orders from customers Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Rings from the stackables collection are displayed Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Isabel Salazar organizes rings as she fulfills orders for customers Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Jessica Parker secures a mold of rings Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Employees fulfill orders Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Various rings lie in bins waiting to be sent to customers Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Brilie Shelley sizes a ring as she fulfills a customer's order Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Isabel Salazar gathers rings as she fulfills orders for customers Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Rings from the infinity collection are displayed Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at the headquarters of Enso Rings in Lehi. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
It’s been three years since Brighton Jones and Aaron Dalley co-founded Enso Rings, and not quite two years since their product made an appearance on “Shark Tank,” where they made a deal with Robert Herjavec for a $500,000 investment with a 15% of stake in their company.
They’ve reached milestones, like selling over 2 million rings to 80-plus countries, but now, they’ve accomplished another meaningful one: bringing their entire operation under one roof. From design to production to shipping the rings and customer support, the entire company runs in a warehouse in Lehi. The company will soon expand their production into the building next door as well.
One of the benefits, according to Jones, is a competitive advantage.
“We can adapt so quickly to market changes, especially while this is an emerging category where it changes daily, we can adapt and be really fluid throughout the whole process,” Jones said.
It also helps to keep trade secrets, Jones added. He said rings like “copper,” “gold” and “pearl” all contain real copper, gold and pearl combined with the silicone, but that’s all he can reveal. Ever since Enso Rings pretty much pioneered silicone rings as a product, numerous copycats have popped up on Amazon, even using Enso Rings imagery to fool customers.
“You can go buy a dollar ring on Amazon, but it’s going to pale in comparison to what you’re getting from us hand-making these in Utah,” Jones said.
And the line of products continues to grow. Most recently, Enso Rings launched a birthstone line of rings at the request of mothers who wanted to wear something that reminded them of their kids.
“There were moms who wanted to wear one for their wedding commitment on their left hand, but then wanted to have something about their commitment to their children or just that symbol of their children on their right hand,” Jones said. “So they have their three kids, for Johnny, Susie and Ben, and they’ll get three stacks for their right hand and it’s really cute and they kind of take their family with them everywhere they go.”
The birthstone line is one of many suggestions that has come out of the Enso Ring “community,” which he calls “the greatest market research you can have.”
“Our community is … constantly suggesting ideas,” Jones said. “We owe it to our customers because they’re the ones that are constantly giving us the next idea, the next thing to try, the next color, the next style.”
However, not all of the design ideas come from customers. Some, like everything else at Enso Rings, come from in house.
That’s how Enso Rings “Inked” line was created, from a marketer on the team. Once a month, Enso Rings collaborates with a local artist, where the designers take concepts from the artist’s work and wrap it around a ring.
“It’s fun because we’ll support the local artists, they’ll help support the campaign … we’re able to provide something really special and unique,” Jones said.
The “Inked” collection is always limited edition, and Jones said the last round of the Inked rings sold out in just five days.
Working on the Inked collection is just one of Enso Rings designer Dave Shaw’s favorite parts about working for the company. Shaw was first introduced to the silicone rings while he was a student at the University of Utah, about to graduate and leave on an extended trip to Asia. A mentor recommended Shaw and his wife leave their traditional bands behind while they traveled, and wear the Enso Rings instead.
“I thought the product was great and really enjoyed that no matter what we were doing on our trip, I never had to take it off or worry about losing an expensive piece of jewelry,” Shaw wrote in an email. “I like to rock climb, scuba dive, and hike a lot, so having a ring that matches my active lifestyle is essential to me. Now I never take off my wedding band, which my wife loves, and again I don’t have to worry about losing it or even having any injuries related to wedding rings while I’m out and about.”
When Shaw learned Enso Rings was hiring, he jumped at the chance and said “the rest is history.”
Shaw’s experience of having an active lifestyle and wanting a ring to match is a key part of why Enso Rings was created, after Jones had a scary experience while rock climbing where his ring caught on a rock. The rock gave way, and Jones kept his finger, rather than experiencing “ring avulsion,” an injury where people wearing rings sometimes lose a finger when the ring is caught on something with an edge or a piece of machinery.
But since launching Enso Rings, Jones said they’ve found a different market that leads to a lot of heartwarming stories.
“One of the (stories) we hear, and it’s a recurring theme, is ‘my mom, my dad, he/she has cancer, he/she’s going in for treatments, (and there is) rapid weight loss,'” Jones said. “Now their rings don’t fit, but they want to wear something. And now the whole family can get a ring that they can all share.”
Jones said a lot of women also have begun wearing the rings when going through the process of childbirth, when their body goes through changes that include weight gain and their wedding ring doesn’t fit anymore.
“It’s something really special, and we feel really privileged to be part of those experiences for sure,” Jones said.
Enso Rings will have a grand opening at its new location in the next few months as they continue to settle in. And, Jones said to keep an eye out for some new, non-ring products coming down the line.
“We want to be there in this small way, a part of your journey, whatever that means,” Jones said.
