Let Me Take You Back to Where it All Began…

It was August 2004 and my plane had just landed in Zürich, Switzerland.

This would be my new home for the next few years and I would soon be starting my Kindergarten teaching position at an International School there. I was really excited, even though I knew no one. My previous two years were spent living and teaching in Singapore and I was quickly realizing that Europe would be a different, but equally fun experience. I loved being independent and the thrill of a new culture was pulsing through my veins!

I could hardly wait to get going and experience everything! I had settled into my new apartment on my own, my shipment from overseas was unpacked and my new IKEA furniture had been assembled. It felt like my new home and everything seemed to be off to a good start. There were some strict apartment rules that I would have to adjust to and learn, but on the whole, the transition was a smooth one.

Friday night, was the Teacher Appreciation BBQ and Drinks on the school’s patio. In the future, this would become one of my favourite events, but as for my first one, I was simply hoping to make a great first impression! A summer dress was an easy choice and as I got ready, I thought, “I’m going to wear my two new Tiffany & Co. bracelets”. I had purchased these bracelets back in Singapore before my big move to Europe over the summer and I loved them. These two bracelets complimented any outfit and I knew they would give me the ‘Boost’ of confidence I needed. Alas, they were a snug fit and both small silver bracelets had the tiniest of Lobster Clasps.

Standing alone in my apartment, I knew it was pointless to struggle on my own. So, I decided to head out right away, which would give me some extra time to ask a new colleague for help. That is exactly what I did! I found a nice approachable teacher, also new like me and asked her to please help attach my bracelets. No harm done, right? Except, that simple gesture (albeit very kind) left me feeling small, not like the empowered woman I was moments ago, the one who had moved to Zürich all by herself! I like being independent and self-sufficient…and yet, asking for help attaching bracelets made me feel like a child asking for help tying shoelaces.

What happened next was truly amazing!

You see, the product vision just “POPPED” into my head, like a Jack-in-the-Box springing out of its box. I knew I would ALWAYS address the FULL solution to this annoying problem and work directly with the clasp - unlike any other tool in existence. The tool’s size and shape would be similar to that of a desktop tape dispenser. The mechanics I came up with in 2004 have changed slightly, but there you have it…the idea was born at that BBQ back in 2004 because I knew, “There Had To Be A Better Way!”

On I went to teach Senior Kindergarten for three years and eventually I became the school’s first Primary Art Teacher. I loved teaching and I loved all of my six and a half years there. I travelled on long weekends and weeks off all around Europe. It was after the end of my first year when I met Nick. We met at a tram stop on Zürich’s infamous shopping street, Bahnhofstrasse. We were married in June 2008 in the City’s Fraumünster Church. Our reception at Uto Kulm was the grand finale to the perfect wedding.

On my wedding day, as you will see in the photo, I wore another clasp bracelet. You can bet with both the wedding jitters and not wanting to break my perfect nails, I asked for help. I would have never struggled with a Clasp Bracelet on my BIG day. The Clasp Magic™ idea was there, in my head! However, it would take a few more years for the process to get underway.