Thinking of you...

Dear friends,

You might have noticed I haven’t been in touch for some time now. It just felt odd to be writing a newsletter about jewelry in a time like this. My life has been quite hectic, but not the kind of hectic I’m used to.
Since my last trunk show in Wellington in mid February, I’ve been focused on my mom. She needed a major surgery and was hastily discharged a month ago due to this insanely dangerous coronavirus situation. I took her back to my home, realizing it was safer to take care of her myself than send her to a rehab center and risk the coming and going of the staff.So I became her private nurse and cheerleader. What a gift it has been! If you knew her you would understand: she is the most selfless, most grateful, kindest human being…every word that comes out of her mouth is to express her gratitude and embarrassment for being a burden. My days are spent cooking and taking care of her, returning the spirit of generosity she has indulged us with all her life. These memories will always be with me.

I have been pushing aside all sorts of business-related work… with this existential threat looming around us, I think jewelry is the last thing people want to hear about right now.
And I have never felt more at peace. I don’t have the anxiety that used to grip me every morning, rushing to my studio, worrying that precious time was being wasted. Quarantined, I, like many, worried about how my business could survive this, but realized how lucky I was. Being an independent direct to consumer designer has protected me - no store, no wholesale accounts, no employees. The reality is my business has never been just about the jewelry. Rather, its success has been rooted in the personal relationships I have built with you, the stories and the dreams.

So in this forced sabbatical, I am left wondering whether jewelry can transcend this time.
This pandemic has cut everyone’s consumption to a minimum, our time refocused on basic responsibilities and small gestures to help our families and people we don’t even know.
As the world adjusts to a new reality, we’re able to liberate ourselves from the shackles of society’s emphasis on superficial consumerism and instead partake in something more meaningful. It’s as we’ve been given a timeout to introduce us to a simpler way of life, to seek meaning and purpose, to savor the present moment.

Yes, my jewelry is just jewelry at the end of the day, but I get comfort in knowing the values it embodies speaks to a lot of these lessons learned.
No detail feels superfluous. The materials are all sustainable and each piece is designed to inspire confidence and kindness towards oneself and for others.It’s not about wasteful consumerism.
My intention has always been to create timeless pieces with quality craftsmanship to make your style effortless for a lifetime. For me, this is what luxury is about. It’s not about how much you spend. It’s about living life well. To love and be loved. To give. To share. To accumulate experience and wisdom. To nurture our bodies and minds in creative, passionate and healthy ways. This, for me, is a life lived in luxury.
With good staples, you can spend less time thinking about fashion, and more time on what really matters to you. So let’s enjoy this break and reflect on the lessons learned.

Be safe and stay humble. In the meantime, keep me posted on your lives…
I do want to know :)