What does a magenta egg carton have to do with jewelry?
Absolutely nothing.
But, also, everything...
Back in May, I was a approacehed by a young woman, her sweet toddler in tow, at the Paradise City show in Northampton. She looked around the booth, and must have liked my work, because she rather shyly asked me if I did custom jewelry. I responded that I did, and she mentioned a “kind of weird” idea involving a pink egg carton. She had me there, I was immediately sold.
I LOVE this type of creative request.
She emailed me before I’d even returned from the show, and asked about the GEMM experience, and whether she could do that. GEMM is my passion project, but something I’m rather reserved about. I don’t talk about it or promote it. Imposter syndrome* is real.
*Imposter Syndrome is a behavioral health phenomenon described as self-doubt of intellect, skills or accomplishments among high achieving individuals. (Hello. It’s me) Experts recognize five main subtypes: the perfectionist (ding ding!), the superhero, the expert (also me-worried I don't know enough yet to be able to show someone else) the natural genius and the soloist.
But Sophie found it on her own, on the somewhat buried page on my website. So, when I returned from MA, we had phone conversation to go over a few details, and she was on board. In May, we booked a weekend in August for GEMM.
What exactly is GEMM? Simply put, it is collaborative, hands-on custom jewelry. It’s more experience than class . It’s not “learning to make jewelry” but rather, about making a special piece, made that much more meaningful because YOU helped create it. No prerequisites or jewelry skills required, you just show up to my studio with a memory, emotion or goal that you want to memorialize in metal, and together, we create magic. You can participate as much or as little as you’d like to in the actual creation of the piece. I guide you every step of the way.
GEMM was born from the knowledge that there is catharsis in creation, and there is magic in bringing the intangible to life- into something you can hold.
The pink egg carton was, of course, so much more than a pink egg carton. It contained connections to Vermont, represented gentle greetings from the universe, and signs to trust the path and process. It was about motherhood, legacy, the future, life…
All of the decisions that went into the piece were conscious ones. Sophie wanted bubbles in the resin, she only treated part of the carton with a sealant, as she wanted some of the color to bleed. Some of them came about organically, like adding the 3 faux rivets. And none of these decisions are ones I likely would have made, if I’d been making the piece on my own. They were design choices that evolved naturally as we worked with the materials. She was so clear on her vision, and it was such a privilege to help her bring that to life. And my goodness, it was magic.
It was such an honor and absolute delight to have Sophie spend two days in the studio with me, working together to create such a special and unique piece of custom jewelry. I’m stunned with and delighted with the final piece. But more importantly, Sophie loves it.
