Six Years
...is perhaps and odd milestone to choose to celebrate, but —
Last year this time, at the perhaps more appropriate 5-year milestone, I was busy relocating my family abroad. It was our second big move within two years and it simply wasn't on my radar then.
Fast forward a year, and now I feel ready to look back.
In the midst of everything else going on in the world right now, it feels like we need to take the time to highlight all our victories, all our anniversaries, and to celebrate everything. Because why not?
So today, I celebrate 6 years of Love Lori Michelle Jewelry. On this date in 2019, in Washington DC, I hosted my official Launch Party on the gorgeous rooftop terrace of the Apollo on H Street (shoutout to Tasha of Duraca Strategic for pushing me to host that party) It was a magical night with friends, in which I shared that I was making the leap from a job in architecture to become a jewelry designer and launch my brand.
…Back to the Start
I'd like to say it all started with a sketch on a napkin, the typical design/small business origin story. It wasn't exactly like that, but kind of close:
My college friend was getting married and her wedding invitation was sitting on my desk as I was working one day. I was in the middle of creating a 3D-model of a building for an architecture client, when I looked over at the geometric floral shape on the front of the invite, and wondered if I could re-create it in 3D using the same tools I was using for the architectural design.
And so I did. I used the invite as a photo underlay, opened a new 3D-model file, and loosely traced the design. I didn't do anything else with it for a few months, but then as her wedding got closer, I thought I'd try to 3D print the flower just for fun.
I was planning to print it in PLA filament, a material that I had previously used to create small, scaled architectural building models. Then, when I was perusing one of the 3D printing websites, I saw that they were newly offering metals: both stainless steel and more precious metals like sterling silver and gold.
…My First Piece
So I sent that first piece off to be made in stainless steel, and when it was completed and shipped back to me, and I held it in my hands, a lightbulb went on in my head. It was a huge CLICK moment for me, because I was holding something tangible, SOMETHING I COULD TOUCH AND WEAR!!! After nearly a decade of producing digital design work, the idea that I could create something physical, for the body, was a huge shift. This was in 2012.
From there, I created many more pieces in stainless steel (most of them not that great) before switching over to producing pieces in silver and gold. There were 7 years of dabbling back and forth between architecture and jewelry before deciding to launch a full brand. During all of this time, I learned about sizing and proportion, weighting of materials, where to source finishings and findings like clasps and rings, and I took some hand-making jewelry classes as well, to better understand some of the tools and processes.
Changes in Production...
Over the years, my pipeline from design to production of the jewelry has changed. I had once done the 3D-printing in house, I now outsource it. In the earlier days, I had pieces cast and and then I did the soldering, polishing, and assembly. Now, I outsource the production of all my pieces so that I can focus solely on the design work and running the business.
One thing that will never change is the design work. That will always stay with me ;)
Looking Back —
Over the past 6 years, I’ve:
- Designed more than 75 pieces of jewelry for my core collections
- Worked with over 100 clients on custom designs
- Donated more than $2500 from my sales to 3 local community causes
- Participated in 38 in-person pop-up events, in 11 different cities
- Sold my pieces in multiple local boutiques from DC, to CA, to London
- Shipped 1000s of online orders
- Hosted 1 impromptu pool-side jewelry trunk show in Italy
And I feel like I'm just getting started!
As I look ahead, I'm excited to explore new designs, new materials, and new stories. Here’s to the next six years, and to all the sparkle still to come.
Thank you to everyone who has supported my work.
Love,
Lori