Mary Rose is a story teller, truth seeker and highly compassionate soul that has built her tribe with love and care. Inspired by one of her icons, Carrie Fisher, the company received its nomenclature from one of Ms. Fisher’s most memorable quotes:
Years ago, there were tribes that roamed the earth, and every tribe had a magic person. Well, now, as you know, all the tribes have dispersed, but every so often you meet a magic person, and every so often, you meet someone from your tribe.”
Mary loves the idea of choosing your own family, your own tribe, and that is exactly what she has done with her art and her community. Her jewelry tells stories of love and metaphysical compassion that she can share with her constituents. As one of Adorned most beloved fearless leaders she quickly earned the title of Artist Wrangler. Not only is she busy creating and promoting her own work, but became a partner of Adorned by Nomad, in order to build community and show support to her ever-growing tribe.
I had the opportunity to chat with Mary Rose and get a better idea of how she makes it all happen in a day. This highly educated humble matron of Boulder is exactly how you’d let her jewelry describe her: sophisticated and unexpected.
With a high profile success career in publishing, one has to ask – How did you get started making jewelry?
Well much like my company name proclaims, I have a very tight-knit family of friends. Unfortunately my one friend had a very ill child and she was making jewelry just to keep herself and her kids going. She needed help. She taught me a few techniques, and we made jewelry together for a few years. It became a hobby, and after a while, my main vocation. I immersed myself in the subject by taking lessons or by pouring over trade publications for hours. I slowly learned the skills I needed to build beautiful art. Believe it or not, I learned how to craft my most popular item in the shop, hoop earrings, by teaching myself how to hammer the hoops from a magazine article! I love making jewelry as it’s expressive and sometimes therapeutic. Hammering is a lot of fun.
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
I am drawn to color and texture. I love the way that certain colors sing together in harmony as they become more than a sum of their parts. It’s hard for me to describe my aesthetic as my work is a product of the meditative process of jewelry making. The root word for ‘bead’ and ‘prayer’ are the same in most languages which resonates with me entirely. I love getting lost in my work.
What inspires your designs?
Color, texture, and the interplay of the stones always inspire my creations. I also try to think about the person who will be wearing a piece of mine. I hope that it will bring the wearer pleasure and compliments.
What is your favorite piece you’ve created?
I have some exquisite peridot that has been cut in a chunky, graduated fashion. In fact, I have bought three different grades of this particular cut of stone. When laid out side-by-side, you could tell that they had been cut by the same person. My vendor told me that it was a woman who had hand-cut them all, and she still had some supplies, but didn’t want to let go of any of it. If you saw the stone in person you’d immediately understand why. Its rich green hue is a dream.
I made a necklace of one of the two strands I had of the very best grade. It wasn’t long before someone came in and ogled over the piece in the store. It turns out that this admirer was in Boulder visiting her daughter from Brazil. When she returned to her homeland apparently she couldn’t forget about the necklace she had tried on. She contacted me immediately to purchase this peridot beauty, but also asked me to craft another. Gratefully I had enough of this precious stone in stock to build one more. I can’t think of a higher compliment than being asked to rush your work overseas.
If you could have any other job in the world what would it be?
I wouldn’t necessary call jewelry design a job because it is at something I love. It doesn’t feel like work at all most of the time. I can’t imagine doing anything else! It gives me so much joy to see people in town out and about who are wearing my pieces, but don’t know that I created them. Call it a vicarious pleasure.
Affectionately named the resident Artist Wrangler, how do you select which artists you’ll be stocking in Adorned?
Jewelry submissions are curated by a committee of the owners of Adorned. Everyone in this passionate tribe has different strengths and vastly different aesthetics which helps us keep the jewelry varied and interesting. Most importantly, we look at the quality of the work and what the design inspires in us. We’re also sensitive not to carry new work that might steal a current artist’s thunder with its similarities. Lastly merchandising has to come into play as we love jewelry, but we also need to keep the shop fresh and viable. We buy with our sales history in mind as we can fairly easily determine what will be a success in the shop and what will not.
Why do you believe that Adorned by Nomad is Boulder’s Best Gift Shop?
There are so many reasons! I think it’s most important to note that we are a firstmost a collaborative artistic community. We only carry local artists who have a talent for creating something unexpectedly gorgeous. We offer up these stunners in a beautiful setting that’s designed to feel like you just stepped foot in your mother’s jewelry box. For most women it’s a memory we cherish fondly and we wanted to recreate that treasure hunt here in the store. All of our drawers are meant to be opened and each nook and cranny to be investigated. We wanted to build not only a shop, but an experience.
Another reason we stand out is our willingness to be customizable and adaptable. We worked with countless brides or mothers-to-be that are searching for the perfect wedding jewelry. We’ve helped loved ones design custom gifts for their loved ones. And most fond to my heart, we’ve also helped our clients with remembrances of those lost. Recently I crafted a custom key chain for a woman who lost her dog. As an avid animal lover I wanted to build her something that would help her remember him with joy and help ease her pain.
How does Adorned contribute to Boulder’s thriving artist community?
Boulder is a town that appreciates art, and appreciates the hand of the maker in that art. For a town its size, a great variety of art can be found, if only you look for it. We contribute by being a nexus of need, want and opportunity to be found at predictable time and space. We are friendly, have a big table, and are happy to be a meeting place, a place where you can meet friends and sit down and try things on, and muse about what’s the perfect thing for you, for a friend, for a loved one. And then you can take it home, or give it away, or wear it every day because you love it.
Adorned By Nomad 