Goodbye - Good Times!

Closing Shop after 15 Transformative Years

Dear friends - This is my last season as a jeweler.

I will be closing my storefront, online shop, and all things jewelry related by the end of the year and saying goodbye to this beautiful, creative phase of my life. It truly has been good times!

You might not be shocked to read that I’m tapping out. Lots of small businesses have done the same, I am almost heartened and proud to join the ranks.

I started making jewelry 15 years ago, and opened the first location in Oakland 13 years ago at the tender age of 29. It started as a hobby, then a passion, then it became a bona fide mature business in my mid 30s. I hit my stride and was on the top of my game as a professional jeweler and leader - employing a team, doing complex creative projects, and most importantly stretching as a person and artist.

At the peak of the business, we were a little cultural pearl in downtown Oakland, bringing together a collective of sustainably minded artists with a community of avid supporters and collectors. We hosted curated art shows, pop ups, trunk shows - we knew all our neighbors and mail carriers by name and had regulars who popped in just to say hi to my dog Jim on the regular.

In the wake of those glory days, I’ve proudly managed to create beauty against the odds, but thinking about who I was in those days in Oakland is a bit like describing life in Atlantis. Those people and places just don’t exist anymore. I am not her anymore. We are all changed. That world is just a story of a time that once existed and I, for one, am learning to live and thrive in this world, this one we have here and now.

I’m hardly the only small business (and most certainly I am in the vast majority of those owned my mothers and those who were dedicated to a sustainability movement) who have not been able to recover after Covid. I follow a lot of independent brands and it’s been like dominos, closure after closure, especially in the last year. The era of the pivot is over. Small little outfits like mine are just done, as are big international firms, like Mara Hoffman (which by the way, I implore you, listen to this interview - I plus one every blessed word she speaks).

There are a lot of interesting and necessary discussions to have about what’s happening to mothers in our culture and economy - but for right now, I’m not interested in getting into the weeds or doing a post mortem on why things ended up they way they did - maybe I’ll circle back around.

Because… my heart is so delighted and ready to move on. Creatively, I have been working on music for years so this feels like a huge, loving, liberatory move. Expansion. Room to wiggle and yawn and stretch and see what else I got in me.

The agonizing, keep me awake in the middle of the night question that stalled me from closing sooner was, “well, what’s next?” No longer able to just cast it all to the wind like I could as a young single woman, I now have two children to protect and consider with every choice I make. Yet, I have decided that not knowing is a wonderfully valid answer. I don’t know. I don’t know what’s next. Do you? I’m choosing to trust, just like the tree trusts when shedding her leaves in the autumn, that my next beautiful form can only take shape by letting go.

Choosing to say goodbye has also had me reflecting on the profound gratitude I carry for each person who supported my work over the past 15 years. You are in my heart. These were good times. Yes, lots of hard times too, but damn, this was such a beautiful little twirl of my time on planet earth!

So thank you - each and every person in this space - whether you purchased big or small or just liked my posts, worked alongside me, were a part of any infrastructure that made the whole thing tick: I appreciate your support, love and hope to catch you on the flip side for more good times of another kind!

Shine on ^{💎
Kate Ellen}

p.s. For all my current clients, we will be sending out information about ongoing ring care, referrals for other jewelers, and all that important jazz in the coming weeks. I’ll have a whole game plan for you, m’loves!

Thank you for your support as we make this massive transition!

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‘24 ‘til Infinity…

Sale notes: Made to order jewelry will not be discounted this season - Gold is currently at it’s highest level in human history so instead of raising prices and then discounting them (like my competitors will be doing this holiday), I’m just offering them at my current price. How’s that for price transparency? I know it’s not as sexy as seeing a big red slashy-thingy, but dopamine hits are for suckers, right babes? In the end you’re still saving money, honey 🤑

**** UPDATE*** I decided that because I am opening up my sale to outside this community of folks (through ads etc), I AM going to up the prices and then lower them because most folks cannot deal with nuance in the same way y’all can. Especially after the brutal results of the election, I’m feeling like big red slashy lines are pretty imperative to selling what I need to sell - I did an overhaul of the whole website and boosted prices 20% across the board - so for most designs, you will still be seeing a reduction in price at checkout when discounts are taken.

We will be offering weirdly low prices on stuff that is ALREADY MADE, so that’s where IG Story Sales on Wednesdays, and Sunday Substack Featurettes will be your best bud if you are one of those folks who needs a deal.

We are open by appt every Saturday now thru Black Friday weekend! This is literally the last chance to work with me before the end-times!

• I will be taking on a limited number of custom design jobs - if you’ve ever thought of doing something heartfelt or weird with me, now’s the time my love! Let’s collab 🩵

• Yes, I work with heirloom gems!

• Yes, I can take your old gold in and credit it toward a new purchase. Lucky for you, right now is the very best time to do this as far as gold prices go. No, I cannot cast it into a new design (sorry, not sorry).

• Yes, I can source lab stones!

• Yes, I can work with you remotely - you do not need to be local to work with me. Check my Google Reviews if you don’t believe me, babe!

• Yes, we are doing permanent jewelry!

• Not sure if I can do it? Just ask!

Book your remote or in-person appointment here >

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What becomes of this Substack?

I plan on continuing to write a Substack. Still formulating what it will be focused on, if you like me as an artist I encourage you to stay subscribed. In the coming months you will be getting a few more emails than typical (every Sunday and reminders on key dates), so feel free to adjust your notifications or subscription to your preferences.