Scarlet
"I fell in love with rocks," Scarlet says simply, when asked how she found her way into the jewelry business. As a child, she and her brother took a great interest in learning how to identify semiprecious stones. At thirteen, she began experimenting with making jewelry out of the stones she loved, and a fledgling career was ignited.
With the encouragement of her parents, self-taught Scarlet sold her jewelry to local boutiques in Portland. Throughout her teens she mostly made pieces for herself, family, and friends. After college, she returned to attend massage school, and focused her creative energy into that practice for the next three years specializing in pregnancy massage.
It was while working as a doula (birth attendant) that her passion for jewelry was reborn. Having brought some rose quartz and amethyst stones to a birth (whose properties are claimed to bring peace and calm to the labor), she decided to design them into a bracelet for the expectant mother to wear and pass on to the daughter she was about to deliver. It was then that Scarlet fully realized how meaningful jewelry could be, and how much story was imbued into each original design. Ever since, she has created pieces that commemorate special occasions in people's lives.
Hand Built Jewelry: Scarlet chooses untreated gemstones, freshwater pearls, precious metals and other natural materials for her collection. Each piece is unique on purpose. In her latest collection, hundreds of lengths of chain are delicately built into the pieces accented with colorful gemstones, no two alike. She takes time and care with each piece to make sure it hangs beautifully and withstands wear. Her pieces are meant to be worn for lifetimes.
Personal Style: "For many women in western culture, it's a daily struggle to remember that our beauty comes from the inside. We think how is it possible to look (media) sexy while maintaining relationships, career, family, self-care, and hobbies? First - Sexy is not about having the IT bag, killer abs, or perfect hair & makeup. Second - Let's get realistic about what is actually possible to accomplish in a day, month, or year and start working towards a fulfilled lifetime. Fashion is a form of expression. Like architecture, the history of fashion is intelligent, often political and artistic. Beauty is a confident woman presenting her true self to the world. I think we all want to be that woman. As a designer, stylist & self-care resource, my mission is to make getting dressed and taking care of yourself a more joyful experience not pressured by fashion trends or the media. We get real about your life starting with your closet and make it a creative and personal process of discovering your true Beauty. The best accessory not only punctuates your outfit, it means something to you, you feel natural wearing it, there's a story behind it - the story is YOU."
Along with jewelry designed for the individual, Scarlet has designed period jewelry for theatrical performances and exclusive collections for boutiques, galleries, and fashion shows in New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Portland. Her designs adorn women around the world.
To date, Scarlet Chamberlin Jewelry has donated over $4000 to local and national organizations.
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