For special gifts with local significance, look no further than these three Lexington jewelry makers
Valentine’s Day goes hand in hand with gift giving, and no gift is perhaps more ubiquitous on this holiday than jewelry. Whether your tastes are simple and elegant, modern and striking, or intricate and one-of-a-kind, a trio of local jewelers create handcrafted pieces that up the ante as far as “personal touch” is concerned.
Newest to the local jewelry scene of the three is Cara Hochhalter who, with husband AJ, owns and operates Maple & J, established in 2014. Hochhalter has been modifying and designing jewelry since childhood but began the work that became the foundation of Maple & J about seven years ago. She was inspired by jewelry-wearing habits she noticed while traveling internationally and living in China.
“I noticed how much jewelry people wore, no matter their socio-economic status, job or gender – even babies and children,” she said. “I had always cherished the bangle and ring I had as a baby and wanted to bring that idea back: a special piece worn and saved as a keepsake or passed down as an heirloom.”
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Local jewelery company Maple & J specializes in high quality bangle bracelets for men, women and children that are intended to be worn every day. Photo furnished
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Bradley Quinn
Local jewelery company Maple & J specializes in high quality bangle bracelets for men, women and children that are intended to be worn every day. Photo furnished
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Local jewelery company Maple & J specializes in high quality bangle bracelets for men, women and children that are intended to be worn every day. Photo furnished
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Local jewelery company Maple & J specializes in high quality bangle bracelets for men, women and children that are intended to be worn every day. Photo furnished
Hochhalter set off on her journey of making baby bangles out of quality metals that would “survive the wear and tear of daily rowdy kid life” and soon began crafting bangles for adults, too. Inspired by one of her favorite personal pieces – a large silver Tibetan bangle she never takes off – she wanted these pieces to be durable enough for active lifestyles without sacrificing style. Sleek and simple designs with understated elegance, Maple & J pieces are intended to be worn alone or alongside other favorites.
“The bangles are technically adjustable bangle bracelets that you can keep simple or you can build a stack as bold and unique as you’d like,” she explained. A hallmark of the designs is their comfort and convenience. “You can wear them all the time and not worry about having to remove them to shower, sweat, sleep, swim, etc.,” she added. “They are meant to be a part of your everyday life and become part of you.”
While Hochhalter currently has a studio outside her home, she worked for a number of years in her laundry room.
“Being a stay-at-home-mom but also a working mom is a tricky thing,” she said. “The kids see me filing, sanding and hammering around the house, and I’d say a good amount of the bangles out there have been ‘worked on’ by little hands, too.”
The Maple & J line has grown to include cuff and chain bracelets, rings and necklaces, as well as a line of men’s cuff bracelets. Pop-up lines of limited editions items have also included earrings and anklets along with unique twists on her standard designs. Hochhalter, while claiming silver as her favorite material, also designs in gold, rose gold and brass. The Mommy & Me Bangle Sets are a special and unique Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day gift for a mom and child, with children’s sizes ranging from infant to pre-teen.
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Designer and proprietor of Meg C Jewelry Gallery, Meghan Carroll. Photo by Summer Jasmine Photography
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Designer and proprietor of Meg C Jewelry Gallery, Meghan Carroll. Photo by On A Whim Co.
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Designer and proprietor of Meg C Jewelry Gallery, Meghan Carroll. Photo by On A Whim Co.
Meghan Carroll, designer and proprietor of Meg C Jewelry Gallery, opened her first Lexington storefront downtown on Mill Street in 2012 after relocating to the city in 2011. Carroll has been enchanted with jewelry since childhood, when she fell in love with her grandmother’s costume pieces.
Although she started out studying fashion, she became hooked on jewelry-making after taking a basic metals class in college. She switched her major, graduating from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in jewelry design.
Carroll describes the style of her work as “minimalist, contemporary and colorful.”
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Carroll's designs focus on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones. Photo by Meg C Gallery
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Carroll's designs focus on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones. Photo by Meg C Gallery
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Carroll's designs focus on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones. Photo by Meg C Gallery
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Carroll's designs focus on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones. Photo by Meg C Gallery
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Carroll's designs focus on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones. Photo by Meg C Gallery
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Carroll's designs focus on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones. Photo by Meg C Gallery
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Carroll's designs focus on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones. Photo by Meg C Gallery
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Carroll's designs focus on sleek, modern jewelry with pops of color that come from gemstones. Photo by Meg C Gallery
Working with all types of metals, Carroll’s pieces are sleek with pops of color that come from a wide variety of gemstones, her favorite material to work with. “I love colored gemstones,” she said. “There are so many gorgeous gemstones beyond the classic emerald, ruby and blue sapphire. Those are beautiful, too, but show me a Paraíba tourmaline that looks like the Caribbean Sea or a mint green garnet and I’m in love.”
Carroll currently works in a home studio that she said is filled with a hundred tools that each do a specific task. She describes the process as “dirty and meticulous.”
“[It] takes hours and hours,” she said. “I do most of my work under a microscope to get the details just right.”
While Carroll has a number of ready-made pieces available for sale through her website, custom work – including reimagining old pieces – is a passion that makes up the bulk of her business.
“Reimagining what old, dated jewelry could become is an exciting challenge every time,” she said.
Carroll’s custom pieces also include one-of-a-kind engagement and wedding rings, designed to reflect the style and personality of those who wear them.
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Rachel Savané has been making metal jewelry since 1984. File photo
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Rachel Savané has been making metal jewelry since 1984. File photo
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Rachel Savané has been making metal jewelry since 1984. File photo
Rachel Savané made her first piece of metal jewelry – a gold and amethyst ring made with a repurposed gold wedding band found in a pawnshop – in 1984 as a crafts/metals major at the University of Illinois.
After graduation, she came to Lexington to stay with her sister, but a year later joined the Peace Corps and made her way to Guinea. Two and half years later she returned to town with her boyfriend, Mamadou Savané (now owner of Sav’s Grill & Gourmet Ice Cream). In Lexington, the couple married, bought a home and started a family as well as their respective businesses.
“The house was the key to starting a business,” Savané said. “I could create a studio and do torch work without asking a landlord’s permission.”
Savané Silver was born in a corner of the basement in 1996, and after being accepted into some juried art fairs, she quit her secretary job to focus on jewelry full time.
When asked about her style, Savané said she uses sterling silver and fine gemstones to create what she calls “jewelry of character.”
“By that I mean that each piece and the majority of my designs are only created one time, and each has its individual characteristics,” she explained. “My work is based in asymmetry, while through it I strive to achieve balance.”
Savané’s design process is unique in that after choosing her stones she designs her pieces with the silver in her hands.
“I cannot draw a piece because I cannot see it until it comes to life from my hands playing with juxtapositions of metal to metal
and metal to stone,” she explained. This process results in designs with soft curves setting off the beauty of the stones, reminiscent of wind and water flowing around the earth. With designs that are both contemporary and intricate, Savané mainly creates large statement pieces but also has a line of petite jewelry for those who prefer a more delicate piece.
Savané’s line is made up of pendants, rings, earrings and bracelets but also includes unique pieces like hair cuffs and anklets, a men’s line and a new, timely item — mask pins.
While the pandemic has greatly affected retail outlets, these three jewelers all acknowledge their good fortune and luck during this time.
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Savané Silver, was born in 1996 and focuses on unique jewelry featuring sterling silver and gemstones. File photos
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Savané Silver, was born in 1996 and focuses on unique jewelry featuring sterling silver and gemstones. File photos
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Savané Silver, was born in 1996 and focuses on unique jewelry featuring sterling silver and gemstones. File photos
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Savané Silver, was born in 1996 and focuses on unique jewelry featuring sterling silver and gemstones. File photos
Maple & J has operated exclusively as an online retailer with occasional pop-up shopping opportunities.
“AJ and I were very nervous because the pandemic hit in our seasonally slow time, but it was a big blessing that sales picked up rather than slowing down,” Hochhalter said.
Carroll also speaks of a fortuitous situation that she found herself in. Having relocated from downtown to the Summit at Fritz Farm in 2017, Carroll had closed her retail store to operate solely as an online and appointment-based custom designer and retailer only months before the pandemic’s began.
“I kind of lucked out by closing my retail store at the end of 2019 – it was my plan to transition to appointment only, then the pandemic made it a necessity. I rolled with the punches and met clients virtually or in person outside at coffee shops,” she said. She recently acquired an office space where she can safely meet with clients to design their special pieces.
“Business has definitely slowed down, but I welcomed it after running a shop for seven and a half years,” she said.
Savané, who has a very visible downtown storefront on the corner of North Broadway and Short streets, took the time to push reset.
“When retail was closed down in March, I worked on a major project in my gallery that I had thought about for years but couldn’t do because I would have to close to do it,” she said. “I changed the lighting system…and also painted the ceiling a dark shade of green. The overall effect is a super-cozy ambiance. I also recognized that I needed to call upon the expertise of a PR/marketing firm to help my website generate a greater portion of income.”
Savané has since reopened to the public, taking safety measures such as limiting the number of visitors and requiring masks of everyone inside the space. She also offers private shopping by appointment for those who feel more comfortable being the only visitor to the gallery.
Though celebrations have been tempered in the past year, the drive to commemorate significant events and memorable moments remains intact. As Valentine’s Day approaches, and clients look forward to opportunities to give a gift to someone special, Hochhalter, Carroll and Savané remain committed to helping them find exactly what they need to make any occasion special.
“Even though this year has been very difficult, people still got engaged, got married, and had birthdays and anniversaries,” Carroll said. “Life went on, and so did the jewelry making.”