This is a very special Community Spotlight as Colleen Berg is not only creating beautiful jewelry, but very meaningful jewelry. We recently had her create a necklace for myself that included fingerprints of my kids, my husband, and myself. I wear this necklace all of the time and feel like I have a little bit of my family with me all the time, even when they are not around. But we wanted to get to know a little more about Colleen and her business. And be sure to check out our special offer at the end of this post.
This is a sponsored post, but we are selective on the companies we work with to ensure they align with our community.
Tell us about your company:
“I love creating beautiful jewelry that has beautiful meaning. All of my pieces incorporate your loved ones’ signatures, thumbprint impressions or artwork. This is jewelry you will treasure forever. From your grandmother’s signature to your baby’s footprint, we celebrate everyone you love… even your cats and dogs! By demand, I’ve also brought back my cool line of wire-wrapped rings.”
What inspired you to launch this business:
“In a word, desperation! I started my business after the birth of my daughter in 2001. I knew I wanted to stay home with her but also knew I needed to bring in an income. Before I went on maternity leave, I had signed several contracts with different ad agencies to work remotely. My daughter was born 3 days after 9/11. At the time, there was so much insecurity about the economy that my contracts went away. I knew I had 3 months to make magic happen or I would have to return to my office job. I decided to learn how to make jewelry. I designed several pieces and approached several established South Bay retail spots. They agreed to buy my jewelry wholesale and sell it in their stores. This was a great arrangement and allowed me to stay home with Sofia. In 2004, I had my 2nd daughter and decided I wanted to open my own retail shop. I had my store Colleen Berg Jewelry in Hermosa Beach until 2010. The economy was pretty tough at that time and I made the decision to shutter the brick and mortar and sell exclusively online. It’s been an unpredictable journey but one that I’m proud of.”
What is one of your proudest moments:
“In 2006, I called InStyle magazine in New York. I explained I would be in NYC the next week and wanted to show them my latest designs. I booked a meeting and then immediately had to book a plane ticket. That May, my ring designs were featured. Over the years, I have been on KTLA, Fox News, local cable news and in several magazines.”
What can one expect when working with you:
“I work with families all over the United States and Canada and usually never meet my customers. Many of my SouthBay customers either order everything through my website or visit me at my home studio, where I can personally take the thumbprint impressions. Online customers, either email me a picture of their loved one’s handwriting or order one of my impression kits online. If emailing signatures, I get started immediately on the jewelry. If I’m designing thumbprint jewelry, the impression kit goes out upon order. Customers take their impressions, mail them to me and I begin designing their piece.”
Tell us a little about you:
“I am a South Bay resident. I grew up in New York and moved to CA just after I graduated from college. I had joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (similar to the Peace Corps) and got placed in Santa Monica. After a year in Santa Monica, I moved to China. My job in China didn’t work out but I loved being in Asia so much that I moved to Japan. I ended up living in Japan for 3 years. When I returned to the States, I ended up in Hermosa and a couple of years later bought a house in Redondo Beach. I have a wonderful and handsome husband, Seth, and my beautiful daughters, Sofia (17) and Lyla (14). They both attend Redondo Union.”
What do you enjoy doing in the South Bay when you are not working:
“I enjoy the beach, restaurants and all the cool events our amazing community puts together. As a family, we love to travel. Seth and I have taken the kids to Korea, Japan, England, Ireland, Italy, Mexico and Canada. Our craziest journey was probably driving (with our dog) to Alaska. I discovered I’m not the best off-the-grid camper, but I’m glad we did it!”
How do you give back to the community:
“I love our community and I love giving back. Hit me up for gift certificates to support our schools and any of our local causes.”
The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift – Colleen Berg Jewelry
At Colleen Berg Jewelry, we design thumbprint, signature, paw print and fingerprint jewelry by placing them in silver and gold jewelry designs. I use your actual signatures and thumbprint impressions!
Get 10% off by using code: “southbaymommiesanddaddies”
colleenberg.com
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