My journey with jewelry has always been guided by an invisible yet overwhelming pull towards energy, nature, and the cosmos. Creativity has always been a big part of who I am. Living in New York, I felt held back by the cold. I lived in a constant desire to breathe and find the room to grow and be myself. I desired escape, and my art became that for me. My initial passion for fashion design brought me to a community college back home where I first learned how to make jewelry. As my hands grew confident with strings, wire, and beads, I realized where my creativity belonged. What truly called to me was something deeper—something that would connect me closer to my family, myself, and to the elements of the universe.
When I moved to South Carolina it was because I wanted to feel closer to the ocean. The ocean has always made me feel safe and connected with the Earth, and after moving, I felt myself able to relax and grow, finally. I felt free–released from the weight I didn’t realize was on my shoulders, and the longer I stayed here, the more I believed in what my roommate, Rowan, had taught me about spirituality. Together, we practiced manifestation, ritualized the moon, and grew a strength for seeing the energies around us. I learned about tarot reading– something I had experienced during the yoga lessons with my Mom, and the crystals that I’d grown up adoring without knowing their meaning became powerful as I felt their symbolism and hope. Living so close to the beach truly brought the sight of what was once invisible to the light, and as I settled here, everything began aligning with what I had manifested for my future.
When I visited the beach, I was brought back to yoga in the park with my Mom. I remembered how, together, we learned to open our chakras and find inner peace. Even at such a young age, I learned the feeling of inner peace, and now as an adult, walking on the sand and listening to the crashing waves, I felt that peace again. On these walks, I would collect seashells and shark teeth, initially as keepsakes of my time spent with the sand and water, but I eventually realized that something more could be done with those treasures that would demonstrate the inherent beauty of the
environment we live in.
Sometimes, I would sit with the pieces I had found and just talk. I talked to the moon, the Earth, and the universe about anything that came to mind; Nothing comforted me or inspired me as deeply as these conversations did. As I sat, my fingers studied the pieces of the Earth I’d found, finding each tooth, shell, and stone perfectly engraved with their journey to my possession of them. With candles and crystals beside me, I wrote about the emotions I was feeling and the things I was manifesting. Each time I sat with my thoughts and manifested, I felt heard, cherished, and completely free knowing the universe was on my side. I realized I could use what the Earth had given me–both spiritually and physically–to further the journey of myself, what I had found that day on the beach, and the spirituality that my Mom and Rowan
had shared with me.
I began to experiment with the jewelry-making process–aiming to capture the ethereal world we find ourselves living in. During my creative process, I visualize symbols of the sun, the moon, and the cycles of life as each element of the Earth inspires each piece’s existence, and therefore my process in working with them. I’m drawn to the powers of tarot, crystals, and celestial imagery because they’ve always carried a strong presence in my life. Jewelry is not just an accessory, it’s a way of wearing the beauty of nature and the universe. It is a reminder of the energies that surround us every day. It is a tether from the Earth and space to our individual souls. Each piece I create intends to carry that connection to the Earth, the stars, and the unseen forces that move between both. My designs are an extension of my imagination, inspired by the balance between light and shadow, the energy of nature and the eternal dance of the sun and moon. The weight of a treasure-turned- necklace pendant against your chest can serve to remind your heart of the rhythms of the ocean waves, once again. The tinkling sounds of rings against rings may remind your ears of the stars watching down upon us all. Each piece I find for my jewelry never becomes mine–I become theirs. I tell their stories with intention: to reconnect us back to the Earth and universe, and to make
visible the energy that connects us all.
When I wear my pieces, I feel my Mom, my old roommate, and my connection to the Earth empowering me each day. My hope is that when someone wears the jewelry I’ve made, they feel the good intentions that I’ve welded, painted, and weaved into every piece. I hope they find themselves thinking of the world and remembering the connections we hold with nature. When I wear my pieces, I feel my Mom, my roommate, and my connection to the Earth–all empowering me.
The Physical Manifestation
of Myself
Maria Branche