Turning
a negative into
a positive is the life philosophy of 29 year-old Portland-based
jewelry designer, Jane MacLellan of emily-jane jewelry. While
many were reeling from the massive layoffs in the dot-com
industry, Jane decided it was time to change her life. Corporate
layoffs left her to ponder her talents and think about how she
wanted to live her life.
Jewelry
design is a world removed from the high stress, number crunching
career in sales management that she left behind.
With a degree in International Relations and years
of corporate experience, she decided that it was time to embark
on a new
life.
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 Without any formal jewelry education and only self-supplied funding,
Jane turned a hobby and childhood dream into her own successful
company. Seeing her jewels on others is incredibly rewarding.
Jane's customers often share with her the pleasure they get from
wearing her designs, as well as the flood of compliments they
receive while wearing them. Jane immediately realized that designing jewelry for others brought her more fulfillment than any of her past business successes.
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Each
item in the emily-jane line is designed from Jane's unique creative
vision and crafted by hand. Some
are one-of-a-kind, and all are created from precious gemstones,
semi-precious stones and/or Swarovski®
crystals. Many emily-jane pieces feature a focal component, such as an antique Tibetan
carved turquoise pendant or a vintage Swarovski crystal from
the 1940's. "It seems these pieces have a secret story to
tell. Many of my customers seem to be tuned into these stories
and feel a connection to their jewelry", reports Jane. Jane
views each emily-jane piece in the same way she values her favorite lipstick. "It's
just something a woman has to have," she says, "something
that says to her 'yes, I'm beautiful!'"
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