Field Interview:
Melanie Atherton, MAtherton Metals
Today's interview is with Melanie Atherton of MAtherton Metals. A daughter of two metalsmiths, some may consider Melanie’s jewelry journey to be her destiny! One thing is for certain, her work comes from the very depths of her heart, resulting in heirloom quality pieces for generations to come. Timeless jewelry by a second generation jeweler.
1. What does your name, MAtherton Metals mean and how did you come up with it for your business?
I’ve had many people ask me about my business name. “MAtherton! You must be a teacher, or a Mathematician!” This always makes me chuckle since math was my absolute worst subject in school, and I did almost go into art education before abruptly changing my major to metals. The most straight forward (and boring) answer though is that MAtherton Metals is my name: Melanie Atherton. Although, there is a bit of an inside joke behind it as well.
In my past life I worked as a Visual Merchandiser for Old Navy. I once got a strange email from another Old Navy employee, in China, questioning me about purchasing/ replacing mannequins. I can only assume they confused me with someone else since this had absolutely nothing to do with my role at the time. The email was addressed “Dear Matherton.” My coworkers and I got such a kick out of the strange email that several of them actually started addressing me as ‘Matherton’ and... I liked the way it sounded! I added Metals at the end since I work with several different types of metal, and I thought the two M’s had a nice mouth feel.
2. MAtherton Metals consists of edgy handcrafted metal jewelry with deep romanticism and sentimentality. Do you have core pieces or collections that you are always creating and have readily available?
Oooooo! I’ve never really thought of my pieces as ‘romantic' and I love that!! ...With that being said though, I definitely think there is a romanticism that goes along with all jewelry. We gift jewelry to people we love, and it's deeply personal in the sense that it’s worn on our bodies (close to our hearts) etc. Anyway...
I have several staple pieces and collections, but I am constantly reimagining and reworking them to keep them exciting. The most popular without a doubt is my coffee bean line. Which, I just redesigned towards the end of last year, and am in the process of formally relaunching right now. I would also consider my Alien and Dagger pieces to be a staple, but I have been doing more one-of-a-kind versions of those. In 2023 I have plans to offer more limited edition and one-of-a-kind pieces. My coffee beans aren’t going anywhere though, I can say that much!
3. In the midst of creating, you contemplate the reasons people adorn themselves with jewelry. What Can adornment tell us about a person?
Oh, absolutely!! One of my absolute favorite things to do (at a show) when a person firsts approaches my table, is to check out whatever jewelry pieces that they are wearing. It definitely tells me a lot about the person as it is one of the many ways for someone to express their style. The others being their clothes, their hair, or even their makeup. Little things like: This person likes to make bold jewelry choices and they aren’t afraid to stand out, or this person prefers lighter pieces that they can put on and forget about… This person prefers costume jewelry or this person loves sterling silver rings and has one on each finger! (I always get excited when those types come to my table.) It’s a great entry point into a conversation as well. I’ve heard quite a few fascinating stories just by saying something to the effect of “I looooove your necklace!"
4. In your opinion, what qualities should an heirloom embody?
Another great question!! Quality and Craftsmanship, without a doubt. It might sound silly, but if it is going to be passed down through the generations, it should probably be able to stand the test of time. However, It’s funny because I keep coming back to the idea of ‘sentimentality’ when answering these questions, and I can only assume that was your intention. I think Sentimentality has a huge part in what will be considered an “heirloom.” In my opinion, something as simple as a coin could be an heirloom; but it is because of its sentimental value to the person who owned it, and that they thought it was special enough to pass on to the next generation, which then creates another layer of sentimentality. Then the person who it is passed on to understands how precious it was to its original owner and also finds it precious enough to pass it on to the next generation. so on, and so forth.
5. Out of all the pieces you've created, do you imagine any of them being passed down from family to family? If so, which one(s)?
I certainly hope so! I have also joked that I look forward to the day when I enter a savers or any sort of second hand store and find one of my pieces staring back at me, for 5 dollars. I think I am ways away from that one but it’s bound to happen at some point!
I could see some of my custom pieces being passed down, but that goes back to what I was saying before about someone finding something precious enough to gift it to another generation.
6. You are a second generation metalsmith. Who else in your family worked with this medium?
Both my mother and my father were metalsmiths. Unfortunately, they are no longer together or, making jewelry for that matter. They met while in school together at the Jewelry Institute in Providence, RI (a now defunct college.) Where they had a bit of a whirlwind romance, went into business together, moved down to New Mexico, and as my mother jokes, ‘conceived’ me before moving back here to the east coast. Unfortunately, this story does not have a happy ending, but I think it’s a cute story to tell regardless. I also think it's a nice sentiment (here we go with that word again) to think about how I am a product of their shared creativity. Especially since I never really envisioned myself following the same path, but here I am!!
A business card for Melanie’s mother and father’s jewelry business
7. Your colors, subjects, finishes, materials and even packaging have an "of the earth", organic feel. There are photos on your Instagram of your pieces laying in nature on moss, bark, fur (!) etc. These photos reflect beautiful harmony. Do you often work with the outdoors for your photos?
I love, love, love working with nature in my photography. I recently moved to a property with more land, and woods behind it. I’ve gotten ‘lost' back there for several hours with just my jewelry and my phone (camera). Sure, it is the easiest and probably least distracting to take a photo on a plain black or white backdrop, but there is such an abundance of gorgeous naturally occurring colors and textures all around us. Why not use it?
The thing about jewelry is that (at least in my case) these are materials that come directly from the earth. The different metal ores I work with are mined from the earth as well as the majority of the stones that I use. I use fire to construct my work... I guess, in my own way, it’s its just me honoring the origins of all of these elements.
8. Do you offer custom jewelry? For example, wedding bands or working with a stone someone wants set?
I certainly do! I’m actually in the process of making a set of wedding bands and I am so honored that someone thought of me for something that incredibly special! I would love to do more in the future.
My typical and absolute favorite types of customs are when a customer comes to me saying something to the effect of “I love this type of stone could you make me a piece (in your style) with something similar? I just finished a custom for fellow artist Emma Joyce (@emmajoyceart) She told me that she wanted me to make a pendant out of a wisdom tooth she had, but in the style of a collection of rings I had made (my Summer Rays collection). It was so much fun and I seriously hope I get to do more like it in the future. I’ll be debuting that piece on Instagram very soon... Give me your teeth people!!
9. You often take a conversational approach to Instagram. What is your advice to new entrepreneurs who want to connect with followers in a relatable way?
Social Media is so incredibly difficult and I in no way feel that I should be giving too much advice in that department. With that being said, I think it is incredibly important to remember that you are a person, not a huge corporate brand! I could be completely off base with my theories on this, but I’d like to think that people want to know more about you and your process, versus having sales and corporate mumbo-jumbo thrown at them. I’ve had people (customers) tell me that they love hearing the process behind how my work and seeing how excited I get about it. Obviously, do what makes you comfortable, but be yourself, unapologetically so! If someone doesn’t like it, they probably aren’t your ’target’ customer anyway.
10. Dream collaboration? Can be a specific person, general person, company, etc. What would you create together?!
This is a tough one!! There are sooo many talented artists and artisans out there… I’m not sure if this would be considered a collaboration, but I love the idea of designing/ creating jewelry for a fantasy/ sci-fi show like Game of Thrones or the movie Dune. I think that would be so much fun and I know I would meet so many other fabulous creators in the process! Maybe one day?