Jewelry For Yourself & A Friend (Win!)

Talented designer Ashley Goodman is Red River Métis Cree, born and raised in the Okanagan. She moved to the coast in 2012 and currently resides with her husband and two young children in North Vancouver. When she is not working on her latest jewelry collection, she is busy with her professional career in addiction medicine and Indigenous health. We chatted with Ashley about her jewelry brand, With Grey, to learn more about her design process to make these beautiful, handmade pieces. —Lyndi Barrett

Hi Ashley, tell us about your jewelry brand, With Grey.

With Grey was born out of a passion of mine for jewelry making combined with fashion. I don’t have the trendiest wardrobe, but I do have an incredible appreciation for fashion and the design process that goes into it. I create my designs with a jet-setter and her favourite getaways in mind. She is classic, yet unexpected – unique and never dull. With Grey is meant to be timeless and transitional to take you anywhere whenever. As for the name, I guess you could call it an ode of sorts to my daughter, Grey, and the fact that I started this business “with Grey” by my side during my maternity leave.

When did you start your jewelry business?

I remember being around six years old and a family friend had brought her jewelry making kit to my aunt’s house one summer day. Instead of spending the day in the pool with my cousins, I spent hours at the kitchen table making countless bracelets and earrings. I am sure she didn’t appreciate me using all of her supplies! I have always had an interest in jewelry making and over the years I’ve explored working with various mediums. It wasn’t until last year that I took my creativity more seriously and decided to pursue my hobby as a business. When I first launched my e-commerce, I was creating primarily with polymer clay. One of my very first pieces that I still love today was a pair of brass and pearl earrings. I quickly found myself phasing out clay for gold and freshwater pearls. Fast forward a year later and I rebranded to better reflect my updated style. With Grey officially launched in February 2022.

Congratulations on the rebrand of your company. Tell us about your design process?

I love playing with unexpected aesthetics, like an asymmetrical pairing of colourful morganite stones with classic pearls on a modern ear threader. Who doesn’t love to be unique enough to catch someone’s attention with the unexpected? That said, I do appreciate an everyday effortless look too. Simple gold chains are always a staple in my collections. While I enjoy making pieces that I personally love, the best is when I get to make custom designs. I recently launched our Perfect Fit chains, which are made to the customer’s size and liking. Unlike most brands that only cater to some in their sizing, I wanted to offer more size-inclusive pieces to be enjoyed by everyone. I also received frequent requests for custom sizes so it just made sense to expand the collections in this way.

We love all the gold chains in your collection, especially the waterproof ones. Can you tell us what makes these items water safe?

All of our gold chains are waterproof with the exception of our gold dipped sterling silver line. Our Waterproof collection features an innovative, durable coating that allows it to maintain its beautiful gold finish when exposed to varying elements, such as water and sweat. I added this stainless steel collection to provide an affordable option for all shoppers to enjoy pieces that won’t fade or tarnish. Our 14K gold filled line is the next best thing to solid gold. It’s made by pressure bonding multiple layers of solid gold over a core of high quality jeweler’s brass. The process means the gold won’t budge when exposed to water and will last for many years with minimal care. All of our custom chains are gold filled and our handmade pearl jewelry feature gold filled components, too.

How has social media helped you build your community?

Social media is an interesting space to navigate as a small business owner. When I decided to pursue my business, I didn’t realize I was also signing up to be an influencer, marketing agent and social media manager! I have been very fortunate to have been able to connect with many supportive people on social media, including other makers and women leveraging social media to earn a living. I remember making my first sale to Australia and just thinking how cool it was that someone across the globe came across my work. I don’t think that would have been possible without the magic of the gram! Having the support, even if it is virtual, means so much and keeps my entrepreneurial spirit motivated.

What items from your collection will you be wearing this season?

My current obsessions are our Perfect Fit custom 14K gold filled chains. My favourites are the paperclip and bar chains. I love layering these delicate chains together to create luxurious textures. One piece I will be wearing all season and have already been wearing since last season is a bar bracelet. I managed to use my micro welder (my latest purchase and obsession) to make it a permanent fixture on my wrist as an infinity bracelet—a bracelet with no clasp. For wedding season, I have been reaching for our pearl earrings. You can never go wrong with a classic pearl!

What are you excited to do this summer?

Besides enjoying some much needed downtime from my professional career to be with my family, I am really looking forward to taking some time to focus on my business. It is wild to think about the upcoming holiday season with summer only beginning, but as a business owner in retail you have to. I still have some summer launches I need to finalize, but after that holiday planning mode will be underway. Business aside, we have adopted a rescue puppy from Korea that will be arriving any day now, which I am really excited about, too!

withgrey.com

Win! With Grey Jewelry For You & A Friend!

Congrats Jennifer G. of Pickering, ON, who will receive a a gorgeous With Grey jewelry haul for themselves and a friend! The winner and their friend will each receive including a custom-made 14K gold-filled bracelet of their choosing from the brand’s Perfect Fit Collection, paired with a charm of their choice. To complete the look, they can each choose any necklace and earrings from the Waterproof Collection. This prize is valued between $270-$308. To sum up the prize:

-two Perfect Fit bracelets
-two Waterproof necklaces
-two Waterproof earrings

Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.