Golden Moms – Part 1

As it is May, and Mother’s Day is celebrated this month, I wanted to highlight all moms this month. I wanted to do a Mother’s Month! Kudos to all the moms out there. Whether you’re a working mom, a stay at home mom, a single mom, a stepmom, mom of one, mom of five,…etc… ALL mothers are true lady-bosses! I truly mean that. You’re each one of you true superheroes. So again, to honor all moms, I celebrate YOU this entire month of May.
With this post (well, posts – there will be a “part 2 & 3” later on) I wanted to put a few moms in the jewelry business in the picture. Letting them share what it is like to be a parent and having a business. How they juggle between things, sharing the good and the bad things and how motherhood has changed them.
So yeah, this ain’t a jewelry-related blog post, this is all about the mothers!

Faith Hilda – Faith Jewels

Yes, being a designer mom is one of the hardest things I’ve never thought I will be. After 10 years, with a 10-year-old and a 4-year-old, it’s still a learning curve every day to BE in the moment for each child. I turn off my phone the moment I step home from 6 to 8 pm (when I get the most enquires flooding un from WhatsApp to Insta ) but it’s the most precious time for us. Nights are long but days are so short.

Corkie Bolton – Corkie Bolton Jewelry & Metal Smith Society

I am a stay at home mom of a 3.5-year-old and a 1.5-year-old, and I run the Metalsmith Society page and fulfill orders and create work for my jewelry business in my “free time” (early mornings, late evenings, and once a week help from my Mother In Law.) With all my responsibilities as a mom of two there will always be a long “to-do list” waiting for me, and in the past, it was easy to get anxious about everything I need to do. Now I focus all my positive energy into celebrating what I get done daily and not fretting over what I didn’t! When I’m with my kids I try my best to be present and enjoy our time and when I do go to my studio I prioritize orders and things I have to get done first so I can have the satisfaction of crossing them off my to-do list. I just stay stoked about the small victories, sales, positive feedback. I forgive myself for the mistakes and know that whatever I didn’t get done today or this week will be waiting for me when I can get to it!

Lastly, I’m happy with where I am today. My business is the right size for what I can handle right now. I can’t do the wholesale shows at the moment and that’s okay.

Francesca Simons – Fine Jewelry Publicist and Consultant

The guilt never ends, the worry, the concern, am I doing enough, how can I do more? How will I pitch this story and follow up with this editor as well as do homework and cook dinner all in 15 mins?

I do the drop-offs in the morning to school, every pick-up, playdates 3-4 times a week and still I feel the guilt. Cooking like I run a restaurant, different dishes for both boys, and so on, but all whilst on my phone, emailing, texting and pitching stories and new trends and collections. 

As I do all the things I possibly can for my 3 and 5-year-old boys, Eli and Rafy, I try to be the most hands-on, however, I do run a fine jewelry PR and Consulting company.  I am constantly checking my phone when with them and it is impossible for me to take away from this. Should I disappear from my phone for 10 mins, I may miss an opportunity, and I pride myself on responding to requests immediately.

I have 5 hours per day to sit at my laptop work solidly, and take editor, stylist, client meetings and work out. And after those 5 hours pass, I am with my kids, entertaining, playing, reading, teaching and feeding them. Whilst I am an experienced, and may I say one of the best multi-taskers, it is still hard, exhausting and at times frustrating. The good part is, everything I do is for them, the rewards, the execution, the results, is for them. I strive to succeed and do well for them, and to a role model for them, someone they will respect as a mother a parent and a CEO. When they observe me working, they say to me, mummy, we know your working for us, because you love us. That means more to me than anything in this world. And to know my boys are proud of me and the mother I have become for and because of them.
The best thing I can do when juggling the workload, and deadlines and my boys is to be super organized. I have their clothes, pajamas, the table set out 24 hours prior, I cook first thing in the morning when they are sleeping, my pitches are drafted up the night before, and so when they wake, all is in order and I am ready to go.

Stephanie Gottlieb – Private Jeweler

For me, its been about compartmentalizing my life, which isn’t easy but it’s how I cope with spending time away from my son and my first baby, my business. I wake up earlier to spend time with my son in the morning before leaving for the entire day, and then I get home, put my phone down, and spend as much time as I can with him until his bath and bedtime.  I’ve learned to acknowledge that I can’t be in two places at one time, so I make the most of my time in each respective place (work and home).  It’s definitely not easy, and I’m super thankful to have amazing support from my husband and nanny, as well as my SG Team, who pick up the slack when I need to take personal time.  Being at work makes me so happy, and also allows me to appreciate the time I have with my son.