I Love Newton

Tag: local Mompreneurs

  • J Briggs & Co. and a Once Upon a Fine Jewelry Story

    J Briggs & Co. and a Once Upon a Fine Jewelry Story

    There has been a lot of publicity directed toward women in business and why it’s important for women to support each other and work together to make a difference. We all desire to do the best by our families and at the same time be happy and true to ourselves. Not an easy feat, but I know one woman working very hard to accomplish it all!

    Jennifer Briggs Jenkins, jewelry designer extraordinaire, mother of two, and owner of J Briggs & Co.  Jen is an accomplished artist who harnesses her passion, spirit and design talents to create beyond beautiful fine jewelry. Just look at these stunning pieces:

    Jen’s pieces are unique, timeless and made with a quality and attention to detail you cannot find in most jewelry stores.  Her designs are all original, versatile and crafted to make the women who wear them sparkle.

    What makes J Briggs & Co unique and the best place to find something special?

    I asked Jen, with so many options to buy jewelry. “To me, my work is much more than creating and selling jewelry.  Jewelry represents our personal style and the pieces we wear can remind us of important moments and people in our lives. When I design a piece, I am emotionally invested and know what I am creating will mean something extra special to the person who wears it.”

    Jen takes tremendous pride in all her designs.  “When someone entrusts me to create a special piece, I take that responsibility very seriously.”

    She tells me, “It is imperative my clients have complete confidence and trust that we will deliver that heirloom piece they have been envisioning.  Our mission is to try to always exceed their expectations.

    The Ability to Customize Each Piece of Jewelry

    Is this really true?  Jen answers, “Yes, each piece is made to order to each customer’s specifications. You can choose the metal alloy (white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, platinum, etc), gemstone combination & engraving, allowing you to personalize your jewelry in many ways.  I also work with clients to make other modifications or create completely custom pieces.”  Jen listens to each customer ~ considers their vision, ideas, stories and lifestyle to create amazing jewelry.

    Check out her custom gallery online.  This is one of my favorite custom rings she designed for a client incorporating an heirloom diamond that was in a setting not suited for the new wearer. When the customer first put the new ring on her finger, she said “I feel like the queen of England!”. These are the reactions Jen lives for.

    After working in many jewelry store settings, Jen discovered she could offer something better for those people seeking fine jewelry they could not find in a traditional jewelry store. What she learned was that there were sales associates, managers and craftsmen offering to sell something special- but not a designer or artist to create the vision.

    Jen believes jewelry making is an art and the key to creating exceptional pieces is combining traditional craftsmanship and technology with the vision of an artist.  She does not shy away from designs that may take extra time and attention to finish. She utilizes leading technology like CAD & CAM software (computer aided design and manufacturing), master craftsmen and hand engravers.  The raised letters on the backs of these pendants are an example of a process Jen incorporates into her designs most jewelers do not offer clients.

    J Briggs & Co is the perfect find right before Mother’s Day!!  I am compiling my wish list now and have already ordered something special for my mom.

    Check out Jen’s website and her special Mother’s Day Promotion.   Support this growing mom owned business with beyond beautiful jewelry!

     

  • 2 MOMtrepreneurs Juggling It All: Meet Celeste and Laura of Well Within, Massage and Integrated Health

    2 MOMtrepreneurs Juggling It All: Meet Celeste and Laura of Well Within, Massage and Integrated Health

    Well Within, Massage, Integrated Health, Celeste Woodside, ILoveNewton.com

    Starting a business with a friend can be tricky endeavor, but it’s working for Celeste Woodside  and Laura Viale of Well Within on Washington Street (between Cabots and Whole Foods). As business owners, they each balance the other’s strengths and weaknesses. In fact, it’s  this collaborative culture that infuses Well Within with an integrative approach.

    Not only do they offer multiple modalities that includes massage (many, many types!), yoga, accupuncture, mat pilates, guided meditation, Reiki and holistic health coaching for nutrition, but they will actually refer clients to outside wellness practitioners if they feel that is best for the client!

    Let’s meet them!

    1. When did you decide to work together?
    Celeste Woodside, Well Within, Massage and Integrated Health, Newton, ILoveNewton.com    Celeste Woodside

    Celeste: “We have worked together in the integrative health community for 8 years and have developed a wonderful friendship during that time.  We both shared office space in Newton for about 5 years before coming together in October of 2010 to form Well Within.”

    2. Tell me about your families. How many kids and what ages?

    Laura Viale, Well Within, Massage and Integrated Health, Newton, ILoveNewton.comLaura Viale

     Laura: “I remember the day we were running around Newton Town Hall with kids in tow and thinking, “What are we getting ourselves into??”  I had my 2 year old daughter, and Celeste had her 4 year old daughter and her 6 month old son.  We had just made the decision to create Well Within and had to file the proper documents with the town.  Since we were in a time crunch, we had to get many things done without childcare – it was a bit interesting, but we pushed through and made it happen.  Celeste and I are blessed with supportive, loving husbands, and our joyful children.

    Celeste has two beautiful children:  her super smart, energetic 5 year old daughter, who is an avid gymnast and clearly has her parents’ gifts of creativity; and her adorable son, who will be 2 in a couple weeks and just idolizes his big sister.  My happy 3 year old daughter keeps us entertained with endless “dance recitals” in every room of our house.   Our extended families have also been incredibly supportive of us in every way allowing us extra time to do what it takes run a  proper business.”

    3. What is the most challenging aspect of juggling your own business with parenting and taking care of yourself?

    Celeste: “Time.  More specifically, not having enough.  We are definitely learning (on the job training) the delicate and unique art of how a work-from-home-and-also-in-the-office-stay-at-home(ish)-PTO-Mom gets the job(s) done.  The gas in the tank comes, not-surprisingly, from practicing what we preach … eating well, moving our bodies, being mindful, getting good sleep (when children allow) and making time for relaxation.  With this fuel, we are more grounded and energized and can use our time more thoughtfully.  We’ve learned that turning off all devices, getting down on the floor and building a block tower for 20 minutes or so, followed by a good snuggle is a really effective way to get a toddler to understand that sometimes you have to answer emails.”

    4. What made you decide to take an integrative approach to health?

    Laura: “One of the reasons our private practices were quite successful was because we actively sought out opportunities to work in combination with other health care practitioners to improve the results of our clients’ treatments.  The  dramatic improvements our clients experienced when integrating treatments really inspired us to create a place where our clients could come and utilize both massage and acupuncture, for example, to relieve their symptoms.  The team approach of our staff and the variety of services available, gives us a great opportunity to really make a difference in the health and wellness of our clients.”

    5. You also have a blog? Tell me more! What do you write about?

    Celeste: “In our blog we talk about all things integrative health.  We share articles we love, have guest posts by other local wellness professionals (and authors!) and sometimes we even talk about our kids!”

    Well Within is going to host a FREE event in March for cancer patients and their caregivers. They will enjoy a day of pampering and treatments and go home with a goody bag. More on that later…