Jewelry Storytellers: Torie Partridge
Next up in our Jewelry Storyteller series is Torie Partridge, the mastermind behind Cherry Blossom Creative. I honestly can't remember how Torie and I first met, but she is one of those people who you feel like you've known forever. Torie exudes an amazing mix of confidence, creativity, and sincerity, and she's a fierce advocate for local brands (oh, and did I mention she also reads Tarot cards?)
Why is jewelry important/meaningful to you?
Jewelry is something that I feel like I’ve only really started relating to later in life, mostly because it’s only quite recently that I’ve stopped losing things with such alarming frequency. Throughout my life, jewelry has been transient. I’ll have a beloved necklace one year only to have it go missing the next. I’ll have a pair of earrings I adore, only to find only one of them on my ears at the end of the day. It’s been an object lesson in allowing adornments to be temporary, for them to be treasured in one moment and gone in the blink of an eye. For this reason, the jewelry that I love is usually associated with a moment in time. I remember the blue and black rubber bracelets I wore throughout my teens, giving a bracelet to each new friend I would meet. Or the jangle-y coin earrings with the green stone that I found in an alleyway in Jerusalem in my early 20’s, that played windchimes into my ears in the breeze. Each pieces is a tiny jeweled timestamp on the person I was at that time and, even if it’s slipped through my grasp, it’s become a totem to each phase of my life.
What is your favorite piece of jewelry?
It’s a cheeseball romantic thing to say, but I got married a week ago and my engagement ring and my wedding ring are so infinitely special to me right now. Both were made by jewelers that I know and love, and each is a distinctive piece, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. My lovely engagement ring was made by Natala Covert, and has a large rose-cut aquamarine (my husband’s birthstone) next to a cluster of three small amethysts (my birthstone) on a hammered silver band. It’s got the words ‘Eternal Boo’ inscribed on the inside - a phrase that Farhan and I used when ‘fiance’ or ‘wife’ seemed too stuffy. The wedding band was made by Rachel Pfeffer and has a single vintage emerald, symbolizing the heart chakra. It’s full of unique inclusions (just like our love) and stacks to the side of the other gems. It’s such a special, distinctive little set of rings.
What’s the first piece of jewelry you ever received?
The first piece of jewelry I remember receiving was a tiny, delicate amethyst pendant from my grandmother. I must have been around 10 when she gave it to me, and I still have it tucked away in a little box. The jewel is so bright, and the chain is so fine that even now I’m amazed by it. When I was a teenager the chain became so unimaginably tangled that I thought I’d never get it apart. It stayed that way for years and years. Sometime in my late twenties, during a moment of intense focus, I opened the box and decided I had to find a way to untangle the mess. It must have taken nearly two hours but, snarl by snarl, I managed to pull apart this fine golden chain into its original form… only to find that this child-sized necklace didn’t fit me anymore! It’s resting in its box in untangled form for if I ever have a niece or a daughter to pass it on to.
What’s one piece of jewelry you never take off?
Easy question: I take everything off. Always. There are days where I prefer to walk through the world totally unadorned. There are days when I want beautiful jewels in every place. But the pieces are never the same, and I can never tell which type of day it is until it greets me.
What’s one piece from my collection you would love to wear?
I’m going to sidestep this question and tell you about the first piece of your jewelry that I ever bought. Farhan’s mother doesn’t speak a great deal of English, so a lot of how I end up expressing my love to her is either through plentiful hugs or gifts. She was blessed/cursed with three sons (i.e. a household of four men and no other women!) and has always longed for a daughter to be a little girlier with. The first gift I ever gave her were a pair of your Rosalita hoops. They had this beautiful blend of hammered, handcrafted jewelry (my style) and more traditional Pakistani jewelry with gemstones and hoops (her style) and she adored them. They cemented our relationship and were this great access point of connection between us. I’ll always be grateful for that.
Torie is pictured wearing the Cuff Bracelets and has the Faceted Moonstone Pendant and Rosalita Hoops in her jewelry box. Her personal collection of jewelry includes pieces by local makers Kicheko Jewelry, 76 and Maine, and Rachel Pfeffer.