All materials are precious. The thrill that our team feels knowing that we work across different materials like gold and silver and stones and car paint and so much more to bring you a redefined idea of that which can be precious and functional, is not a small thrill. And there is perhaps nothing that better tells this story than the fact that last month we brought you Rubber Locks (a few of the colors are restocked, by the way) and now, today, we are bringing you our work with the venerable Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, one of the world's finest porcelain makers. We are humbled that The New York Times (and many others for which we are so grateful) shared this story before we could, probably better than we will. This is a story about the importance of having obsessions, following up on those obsessions, so, walk with me so I can explain it a bit.
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What is an obsession?
Why does it linger?
Why do we pursue them?
I can't answer any of that for you. All I know is that some time in 2001 or maybe 2002 as part of one of those old jobs I was so bad at I got fired, I was invited to participate in a round table discussion about a legendary German porcelain company looking to do more business in the United States. We were there that evening with the CEO to learn more about the company and suggest ideas for them. I was enchanted by the story and meaning of the porcelain, how families past these sets down, how they were still pouring and hand painting in the very same way. In a castle. They gave us a book and a tiny piece of porcelain to take home with us...the idea of it never left me...
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Cut to many many years later when I had launched my company, and, from our teeny tiny office on 47th street, was reminded of my obsession, and I thought "why not just reach out?" So I emailed "info@nymphenburg.com". Really. I still have the email because I never throw anything out.
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It turned out that the new CEO of Nymphenburg and the head of product development were going to be in New York so I invited them to the tiny office. The meeting was lovely, if not a little anticlimactic in that neither of us had any idea what would happen...
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And then shortly after I found myself in London and my obsession perked its ears again and I thought, well, "If I'm going to be in London, why not just go to Germany?"
"It's kind of like going to New Jersey from New York. Why not just go?"
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So I went. Was I prepared for the fact that the company is really based inside the castle? I was not. Ingrid Harding, the head of product development, without whom this collaboration would not have been possible, allowed me to wander around the archive. Together, we toured the workshop, where I witnessed the intricate work of casting and painting fine porcelain by true masters of the craft. Afterwards we had lunch—they made me risotto and it was delicious—and then everyone sort of went back to work and I asked if I could do the dishes.
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And that's when I figured it out—I wanted to turn 4 pieces from our collection—a Trundle Lock Bracelet, a Lock, Earring Discs, and a Depository-to be made in porcelain, painted with the iconic Cumberland pattern and finished in gold. A merging of our workshop and theirs to turn this pattern into jewelry because it was so beautiful I wanted to wear it and thought you would too. Like telling stories of travel gone wrong, telling stories about developing ideas into working objects is probably just as wretched because it is filled with failures and mistakes and yet you keep going. There were moments where I think we all thought we wouldn't get here, but here we are. This collection is a celebration of ridiculous ideas brought to life by incredible craftspeople on 2 continents, speaking different languages and working in different materials. Here is the final piece next to a peek at the process:
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So that is it. Our first jewelry collaboration ever. In porcelain. Beautiful, delicate, functional, meticulously made by hand. We hope you love it.
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And last, but certainly not least, we are launching SET 6 early this year. October 15th, to be precise. It is also a celebration of a time-honored tradition...don't worry though because we will tell you more about this as we move closer to the date--maybe even a short email being sent against my wishes...
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I won't be in New York when it launches—a first—but I will be on the "Tikeroo" and the 'gram talking about it because I can't help myself. That's all. Ok, enough from me. I hope you enjoy learning about our work with Nymphenburg. I am always deeply grateful for your attention.
Warmest,
Marla
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