Meet the Designer: Maura Green Jewelry

Maura Green built her career intentionally, never entertaining the idea of doing anything besides designing jewelry. Today, the NYC-based designer is known for her eccentric work that combines edgy symbolism with fine materials. Here's how she got there.

Designer: Maura Green

Location: New York City

How did you get started making jewelry?

I took my first metalsmithing class at Camp Nokomis, an all girls summer camp on Lake Winnipesaukee the summer before I turned 15. I fell in love with the the craft and ended up apprenticing with a local metalsmith in my hometown of D.C. throughout high school.  Your customers might be familiar with the 'artists in residence' program at Glen Echo park in Maryland, which is where I met my first mentor and did my apprenticeship. I continued through college, earning a BFA with a concentration in metals and jewelry. I never really seriously considered doing anything else as a career. I appreciate how lucky I am to have discovered a lifelong passion at such a young age.

Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?

Yes, but it doesn't look now like I thought it would look when I was 21.

At first I thought I wanted to be a designer who made everything myself by hand, and I did that for many years.  I still enjoy getting my hands dirty at the bench, but as I gained more experience in the industry, I found I could paint with a broader brush if I allowed myself to work with other craftspeople to help me execute designs I wouldn't be able to accomplish on my own.

How long have you been in the trade?

Since the late 90's!

What does your business look like now, versus when you started?

This iteration of my business is relatively new, and began in 2019 around the pandemic.  It was a great time to launch a new collection, because when the pandemic hit everyone was glued to their phones and I gained a lot brand visibility very quickly on Instagram.  It was a really bad time in many respects, but also a great time to start a small business.

I've been designing and making jewelry in many different ways over the years. In the early aughts, I used to have a little jeweler's bench in a shared studio space in Tribeca NYC with a bunch of other indie jewelers, and we would set up tables and sell jewelry on the weekends in a school gymnasium in Soho at the young designers market. I always had a full time time job designing or working for larger jewelry companies in NYC to keep the lights on, and had a very successful career doing so.  I learned a lot working for those companies, and met some awesome people.

A couple of years ago, I was finally able to dedicate my time fully to my own business and stop working for other companies. It has given me so much freedom and has been such a gift.  I love that all the decisions are my own. If something fails, it was my own decisions that led to the failure, and if something succeeds, it was my own decisions that led to the success. When you're working for other people in a creative capacity, there are so many voices talking at once and so many opinions, it becomes nearly impossible to identify why something did or didn't work. I like it much better this way.

 What’s the most challenging part about being a jewelry designer?

I think a challenging part of running any creative business by yourself is that you can get stuck in a vacuum of your own thoughts. I have a really incredible group of women I lean on. They all have jewelry brands. We have a group chat, we vent, we cheer one another on, we ask for feedback, we share resources and knowledge. To anyone starting out, I would say, make as many friends as you can. Go up to other new designers and get their phone numbers. Figure it out together! Everything is more fun with friends. 

What’s your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?

I love it all, even the struggles, because I like to learn from a challenge. I know how lucky I am to love what I do so much. I was never one of those well rounded students in school. I struggled seriously with math and science.  I found something I loved doing and felt confident about outside of school, and I focused on that. I built the only career I ever really wanted.

Who is another jewelry designer that you admire/do you have a mentor in the jewelry industry?

I've had so many mentors over the years. Deborah Dubois, the woman I apprenticed for in high school totally changed the course of my life. She took my passion seriously and encouraged me and let me play around. And I liked hanging out with her. I think she had a lot of apprentices over the years and probably enriched a lot of lives.

The other jewelry designers I admire most are my group chat girlies!

Gwen Barba, the talented LA based enamelist behind Gwen Barba Jewelry. Jenn Brenzen of Mined +Found, a very playful and out of the box fine jewelry brand. Jen Insardi of JV Insardi, Jen is a sculptor and interior designer as well, and her jewelry is sculptural art. Hannah Allene of Hannah Allene jewelry based in NYC makes gorgeous minimalist 18K and diamond jewelry. And Alissa Moyse of Casual Carats, she is our resident business guru, and makes colorful silicone rings with diamonds and gold.

Do you have a favorite piece that you have made?

The newest piece I have made is always my favorite piece, then, on to the next!

Do you have a favorite metal or stone that you prefer to work with?

Not really, I like stretching the limits of what I can work with, and experimenting with new materials.

Do trends in the industry affect the way you design a new collection?

To a degree, yes definitely. We all observe and are inspired by the world around us, and that includes trends. But I don't design based on trends. I design based on what I think looks cool.

A 1940's retro chunky geometric gold bracelet my husband Andrew got for me after our son was born. My son AJ's initials are engraved inside.