If you’ve been here for a while, you know that CMD is powered by four women: Myself (Colleen here, hi!), Ary, Sam, and Kelsey. Our team is the heartbeat of this very process. Together, we collaborate daily across three states to bring CMD jewelry to life. We design, fabricate, test, refine, photograph, write, code, market, and ship every single piece ourselves. No outsourcing. No big corporate structure. Just four women (and one shop dog) intentionally and thoughtfully moving in sync.

It’s easy to say “woman-owned.” It’s more meaningful to pause and remember that every woman-owned business begins with a little girl who had the curiosity, creativity, stubbornness, and imagination to make her dreams come true. Probably a little bit of fearless chaos, too.

International Women’s Day isn’t just about celebrating success. It’s about honoring the journey — the girlhood, the awkward phases, the risks taken, the pivots made, the moments we doubted ourselves and kept going anyway.
 

What It Means to Be Woman-Owned

Being woman-owned and operated means leading with empathy and clarity, supporting each other through seasons of growth, balancing creativity with logistics, creating a high-trust environment, and wearing more hats than feels reasonable some days. We make jewelry that feels like armor because we know firsthand what it takes to move through the world as women building something from the ground up.

It also means we root for other women. Loudly.
 

The Women Who Support CMD

Another truth is that CMD exists in large part because of you. The women who walk into The CMD Shop during Open Hours, attend Pop-Ups and book appointments. The women who stack rings to mark milestones. The women who send us kind emails and thoughtful DMs (they make our day). The women that talk us up to their friends and family and thoughtfully gift CMD to their loved ones. The women who envision custom projects in CMD’s signature aesthetic, recycle heirlooms and trust us with their stories.

We are endlessly inspired by the women in this community. Style is powerful — but women’s resilience, humor, ambition, tenderness, and drive is the real magic. The truth is, the least interesting thing about our customers is how beautiful they are. And that’s saying something.
 

From Then to Now

 
Scroll from those childhood snapshots to the photo of us together this past October at the 20th Anniversary Party at CMD Headquarters in Asbury Park.
 

 
Four grown women. Four distinct strength and skill sets. One shared mission. There’s something grounding about seeing the arc — from playground slides and school portraits to production studios and champagne toasts. It’s a reminder that none of this was inevitable. It was built.
 

Here’s To Strong Women

Here’s to the little girls we once were. Here’s to the women we’ve become.

Here’s to the women building businesses, raising families, changing careers, healing old patterns, learning new skills, chasing big ideas, and quietly doing brave things every single day.

Here’s to being the kind of women who compliment strangers, collaborate instead of compete, and create room at the table.

And here’s to you — for supporting four women (and one girl dog) who still believe deeply in making things by hand, doing things with heart, and cheering other women on along the way.
 

Happy International Women’s Day!
 

With gratitude,
The CMD Team
(Colleen, Ary, Sam & Kelsey)
 

Ps.

MORE WAYS TO CONNECT THIS SPRING

As I wrap up my time in California later this month and return from winter on the West Coast at the end of March, I’ve added several new opportunities to connect in person and virtually. Additional Open Hours, event dates, and both in-person and virtual appointment times are now available through April.

If you’ve been considering starting a custom project, recycling heirloom jewelry, building your signature stack, or simply trying pieces on in person… now is a perfect time to book!