People often walk up to the Ring Bar, try on a few, and ask me, “Can I mix these together?” They’re talking about the different metals: rose gold, yellow gold, black (oxidized) and silver. It’s a really common question, actually. While you might not want to hear this, it truly comes down to personal choice.
You may have heard the big news, but in case you haven’t: FORTH by CMD has made its official debut! I’m thrilled to share this inspiring collection with you. I drew inspiration from many different places: the four sides of squares and rectangles; towering metropolitan skylines; deliberately angled lines and soft, subtle edges.
After several delightful weeks on the East Coast, I’m happy to be home in San Francisco. In honor of my return to the Golden State, I’m showing some love for my favorite pieces of the yellow and rose gold variety. How do you wear your home state on your sleeve? With gold jewelry, or perhaps something else?
Having grown up on the east coast, a balmy summer day that rolls into evening is nostalgic, and I’m currently in Trumansburg, NY soaking it up. With bicoastal CMD production studios, I have a chance to spend time a fair amount of time in New York during all four seasons. Summer certainly has the most distinct vibe...
This extravagant event is open to all. Join me and the CMD team as we spread festive arm parties everywhere we go. Required for attendance: lots & lots of layered bracelets. Location: anywhere & everywhere. I’m feeling especially inspired by bracelets as I prepare to launch FORTH by CMD, our latest collection.
An interesting part of the design process is forcing myself to pivot direction when need be. Sometimes what I expect to be a winning sketch just doesn’t come to life the right way. The design process is truly a process, and it’s important to listen to the metals as I’m working with them.
This is a very special week, as my beloved grandma turns 100 years old on July 29! Does she look incredible or what!? I feel so grateful that my life has been surrounded by strong, inspiring women, and my grandma is a huge part of that unshakeable foundation.
Sam is creative and curious (and even moonlights as a tattoo artist). She cites our Black & Gold Mini Inflecto Necklace as one of her favorite CMD pieces because of the asymmetry and gold/oxidized silver juxtaposition. Sam’s a rockstar at her job, and we are all so glad she’s part of the team.
While our retail side is open Tuesday-Saturday, every Monday is a dedicated behind-the-scenes sketching day—even on days when creative inspiration is lacking. Those times are often when fresh ideas spring forth. Without a clear vision in mind, sitting down to sketch circles is unforced and lends itself to new thoughts.
These earrings rarely leave our lobes from June through September. Whether we’re out for a night on the town, making jewelry in the studio or just tucking our toes in the sand, these shiny hoops are quite literally by our sides. (Plus, they’re an especially lovely complement to a floppy beach hat.)
Summer may not (quite) be here, but recent sunshiny days have us dreaming of long warm nights draped in layered jewelry and breezy fabrics. No matter what the climate, squared rings and hammered bangles are always in season. These bold rings make a statement, especially when paired with light-colored fabrics.
We’re grateful to spend each day working with our hands and stretching our creativity. The benchmark of Colleen Mauer Designs is hand-crafted design, and our pieces take many forms—quite literally and figuratively—from sketches on a pad to finished jewelry.
CMD runs on woman power, and we’re all the stronger for it. We were delighted to spend the last few days at our New York Production Studio, all the way across the country from our San Francisco HQ. While we may span time zones, our common passions, worth ethics and respect for one another keep us closely tied together.
While we offer several variations of pre-made stacks, CMD also offers dozens of individual rings at our Ring Bar. This is a fun and creative way for our clients to participate in “interactive design” and put together stacks that are 100% personalized for them.
Our TRI collection has quickly become a signature CMD style, and we’re often asked how we achieve the tri-toned effect within a single piece. We love taking you behind-the-scenes in the studio, so read on to learn about the process that brings TRI to life.