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What began as a way to keep connecting with customers when our San Francisco shop closed in 2020 ended up changing CMD for good. Virtual appointments showed me that meaningful jewelry conversations don’t depend on geography, and six years later they’ve become an especially important part [...]

I love a cuff bracelet year-round, but there's something about fall that makes me want to pile them on. Cuffs are easy to wear on their own and even more fun when you start stacking them. From mixing metals and widths to adding pieces you've collected over the years, here's how I build a bracelet stack that [...]

Every woman-owned business starts somewhere, and ours began with four little girls who had no idea they’d someday build, design, make, photograph, market and ship jewelry together across three states. For International Women’s Day, we’re looking back at the girls we were, the women we’ve become [...]

There are places I love visiting, and then there are places that seem to live somewhere inside me. Northern California has always been the latter. Every trip back brings familiar roads, chosen family, eucalyptus and sea air, but it also reminds me how much life has changed since I first flew West with one suitcase, 400 bucks [...]

"Can I mix these together?" is one of the questions I've heard most often at the CMD Ring Bar, and the answer is almost always yes. A great ring stack doesn't need to follow a perfect formula. From mixing metals and widths to playing with contrast and asymmetry, here are three easy ways to create a stack that feels [...]

If you know CMD today, you probably know that I design everything from my shop and studio in Asbury Park, New Jersey, while every piece of CMD jewelry is handmade by my small production team in Trumansburg, New York. What you might not know is how we ended up with a production studio in a tiny Finger Lakes village in the first place.  Like a lot [...]

When I originally wrote this post in June 2020, we'd just wrapped up the strangest Sample Sale we'd ever held. What had always been one of our biggest in-person events suddenly had to happen almost entirely through a screen. We had no idea then that those virtual appointments would change the way I [...]

CMD has always run on woman power, and we're all the stronger for it. This post began as a celebration of our bi-coastal team and Aryana's five-year anniversary, but the story didn't end there. From San Francisco to Upstate New York to Asbury Park, here's a look at the women, places and relationships that have [...]

Ring stacking has always been a signature part of CMD, and the Ring Bar makes building your own combination part of the fun. Play with different metals, finishes, widths and shapes until you find a stack that feels completely your own. Here’s how our idea of “interactive design” started and where you [...]

I originally wrote this in 2019, wondering what retail would look like five or ten years down the road. Seven years later, a LOT has changed for small businesses and for CMD. What hasn't changed is my belief that where we choose to spend our money matters. Looking back at what I thought then, and what [...]

Book a one-on-one appointment with Colleen instead! (Virtual or In-Person)

Meet Alex Hudson, one of my dearest friends and one of the personalities behind CMD's Hand Project. From Burning Man to Brooklyn to Asbury Park, Alex brings his own unmistakable style to everything, including the cuffs, rings and earrings he calls his “body armor.” Alex loved switching out his single [...]

Want to visit The CMD Shop? Here are all the ways you can meet with me in Asbury Park or virtually, from one-on-one appointments and Reconstruction consultations to walk-ins during my scheduled Open Hours or Pop-Up Events. And if you're nowhere near New Jersey, don't worry. Distance is a non-issue! [...]

As 2024 draws to a close, all of us here at CMD are filled with gratitude and pride for the milestones we've achieved and the community we're growing. This year has been a journey of creativity, connection, and growth, and we owe it all to you. Thank you for all your support now and always. We poured our hearts into [...]

2025 was a year of milestones, new designs, meaningful custom work and more connection than I could have imagined. CMD turned twenty, we celebrated together in Asbury Park, brought The Ring Bar to both coasts, created new collections and gave new life to some extraordinary heirlooms. Looking back, [...]

I've never been very interested in the idea that certain jewelry is meant for certain people. A ring is a ring. A cuff is a cuff. If you put it on and it feels like you, that's really all I need to know. CMD has always been about individuality, self-expression and wearing whatever the hell you want. If you're not sure what you're [...]

I started the CMD Ring Bar Happy Hour when so much of life suddenly had to happen through a screen. I'd hop onto Instagram Stories, pull out trays of rings and start building stacks in real time. What began as a way to stay creative and connected during a strange year became one of my favorite chapters of CMD [...]

I love being a designer, but I especially love creating jewelry to mark something meaningful. Engagements and weddings might be the obvious Special Occasions, but I've made pieces for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, new chapters, big accomplishments and plenty of reasons that don't fit neatly [...]

A millimeter sounds tiny until you put it on your finger. From delicate 1mm bands to our wonderfully chunky 15mm Armor Ring, width can completely change how a ring looks, feels and stacks. I’m breaking down every CMD ring width, how width affects fit and how to choose the right proportions for your hand [...]

Thinking about booking an appointment with me but not quite sure what to expect? You don’t need a perfectly formed idea before we meet. Bring me a ring you love, a few screenshots, heirloom jewelry you’re ready to reimagine, or simply the feeling that you want something new. I’ll show you what happens [...]

I often get asked what my favorite part of being a jewelry designer is. For me, it's still the creative process, the part where I sit down, put pen to paper and sketch and sketch and sketch. Creativity doesn't always show up on command, but after all these years, I've learned a few things about giving the good ideas [...]

Because CMD rings often feature nontraditional shapes — rounded squares, rigid squares, and sculptural bands — sizing can feel a little different than what you may be used to with standard circular rings. That’s why we take sizing very seriously around here. For all Custom Projects and Special Occasion [...] 

Two decades into CMD, I wanted to create something that looked back without getting stuck in the past. The Big Two-Oh Collection brings together clean geometry, mixed metals, and a few nods to designs and ideas that have shaped my work over the years. It’s a celebration of where CMD began, how much [...]

I’ve never believed a great ring stack needs to match perfectly. I like round next to square, silver beside gold, something substantial paired with something delicate, and a little contrast to keep things interesting. Over the years, I’ve developed a few loose “rules” for building stacks, and most of them are really [...]

 It’s inevitable that quite regularly, we get a new client asking about the turnaround time for their order. Whether they’re simply excited for their new piece or need it in time for a special occasion, it makes perfect sense to want to know when your jewelry will arrive. At CMD, every single piece of jewelry is [...]

Every piece of CMD jewelry begins long before the torch comes out. My design process still starts with pencils, paper and a lot of sketching before an idea ever makes its way into metal. From those first broad strokes to the tiny decisions about proportion and wearability, here’s how a jewelry design moves from sketch [...]

I love seeing CMD jewelry out in the wild, especially when it looks like it has become part of someone’s actual life. I’ve always wanted to make pieces that get worn, scratched, traveled with and lived in, not jewelry that waits in a box for the right occasion. To me, wearable art should be beautiful, personal [...]

Square rings have been part of the CMD vocabulary for years, but they still surprise people when they try one on. They're architectural, conversation-starting and, yes, incredibly comfortable. Here's why square rings work, how to find your fit and how I love to stack them. The Square Armor Ring takes [...]

In the summer of 2024, I packed up the van with my trusty co-pilot Migs and drove more than 8,000 miles through 17 states. What began as a cross-country adventure became something much bigger: time to think, reconnect, meet incredible people and find my footing again after a very difficult chapter of my life. [...]

There's a certain look someone gets when they try on the right piece of jewelry and suddenly know it's theirs. I love watching it happen. The best jewelry isn't necessarily what you thought you'd choose, but the piece you reach for every morning and don't quite feel like yourself without. Here are a few ways to know [...]

Picture this: two Saturn-ruled signs walk into The Ring Bar looking for completely different things. Capricorn wants something substantial and grounding, while Aquarius is after individuality and a little cosmic sparkle. Meet two very different rings inspired by the signs themselves, and the astrology behind the designs. [...]

Friends, I’ve been looking through old photos and reminiscing about CMD in the early days. That first leap of faith, saying yes to a tiny studio I wasn’t sure I could afford, taught me something I’ve carried with me ever since: little risks open big doors. What started as a $400-a-month cubicle at Secession Art & Design [...]

I wear rings on at least six of my ten fingers most days, so I’ve had plenty of practice figuring out what makes a stack work. Whether you want two simple bands or enough rings to #stackuntilyoucantbend, I’m sharing three of my favorite ways to build a stack using different widths, metals, finishes and shapes. If you’re [...]

Sam plays an essential role in CMD's production and product development, working closely with me to turn sketches, experiments and half-formed ideas into finished jewelry. From tiny design decisions to the problem-solving that happens at the bench, Sam is one of the hands, hearts and minds behind [...]

I first saw LP Giobbi perform at Burning Man in 2023, and a backstage conversation not long after eventually became The Way Back Home Collection. What started with music, mutual admiration and a whole lot of ring armor grew into one of my favorite creative collaborations, and eventually something [...]

 Every time I land in San Francisco, something in my body exhales. There’s a light that feels familiar and the smell of eucalyptus and sea water is so grounding.The fog rolling in over Twin Peaks feels like an old friend. It’s cliché to say I left my heart here — but if I’m being honest, I kind of did. CMD was born here [...]

What happens when jewelry you love no longer feels like you? Lee brought me a sentimental moonstone engagement ring and diamond wedding band, and together we reimagined her stones into a bold mixed-metal stack that honors what came before while feeling completely at home in her life now. [...]

What we say yes to shapes more than a year. It shapes how we spend our time, what we surround ourselves with, and what we make room to become. Eight months after setting her intentions for 2026, Colleen revisits what still matters: choosing quality over quantity, building slowly, making space, and investing [...]

Just recently, I posted a TikTok of Tayci’s Dream Stack after a client purchased one online. That post ended up getting thousands of views, hundreds of likes, and more than a few “I need this stack!” comments. It’s been so fun watching the excitement unfold, because this is what CMD is all about: interactive design. [...]

I love birthdays! Aries is associated with beginnings, courage, independence and the instinct to forge ahead, qualities I can definitely recognize in the way I've built CMD. I'm sharing why I think another trip around the sun deserves really good jewelry, and why you absolutely don't need to wait for someone [...]