When Life’s Just Rosy

How metalsmithing empowered Rose Koerner to forge a new path

Jeweler. Metalsmith. Maker. Teacher. Designer. Artisan. Sister. Hiker. Rock hound. These are just a few ways to describe Rose Koerner—the creative woman who brought Just Rosy jewelry to life.

Think about your favorite piece of jewelry. Close your eyes and visualize it. What comes to mind? Do you think about how it looks? How wearing it makes you feel? Do you think about how others might perceive you when they see it?

Do you ever think about where it came from? Or about who made it? Or why it was created? Do you think about what purpose that piece of jewelry serves? Do you think about how it might connect people? Or how it might connect you to the earth? For metalsmith Rose Koerner, maker of Just Rosy jewelry, considering those big questions is crucial.

WHY BEING A METALSMITH HOLDS SUCH MEANING FOR ROSE

“I’ve experienced these moments when a person comes to my booth, and they’re really excited; and they spend twenty minutes picking out a piece because they've’ fallen in love with five different things, but they need to pick one; and so these great conversations take place where they ask me about the materials and sourcing and inspiration,” describes Koerner.

She continues, “that level of intentionality and excitement that people have about my work is what fuels me. I feel honored that I get to do this very traditional craft and be able to speak about what metalwork is. It’s a big piece of the puzzle to show people what I’ve created and then they inevitably have their own meaning and relationship related to it. It feels very positive.

I get to talk with people a good bit about the difference between buying something from a traditional craftsperson, compared to mass produced goods. It’s a conscientious choice to support that maker's work.”

Koerner goes on to explain that a basic, everyday ring ordered from a big box retailer might only cost twenty bucks, and it might look stylish or unique, but the reality is that it might only last four weeks before falling apart, breaking, or losing its flourishes.

Such mass produced items are poorly made, and created to churn corporate profits for companies that base their entire business models off planned obsolescence rooted in fast fashion trend appeals.

In contrast, jewelry created by metalsmiths using traditional, time-tested and -honored techniques is made to last. 

“When people buy my jewelry from an event or a pop-up, it’s meaningful because I get to share my story as a person starting with raw materials that eventually are transformed into unique pieces of art,” says Koerner.

She continues, “I have people who have been buying jewelry with me from the beginning and now I’m making their wedding rings. It feels very purposeful, like I should have always been doing it, but knowing the contrast between what I felt wrong and what feels right is important.”

 

 

TEACHER TURNED JEWELER

Koerner wasn’t always a metalsmith or a maker. In fact, the craft is a relatively new development for her. As recently as 2019, she worked as a public school teacher.

“I was encouraged to become a teacher because I love children and I understand, very deeply, the feelings that children have and the kinds of struggles of growing up and figuring it all out—that’s just always been a part of how I empathize with people,” she describes.

The people who Koerner was surrounded by during her formative years recognized that and encouraged her to pursue teaching as a “safe career”—while simultaneously condemning her passions for art, craft, and creating as unrealistic, superfluous pursuits.

“Teaching was draining,” says Koerner, “and I realized that I wanted to make a difference in peoples’ lives in a different way.”

Koerner’s sister gifted her a one-day, make-a-ring metalsmithing workshop class. The experience re-ignited her passion for making, which had been all-but-extinguished while teaching.

Immediately after returning home from the class, Koerner got online and ordered her own metalsmithing tools so that she could continue pursuing the craft. Just Rosy was born.

“It was a steep learning curve, working with tools and metal and fire—but it also just made sense, like it was what I was supposed to be doing. It felt very natural,” Koerner describes of her early days in her home workshop.

“For the most part, I do work a lot,” Koerner confesses. “I think that any entrepreneur does. The difference is that making jewelry feels different and rewarding and nourishing in ways that I didn’t experience while working as a teacher.”

In addition to the actual act of creating, defining her own professional landscape completely changed Koerner’s life, allowing her to figure out what she needs and how she could offer it to herself; and then organizing those needs around her work.

Ultimately the freedom that came from flexibility of time helped improve her mental health and relationships by allowing her to heal more, live better, and take care of her needs. 

 

 

JEWELRY INFLUENCED BY NATURE & HEALING

Koerner fondly reflects on the backpacking trips, nature hikes, and swimming sessions that she experienced as a kid growing up in western Massachusetts; the flexibility of becoming a maker allows her to spend more time immersed in the outdoors.

“There’s a connection between how we've evolved as humans; and how nature has evolved alongside us,” she describes. “We can feel differently when we’re interacting with nature. There’s some sort of shift that happens for us when we’re connected with the natural world, whether that’s just enjoying a sunset or going on a really nice walk where you feel grounded; and I feel so epicly influenced by those experiences. It brings me back to the idea that we’re coming from the same place.”

While many of Just Rosy’s early designs were inspired by other jewelry that Koerner saw online, as she began developing her technical skills and spending more time outside, she began to draw inspiration directly from nature.

Organic patterns from bark or wood find their way into metal engravings on earrings. Stargazing scenes are represented in textures on rings. Tidepools Koerner observes by the sea are symbolized by stone settings in necklaces—albeit all expressed subtly.

Observing and then incorporating those natural elements into her art allows Koerner to find and express her true voice, while bridging the gap between jewelry and the hidden meanings behind it.

MATERIALS MATTER

As her journey as an artist advances, Koerner becomes even more engaged in the process of not just making, but sourcing materials as well.

“I just started doing lapidary work,” she says, which is cutting raw gemstones. “My partner and I have become rockhounds—traveling around the northeast, along beaches and creek beds in search of gems and unique stones.”

“When I’m working in my studio with an element from nature—cutting it, shaping it, and setting it—it becomes a whole different piece and that process excites me,” Koerner says.

 

Much of the ethos and inspiration that characterizes Just Rosy jewelry draws Koerner to Duckfeet. “Duckfeet’s commitment to traditional craftsmanship really matters to me and in the grand scheme of things; and their motivation to do things that are sustainable and caring aligns with what I believe in. They’re embodying their values in everything that they make,” she says.

As an artist, aesthetics are also important to Koerner. “My personal style is either very reserved, with neutral colors and natural fibers—or pretty funky,” she professes. “I wear lots of vintage thrift; Duckfeet goes with either mood, equally well.”

It doesn’t matter if she’s on her feet for hours at a time in the studio, or all day while rockhounding at the beach, or climbing trees in the woods near her house on a lake, Koerner prefers to wear Duckfeet; she’s particularly fond of the clog-style Klitmøller slides thanks to their minimalism, easy-slip-on style, and wool-lining for comfort.

 

STYLE IS ABOUT SHOWING AN ASPECT OF WHO YOU ARE TO THE WORLD…

Whether it’s choosing shoes that ground you, the clothes you wear, or the jewelry with which you accessorize, style is about showing an aspect of who you are to the world; and when that’s done with intentionality, it goes a long way to making better days—for makers like Koerner, and for wearers alike.

“Ultimately, I want people to feel happy when they wear my work,” says Koerner. “I want them to reach for it and feel like it can live on them when they go about their days. That brings me great joy.”

 

 

 

Shop Rose's Style:

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We're proud to feature the talented Rose Koerner as a Duckfeet Maker! Rose handcrafts Just Rosy jewelry, inspired by nature and life's lessons. Rose is located in Portsmouth, NH and Groton, MA. Find her in the Button Factory Studios in Portsmouth, or at outdoor markets throughout New ENgland. Follow her on Instagram; and shop her jewelry at https://just-rosy.com/.

Photography by Jonathan Vogel of Bravo Photography

Duckfeature by CHRIS BRINLEE JR.