The jewelry industry talks about recycling, sustainability, and protecting the environment. As a jeweler, Valerie Madison is a model for the kind of advocate for environmental science and resource management the industry needs.
Madison, owner and founder of Valerie Madison Fine Jewelry, actually has a degree in environmental science and resource management (ESRM), so she’s not just using buzzwords when she talks about her commitment to protecting the earth and having a sustainable jewelry business.
She also happens to create jewelry that is modern, strong, and stunning. Plus, her work promotes her values of protecting the earth, supporting local businesses, and promoting Black-, Latina- and women-owned companies.
Pretty much, Madison is the whole package and, perhaps, the future of jewelry in the way she connects her work with her stories and how she connects with clients and her community. First, Seattle. Next, the world.
“My first career ambition was to be a marine biologist when I was only 7 years old,” Madison says. “I actually held onto that dream until I went to college and began pursuing a biology degree. But as a young adult, my eyes were opening and seeing what was happening in the world around me, and I began to understand that I might need a more realistic-for-me career path.”
The pivot to ESRM “taught me new things and confirmed some others,” Madison says.
“I have always had a natural inclination to save the planet, and thought I could find a more accessible career path with this degree,” Madison says. “While I’m not currently employed in the field of ESRM, I learned that it has never been a fad for me or a trend that’s going away. I am always weighing things for the environment, and I have gained the trust of my customers to create jewelry and make considerations for the environment simultaneously.”
Her path toward starting a business began around this time as well. She was an office assistant on and off throughout high school and college, and that is where she learned administrative skills—filing, creating spreadsheets, and doing taxes. It was a great way to balance her creativity, which around 2009, shifted to making jewelry.
“I began making jewelry in college as a way to do something creative with my time in the evenings after long days of science classes,” Madison says. “I quickly learned that making jewelry was an expensive hobby, so I began selling my pieces online with Etsy and I also sold at the farmers market on Saturdays. All of my profits went right back into buying more tools and supplies for myself, and I soon had a cozy little jewelry studio in my bedroom and eventually it took up the dining room.”
By 2014, she was ready to go full-time. Leaving her day job in insurance wasn’t the hard part. What got her motivated to make the big change to working in jewelry as a career was how many hours she was devoting to it. Thanks to her supportive family and her partner as well as the orders rolling in, Madison says she decided to move forward with Valerie Madison Fine Jewelry.
Having a business that supports women, hires from the community, and can proudly display its support for causes Madison loves has been another level of success she values. That includes Black- and Latina-owned businesses and environmental issues specifically revolving around reduced waste and lower plastics consumption.
“We live in a time where you can choose where to spend your hard-earned money. Gone are the days of needing to support larger companies that you don’t align with,” Madison says. “It’s a wonderful thing to be able to encourage and support people and companies that you want to see be successful. I know there are many people who share my values and see the same beauty that my eyes see, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to connect with those individuals.”
With her store’s success, Madison says she can reflect on how amazing every moment has been.
“I am so proud of the independence I’ve had throughout this journey. I have bootstrapped this entire journey and remain the sole owner and designer with a lovely staff of 12 great people,” Madison says. “I am a first-generation jewelry designer, never having received guidance or mentorship from anyone, nor has anyone in my family had businesses for me to observe and learn from. It’s hard to gather the data, but I am making history by having the only Black-Latina–owned fine jewelry store in America. How awesome is that?”
Top: Seattle-based Valerie Madison started her career in environmental science and resource management, but her love for making jewelry resulted in her own Black-Latina–owned business, Valerie Madison Fine Jewelry (all photos courtesy of Valerie Madison).
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