HEATHER B. MOORE

I grew up in a very non-stop household with my mom, a science teacher and natural history maiden, who would bring home raccoons to care for and love.   My father, a young entrepreneur and workaholic, was always coming up with products for the car industry in our kitchen.  His first big job was for Ford; he had to hire 10 babysitters around the neighborhood to get the job done in our living room.  Going to his factories was an adventure for me.  My parents always taught us to think outside the box.

We went to garage sales from the very beginning.  In an old steel mill town like Cleveland, you are always bound to find something useful.  When I was 13, I found a tool we still use in the shop to this day (and every day, actually), my first stamp set from the late 1800s.  I would carry that set around for the next 20 years before actually using it.

I went to college in Chicago studying Business and Psychology in the late 80s.  At that time, I went with the fullest intentions of becoming a marine biologist.  Some point I decided that snorkeling and SCUBA could be fabulous hobbies, which they still are, but I decided to pursue other subjects.  I learned to love economics and found business in general quite appealing.  I also was (and still am) entranced by organizational psychology as well as developmental psychology. Observing how a child’s mind evolves is so interesting, not to mention how the subject serves as a great reference as I watch my 4 children grow.

In the early 90s, I decided to change colleges to the Cleveland Institute of Art where I focused on the art of glass and metals.  It was there I discovered my true work ethic.  I was enamored and challenged by materials as well as the tools designed for the materials.  I also was lucky to have a great group of friends who worked just as hard as I did, and it was there where I met my future husband and amazing oil painter/sculptor, Thomas Frontini, in a freight elevator. 

We went on our first date that night and stopped to see my grandparents in the house where we now live with our 4 kids and 3 dogs: Gilligan, Tyler and Linus .... and 11 ducks that Thomas just gave to me for our 13th wedding anniversary.

During art school, you complete your studies with a final show where you are required to put together a culmination of work/art and generate dialogue.   My show focused on incorporating my friends’ and family’s quotes or favorite words which I stamped in silver plaques and rings.  I then made elaborate frames in glass around these quotes, all of which were accompanied by life sized carved apple heads cast out of brass (a little random). 

I remember saying during the review that maybe it was the quotes that interested me most.  One of the quotes was given to me by my older sister which said, “I said to my sister and she said to me: ‘Come let’s play laughter together.’”  This quote I ended up peeling off the frame and putting in my wallet.

I went on to blow glass, and that is where I stumbled upon an artist, Judy Pfaff, whom I was placed with at Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle.  My job was to help her incorporate glass objects into her work. At this point, I had no idea what an important artist she was/is considered in the art world.  This worked to my advantage as I often spoke frankly to her; I wasn’t intimidated by her success, and for that, we became great work partners.  I also made some fabulous friends who went on to start the B-Team.  They are a performance glass show that really “wows” the crowd.  It was during this time that I started showing my drawings and photos. 

Judy really liked my work, so she offered me a free studio in Tribeca with the promise that I would work on my drawings and photography –no glass.

At the same time, I was offered a position to be a glass blower in Seattle with the art duo Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick, which actually was close to what I considered at the time to be my “dream job” and was an honor of sorts because they were known for picking the best artists.  Having spent most of my summers blowing glass at an Ohio amusement park, receiving a prestigious position such as this was my “hard work pays off” opportunity.  It then occurred to me that Judy may teach me bigger things required for my vision of the art world, and ultimately, my interest in discovering new and different mediums swayed my decision, so I took a leap and moved to New York City in 1993.

My drawings and photography developed exponentially; I had shows in all of the mediums.  I started working with Judy as a drawing/studio/installation assistant.   We worked with anything and everything (finding what we could and using the found objects as well as glass made out in Seattle) in a bunch of large scale instillations in Washington DC, Denver, NYC, and Philadelphia.

We ended up getting an enormous job where I became one of the principal metal workers for what would become the largest hanging instillation in America.  It is at the Philadelphia Convention Center, which is an old train station.  We were doing things like, “Look at a rubber band, fling it through the air and now make that 100 feet long with tubing and hang it from the ceiling.”  Everything was BIG.  Ahh, the business of art…  On the weekends, I would go to art openings with my dog Chutney where I always wore a name tag on the outside of my favorite purple welding jacket.

My sister, Wendy, also an artist in Los Angeles, was working on movie sets for her day job. They would need jewelry, and I would make whatever they wanted to ship out for the shoots.  My other sister, Halley, a writer from the east village at the time, would offer her services to try out a new design by wearing it to work to “get feedback.”  I started to get interested in this idea.  It was satisfying, and of course, both of my sisters were excited about it because they would have the perk of free jewelry!  I decided to take a leap and show a collection involving enamel and sterling silver.  This is when the ENK show (a trade show) was still in the Plaza.  My Sisters are: Halley (on the left) Wendy in the red dress and me in the silly outfit - what was I thinking? Ah 90's fashion!

My sister, Wendy, got in a skiing accident the day of my first trade show and later died from head injuries.  I have fond memories of her telling me (rather, commanding me) what the best color combinations would be that season.  I am lucky that I loved what I was doing at the time, and that I was married to my best friend, otherwise, this tragic ordeal would have derailed me.  I think the fact that my sisters were so involved in the beginning pushed me to keep going.  My glass friends were also amazingly supportive.  Keeping busy and staying involved within the community is essential when you are working through such a life adjustment, so I helped produce the B-Team’s show at Urban Glass, the one that would later be receiving the prestigious BESSY award from the Dance Theater Workshop.  In return, the B-Team made a series of glass balloons for me, which would later be part of a conceptual glass show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland (MOCA).  The show was a culmination of the balloons and my scientific glass work of corning glass along with paper, silk, insulation foam and egg shells.

I continued with the glass enamel line for 9 years. The collection was awarded a Rising Star position at the JCK (another trade show).  I designed an extensive line that was carried all over the United States in fine boutiques.  I even dabbled in furthering the designs for big corporations like JCPenney and Banana Republic.

I also started a holiday collection of ornaments.  It is a great collection and Iencourage you to learn more.  I started the ornament collection because we moved back to Cleveland after 9 years of living in Brooklyn, New York, and having a Christmas tree without ornaments in your first home would be a shame!  So I made a bunch for my tree, and all of my friends wanted them.  They are reminiscent of my line drawings, a little whimsical and fun.  Some of them I actually made with Henry and Leo.  They are all silver plated with a price point that everyone can enjoy.  

All the while I was having kids (so fun!) and I was growing tired of the enamel – not because I don’t love it, because I do, but it was very hard to make, and I was beginning to analyze what I liked and did not like about jewelry.

I was ready for a new challenge, but I was unsure of what it was.  I did not want to design something that would grow tired (this goes with the process of making the jewelry too).  After having Coral, my fourth child, I went down to my studio and pulled out my stamps from my college days.  I then stamped my kids names onto some scrap silver, took some scrap gold to frame the charms and threw it on a necklace.  It cracked me up because my kids would sit on my lap and shuffle through the charms to find their name.   

During that summer of 2004, I went to what would be my last enamel trade show.  I was wearing my necklace but selling my enamel designs, and almost everyone asked me where I got my necklace and for how much.  When I made that necklace, I made it only for me, about what is truly important to only me; I wasn’t thinking that anyone would actually even notice it!   I had designed for the masses for so long, always thinking about the seasons, so I didn’t think this design was anything other than my own little thing.  That show was where I stumbled on my next challenge.

I did my research first and foremost (like all people should), and I was relieved that no one else was doing anything like this.  So I decided to test this design out at a local Cleveland charity show, and it was a hit!  I called Gabriella Iannerelli (who had worked for me with the enamel line), and I told her I wanted her to help me start this company.  I was lucky enough to have her help, and we have grown this great company to 24 people and counting.  After a couple of months, she came up with our tag line in a cab in NYC.  We were talking about why this line is important and different, and she said, “I mean, you have to Cherish Who You Are!”  

I have been into photography since as early as I can remember.  I have always archived my life, documenting it very step of the way.  I do the same with my art, sports and this collection.  We take photos of every piece that leaves the studio.  I have a sense of urgency about it actually because these are one of kind pieces, and when they leave the studio, we may never see them again!  We are in the process of finishing up a book of images which contain some beautiful combinations that have been created, so we will keep you posted on when we have it finished – your piece may be included!

Now we have found our home in Cleveland, Ohio with our own metal shop headed by Heather Terrore.  We are even making our own stamps, milling them from turn of the century tooling, so every letter, number and symbol is specific to our company.  We can also custom make your family’s crest or design a new monogram or a create stamps for a special symbol or drawing – the possibilities are literally endless.  Everything is made completely by hand; therefore, it’s a one of a kind item.  We think outside of the box every day, so I encourage you to do the same.   We are only using recycled metal; I love that.  All the people that work with me are funny and happy, and I love that too.  

This new collection is not about impulse buy jewelry; it’s about your life, documenting all that is important and remembering what shaped you and who, where and why.  We learn about people’s lives every day.  We hear inspiring stories that are joyful, sad, humorous, and all of the above.   When we are making the charms in the studio, we wonder about the person’s life, and we are inspired by their words.

I am so honored to have the opportunity to make what truly are heirlooms, and just how all treasured things are passed down through families regardless of time or place, this is how your story will continue to live and be told.  This company has been set up with a solid foundation, so you will always be able to create wonderful pieces for generations to come.