Nature and Spirituality Inspire New Jewelry Store

Anyone who wanders into Joanna Marcuse's jewelry store, right across the hall from Milkboy Coffee in Bryn Mawr, just might find the owner meditating.

But she'll be with you soon.

Marcuse opened her store, Joanna1 Jewelry, early last month and held an open house Nov. 19. Business hasn't been stellar, but it hasn't been bad either, she said.

She spent the first few weeks seeing when people were out and shopping so she could adjust her holiday hours. She's expecting to do most of her selling between now and Christmas.

Between her new business endeavor and four kids at home (three boys and a girl between the ages of 6 and 13), Marcuse doesn't have much time to unwind.

"Working in and of itself is meditation, but I do mindfulness meditation," Marcuse said. "It's a stressful existence, so I take every measure to center. It's the holiday season, and I can't afford to burn out or get sick."

Her jewelry is inspired by nature and spirituality, and to make it she uses a medium called precious metal clay—a fine silver mixed with a binder that makes it claylike, she explains. Then she molds and manipulates it and fires it in a kiln to shrink out the binder, leaving behind just the silver.

"I make things a little bit like I would want and use my own personal style," she said. "For the custom work, I push myself to do what they want. Each piece is unique because they all fire differently."

One customer, Mike Moore, ordered a custom Celtic cross from Marcuse. He sent her a picture and asked her to make one that looked similar.

"I didn't want her to do it exactly," he said. "I just wanted to see what she could do with it. She made it in two or three days… The thing is great. I love it."

The first day Moore wore the cross, he received seven or eight compliments, he said, adding he'll likely order two more for his sons.

"If you wear jewelry or something, you might get a compliment every now and then, but I was like, wow, this is pretty cool," he said. "She made it look very antique."

Andi DeMarino, who has some mosaics for sale in Marcuse's store, said they met at art shows and share similar philosophies about their work. DeMarino said she particularly likes Marcuse's hamsas and that she and her daughter both have one.

"I just like how intricate it is," DeMarino said. "I like how they're delicate but substantial at the same time. I like the symbols that she uses, the peace signs, the different medallions."

Marcuse also has a recovery line of jewelry, which was inspired in part by her own personal recovery from addiction. The pieces say things like "Hope" and "Believe."

"Recovery is a universal thing," Marcuse said. "There's physical recovery, emotional recovery. It's global. Everyone is fighting their own battle."

She signs the back of all her jewelry with a symbol–the letter "J" combined with the number "1." It's easier than her full signature, and the "1" is more representative of us all being one than a number, she said.

After the holidays, Marcuse is looking for other area artists who want to share the space and run it as more of an artist co-op, since she said there's more than enough room for her art.

"There are so many empty storefronts," Marcuse said. "This came from wanting to bring back the mom-and-pop stores."