Cmd Showroom

In 2001, after graduating from Virginia Tech, I moved to California with a suitcase packed of the few things that I owned and a whole lot of aspiration. I studied hard in school and was able to graduate with honors and a degree in Industrial Design. The world felt like a big oyster and I […]

The post How I got here appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

I’m finally back in San Francisco after an eventful two week trip out on the east coast. THANK YOU to all who made it to NYNOW last month. I look forward to this wholesale event every year, twice a year – it’s where we drop our latest and plan out the months ahead. This summer […]

The post New York, New York: NYNOW Reflections appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

  I can’t believe 13 years have passed since I started this little biz ‘o mine. This path has led me through many different places and geez louise, the time has absolutely flown by! Running a small business has so many facets and while it can be so rewarding, it can also be challenging at […]

The post Lucky 13 appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

“Why would I want to invest in a solid piece?” A week or so ago, I wrote a piece on gold-plated vs. gold-filled jewelry and mentioned that in my own designs, I use 14K gold-fill and sterling silver in all my designs, or 14K solid gold (yellow, rose and white) in the case of my […]

The post The case for solid appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

“What’s the difference between gold-filled and gold-plated jewelry?” I get this question fairly often and wanted to write down my response for any of my readers considering making a jewelry purchase – regardless of whether or not it’s from CMD. I believe that everyone should be aware of the quality metal they’re purchasing when investing […]

The post Why I use gold-fill in my designs appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

When I get asked, “Colleen, how much is too much? How many rings can I wear at once?” I giggle. “Stack until you can’t bend!” I like to say. My team and customers are all too familiar with the phrase. But why not? Deck yourself out, because it can never hurt. There’s a lot of […]

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As you might have seen from my latest Instagram and Facebook posts, I just wrapped up a lovely sojourn in upstate New York at our CMD production studio in Trumansburg, where I finished designing my upcoming FORTH EXTENSION collection! I talked a little last week about my creative design and sketching processes, but you can really only […]

The post Go FORTH… Expansion! appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

Anytime I launch a new collection of pieces (hint hint), I love sharing little tidbits of the process with you… and what the ups and downs of being a creative are like. It’s such an interesting, challenging and fulfilling process… all at once. I often get asked what my favorite part of being a designer […]

The post This creative life appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

“The dark oxidized look of my jewelry is wearing away, exposing the silver. Is that supposed to happen!?” Those who know me and my designs know that mixing metals is one of my signature aesthetics. I adore the way bright gold looks with dark, matte oxidized silver. I also adore blending together a palette of […]

The post Will my oxidized jewelry stay black forever? appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

This is a question I get a LOT, and there isn’t really a one-size (or shape)-fits-all answer. Lots of my customers mix shapes and sizes when they’re at the ring bar, and it totally works for them. Your jewelry style and pairings should be an extension of your own style. If you’re a person who […]

The post Can I mix circles and squares? appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

The word mom can mean so many different things to people. Some moms have tots, while others have teens. Other moms have fur babies…sometimes an entire household full of them. You might be a grandmother, an aunt, a sister or a cousin: if you have a brood of your own or if you dole out […]

The post Ode to my mom appeared first on Colleen Mauer.

One of our amazing production gals in New York was struggling with a really long commute. Even though Sam loves being a part of the CMD team, it was becoming too much (nearly 1.5 hours/day, which we all know is not a very good quality of life). After some team brainstorming and good planning meetings, […]

The post CMD Outpost #3 (!) appeared first on Colleen Mauer.