HARWELL GODFREY
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY?
It was accidental. I started making pieces for myself and as I wore them people inquired about purchasing them. So I started gathering private clients and the rest is history.
DID YOU HAVE ANY TYPE OF DESIGN BACKGROUND?
Yes. I spent over 15 years as an Art Director and Creative Director in the advertising industry.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT JEWELRY?
Where do I begin? I love how personal it is and the stories that pieces can tell. I love that fine jewelry has a permanence to it and can stay in a family for generations. I love stones and the energy they carry.
HOW LONG HAS YOUR COMPANY BEEN IN BUSINESS?
I launched in 2016.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START YOUR COMPANY?
I started making jewelry in 2015. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I had been bitten by the bug and wanted to make this my career. After working in the corporate world for so long and designing for various brands, I decided that I wanted to take the leap and bring my own vision to life.
WHERE ARE YOU BASED?
San Francisco.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I’m a California girl.
ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR JEWELRY
Meaningful.
IS THERE A UNIQUE STORY BEHIND YOUR BUSINESS NAME OR LOGO?
“Harwell” is my maiden name and represents my past. “Godfrey” is my married name and represents my present and future. The work I do draws from all of these sides of me.
My logo is based on a sketch that I did one morning at the Bowery Hotel in New York. It incorporates the initials “HG” but is turned in a way to make it look like a totem or talisman. My husband’s design firm, Godfrey Dadich, put the final touches on it.
WHAT’S THE FIRST PIECE OF JEWELRY YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH?
A diamond cocktail ring my grandmother bought for herself in the 70’s on a trip to Europe. She’s 91 now and still wears it everyday. Cocktails or no.
WHAT IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL?
The snake. A friend and I talked about this the other day. Unlike a caterpillar that has one major transformation, a snake keeps shedding it’s skin throughout it’s lifetime, continuously renewing itself. Snakes have been a powerful motif in jewelry throughout history.
WHO IS YOUR JEWELRY ICON?
Cleopatra – her jewelry was imbued with symbolism.
IF A THEME SONG PLAYED EVERY TIME YOU WALKED INTO A ROOM, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Does NPR have a theme song? I am so invested in what’s happening in politics right now that I have NPR on all day long. I will confess that even though I live in San Francisco, I listen to KCRW, LA’s NPR feed. They play the most amazing music peppered with politics on weekdays from 9am to noon. It’s worth hearing about the traffic on the 405.
DO YOU HAVE A PIECE(S) OF JEWELRY YOU WEAR EVERY DAY AND IF SO, WHY?
My engagement ring. For the obvious reasons, but also it’s one of the first fine pieces I had a hand in making and elements within it are the basis for much of my current work.
ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE
Eclectic.
LAST PIECE OF JEWELRY YOU BOUGHT AND LOVED
A Victorian Pave Turquoise and Pearl Locket.
THE BEST GIFT YOU’VE GIVEN RECENTLY
A Bearss Lime Tree.
THE BEST GIFT YOU’VE RECEIVED RECENTLY
I decided to give myself the gift of travel and am going to India for the first time early next year. My husband is contributing majorly to this gift by holding down the fort while I’m away.
THE THING YOU ARE COVETING NEXT
There’s a Victorian diamond crescent that I can’t stop eyeing.
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH…
Time.
FAVORITE FOOD?
Popcorn or caviar. It’s a toss up.
LEAST FAVORITE FOOD?
Hot dogs.
WINE OR CHEESE?
That’s so unfair.
COFFEE OR TEA?
I very recently made the switch to coffee. It strangely coincided with having a baby.
YOGA OR BOXING?
Spinning.
FAVORITE SEASON?
Whatever it happens to be at the moment, so right now, fall!
FAVORITE CITY?
That’s hard. New York, Marrakech and Tokyo all come to mind.
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?
The North Coast of Kauai.
THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO?
Right now I’m listening to ‘The Next Step’ from Kamasi Washington.
THE LAST CONCERT YOU WENT TO?
The War on Drugs.
FAVORITE MOVIE?
The Shining.
SUPERPOWER OF CHOICE?
Time travel.
SECRET SKILL?
Hand making pasta – I went to professional culinary school.
FRIENDS CHARACTER YOU RELATE TO THE MOST?
Monica in the streets, Joey in the sheets :)
FAVORITE PART OF THE DAY?
Morning. Hands down.
LEAST FAVORITE PART OF THE DAY?
I don’t have one!
YOU WON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT…
A bit of perfume. I feel naked without it. I started delving into making solid perfume to live in a locket and poison ring that are part of my fine jewelry collection and ended up creating an all-natural fragrance that I’m obsessed with. I recently released it as a 5ml perfume oil roller and take it with me everywhere I go.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL HAPPIEST?
When I am seeing things through the eyes of my kid.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL STRONGEST?
When I have my kid with me. The momma bear is real.
YOUR BIGGEST FEAR
Wasting time thinking about my fears.
HOW DO YOU PICK YOURSELF UP FROM A LOW DAY?
Exercise always helps! And tequila.
WHAT PIECE(S) OF JEWELRY MAKES YOU FEEL HAPPIEST?
My engagement ring.
WHAT PIECE(S) OF JEWELRY MAKES YOU FEEL STRONGEST?
I have a huge agate slab that I turned into a necklace. It feels like a shield when I wear it. Agate is very grounding.
WHAT DOES JOY MEAN TO YOU?
True joy is transporting. It’s the crack of the emotional world.
WHAT DOES CONFIDENCE MEAN TO YOU?
I’ve been thinking a lot about my own confidence lately and really connected to this answer from Amy Cuddy in a Q&A on goop.com "A confident person—knowing and believing in her core identity—carries tools, not weapons. A confident person does not need to one-up anyone else. A confident person can be present to others, hear their perspectives, and integrate those views in ways that create value for everyone. True belief in oneself, and in one’s ideas, is grounding; it defuses threat."
WHAT DOES EMPOWERED MEAN TO YOU?
To empower means you’re giving someone power or authority to do something. As a woman of color in the jewelry industry I hope to inspire and empower other women of color who want to be a part of this world.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
There’s only one you. Be that person and give her a voice.