We’re looking forward to introducing you to Randi Chervitz. Check out our conversation below.
Randi, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day look like me waking up around 5:30 or 6. After I get out of bed and do a big stretch, I walk into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker, which I’ve set up the night before.
I try to avoid turning to my emails on my phone, but I do take a peek at the screen while I pull on my sweatpants, just in case someone texted me early and needs anything. Sometimes I sit back on my bed and drink my first cup of coffee, fortified with milk and raw sugar. Other times, I slip into my sneakers and head out the door for a morning walk.
After that, I most definitely procure my coffee cup, and if the weather is nice, I head into the back year to sit under my “pergola,” which is actually a repurposed art fair tent frame onto which I am training wisteria. After breathing deeply for a few minutes and enjoying my garden, I’ll take my first look at new emails on my phone. On this first pass, I’ll triage them mentally.
If I don’t have a task requiring my attention by this time, I’ll commit to another exercise practice, either 30 minutes of yoga, or a YouTube ballet class. After that, I am UP and ready to tackle my day!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi. I’m a jewelry artist. I live in St Louis, MO. I’ve been in business since 1991, under the name Uncommon Threads Jewelry. I chose that name because when I first started out, making jewelry by working fiber techniques like weaving or crochet, in precious metals, was my thing. My grandmother taught me how to sew, knit and crochet when I was a child. Using fiber techniques in metal was a way of connecting to the love I felt for her.
Over the years I’ve added lots of other techniques, some with a fiber connection, some that are more traditional metalsmithing techniques. Over time I added diamonds in some designs. I’ve expanded my knowledge of gemstones and appraisal techniques as well, all of which has come together to inspire me to rebrand my business. My new company identity is RC Studio Jewelry.
The name reflects a new artistic identity, one focusing on individual, custom work incorporating ethically mined gemstones whose origins are easily traceable. I will continue to explore my design vocabulary of metal smithing techniques, but at this point in my life, I feel drawn to supporting sustainable practices and ethical processes through my current work. The gemstones I use are mined by women-owned collectives in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Tanzania. My favorite of these stones are cut in the US by only three cutters, whose names I know. Unlike in the general market, the stones I see are not colored uniformly or have perfect clarity. Rather, they show beautiful internal color bands, fine lines like silk, and visible crystals that tell the story of how they were made inside the earth.
This is what inspires me now. I’m so fortunate my grandmother started me off in the right direction.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I was so young when my grandma and I sat together on the steps of her house with needle and thread. She wasn’t afraid to teach me how to handle tools. She trusted me. She saw me.
Each of my grandparents saw me. I was very lucky that way. Life can be frantic for a parent. You want to give your children the best of you, including your best attention. But sometimes, the effort of putting food on the table and a roof over the heads can distract you. Grandparents serve a vital role in the lives of young people. They can provide the focused attention, that unconditional love, from which every child benefits.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
I very recently changed my mind about a deeply held belief I didn’t even know I was carrying, and which influenced my life profoundly: a belief that I was unworthy of love.
As very small children, we inculcate beliefs about ourselves in surprising ways. I’m an adopted child. My parents couldn’t have children naturally, so they turned to adoption to make their family. My brother and I were both adopted as infants. The social science at the time told adoptive parents to tell their children they were adopted from a very young age and to stress how much they were wanted by their families. My parents did all of this, and more. In fact, I can’t imagine how they could have been better parents. What none of the adults suspected was that some “chosen” babies wondered who, how, or why they were rejected in the first place, in order to make them available for the choosing. I was one of those babies.
As I grew up, I felt different from friends who were not adopted. I felt like being chosen by my family also meant I could be un-chosen. So I set about making myself as special as I could be, so no one would dream of un-choosing me. This is the basis of why I chose to become an artist.
As an adult ,of course I know this line of thinking is full of holes . But I allowed it to get it too deeply ingrained for me to repair by myself. Through a stroke of opportunity, I met a woman- now a treasured friend- who taught me how to look hard at those feelings, recognize them as false and utterly ridiculous, and choose something better for myself. I feel so much more open, and safe in the world.
This process unfolded within just the past year.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Family.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
I sure have!
This ties back to the adoption thing. As an adult, I located and met my birth mother. As anyone can imagine, the moment of meeting this person was incredibly profound. But I didn’t know what to do with my feelings after we had achieved that milestone.
We tried to build a relationship. We still have one, but it isn’t particularly satisfying. We live far apart and it’s difficult to spend a lot of time together. The root of my dissatisfaction is that we haven’t managed to achieve a relationship of real depth. We could have so much more; the mother-child bond has so much juice to drink! But a first step is always to accept someone where they are.
It took me a long time, but I choose not to waste time feeling dissatisfied any more. I’ve done a lot of inner work. I found my way to feel free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rcstudiojewelry.com
- Instagram: uncommon_threads_jewelry (for now!@ rebrand coming… )
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randi-chervitz/
- Facebook: Uncommon Threads Jewelry (for now! rebrand coming…)
Image Credits
Mara Best Photography
Pencil One
Don Casper
