A personal note on how Close by Me came to be

I will be the first person to admit that my business is unconventional, which is perhaps why I feel the need to write this. It is not every person’s dream to work with loss and grief on a regular basis, hence why it is reserved for those of us who feel the strength to confront it as often as we do. These two things, loss and grief, have been no stranger in my life. I lost my mom when I was 17, and my dad when I was 25 and, in many ways, these two events have helped to shape the trajectory of my life toward my occupation.

My mom and I were very close and I still remember vividly the day I received the news that she had gone as far from me as she ever could. I believe that the connections we forge never truly leave us, and this is a connection that I continue to draw on as inspiration for my pieces. I see traces of my mom in my everyday life, and am glad to have them, even as intangible as they are. Despite my belief that grief is a continuous effect throughout a person’s life, I have grown tremendously since each of these events have come to pass.

This is also why I firmly believe that creating memorial jewelry was not a random occurrence, but something that I was meant to do; in other words, my “calling.” I do often feel selfish as well, because each piece I create to honor a deep connection aids my own healing. Having gone through what I have, I found myself examining my own grief, and decided that I may be able to help others in some small way to honor a connection they had created with a loved one. This is what my jewelry stands for, and I hope it assists each and every client I have with their own process of grief and offer them something tangible to carry with them through all of the adventures life has to offer them.

Founder and Owner,

Gina Murphy