Heather B. Moore grew up in Cleveland, a steel town where garage sales are full of old tools, stamping dies, and other symbols of the city’s manufacturing past and present. Even before she thought of becoming a jeweler, Moore says that kind of metalworking equipment filled her tool box.
“This has been in my bones since the 1980s,” Moore says. “I started collecting tools when I was 13. I had to borrow $10 from my mom to buy the first stamp that I wanted.”
That eye led Moore to pursue art in a variety of mediums—but none she expected. She dabbled in photography, then moved on to the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she became a trained Venetian glassblower with a minor in metals. That led her to move to New York, where she got a full-time job working in metals with noted artist Judy Pfaff.
It was when her sister, Wendy, started working with jewelry because of her interest in fashion that Moore found her gaze moving into gold, silver, and gemstones. Wendy needed someone to make jewelry for her fashion shows and work on Los Angeles–based movies, so Moore decided to give it a shot.
Moore says she started with chains then added glass beads and stones. She soon moved onto precious stones. Moore’s early love for tools and stamps then came into play, and she began to make her own tools. She also began to offer personalization in a highly specialized way—as only a child of Cleveland might do.
That Cleveland influence is important on multiple levels. By now, Moore and her family—which had grown to include four kids—had come back home to live. She was making jewelry in her home, and steel stamps were the perfect way to turn a blank slate of a charm, locket, or other piece of jewelry into something one of a kind.
“The first pieces that I made were with my kids’ names,” Moore says. “It’s a reflection of who you are, your accomplishments, and your challenges along the way. It’s real—and even when times aren’t easy, you have to embrace it.”
Today, Moore’s work takes precious mementos such as a grandmother’s handwritten recipe or a child’s drawing and turns it into lasting art that her clients can wear. She and her staff make every tool and every piece by hand, and it exactly matches each person’s specifications. Clients also receive the tool that made their piece—something that is beautiful in and of itself, she says.
“Sometimes, I think I’m an archivist at heart,” Moore says.
From her own kids to celebrities to first ladies, Moore says her work aims to cement special moments into metal that goes down to the molecular level. That way, the object is an heirloom of the highest quality—something that befits the client and why they wear it in the first place, Moore says.
For example, first lady Dr. Jill Biden has several pieces of Moore’s personalized jewelry, which she wears when she’s out with the public or doing a speaking engagement. Dr. Biden has been spotted wearing several different combinations of her pieces, including several with her children’s names.
“I started this company to help people cherish who they are. Knowing that the FLOTUS is a fan is a dream come true,” Moore says. “I’m honored that she’s wearing it.”
Each sighting reminds Moore of why she got into this kind of jewelry—because she wants to express what’s most important to each client.
“It might be a drawing made by one of their children, the date or place they were married, or a note from one of their grandparents. Those define who you are, and we turn them into jewelry so that they are always with you,” Moore says. “You might start out with one memory, like the day your child was born, then add to that over the years, one piece at a time.”
Top: Heather B. Moore says the tools she started collecting at age 13 helped her find her path from glass to precious metals, which she turns into her signature jewelry (all photos courtesy of Heather B. Moore).
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