The story of Hard Jewelry

In 2017 my family was getting evicted, but there was only one thing on my mind - making sure my mom was going to be okay.

Shi** was really hitting the fan.

My parents were going through severe issues.

My dad, who was my role model growing up, left our house for a year. Our rent didn't get paid for 14 months and we had to move.

I was 17, just got my license back after it being suspended for a year, and borrowed money from my grandma for a car.

It didn’t last long though.

Two months later, I got into an accident that totaled the car in front of my school.

I was embarrassed to go back to school, ashamed to tell my grandma the car was totaled, and still felt a deep pit in my stomach knowing my family’s situation wasn’t any better.

I used to care what people thought about me, but now that I’ve been through what felt like the worst, nothing could phase me.

I've always wanted to do something creative, and since I had nothing to lose, it felt like this was my chance.

Two weeks later, I had my canon event: a friend showed me this super popular website that was selling a bunch of soft jewelry.

I realized that the jewelry world was filled with uncreative, unoriginal, and low quality standards.

It felt like the curtain was raised and exposed an industry that lacked soul. I saw this as my opportunity to innovate and create a new standard of good jewelry.

I found out all it takes to create quality jewelry is time, care, and attention to detail.

Which I guess most people in the industry, to this day, still don't put in. But we do...

After 6 months, I had my first custom piece and started an Instagram with the name Hard Jewelry (the opposite of soft jewelry).

It was a bold name, but I knew we had the confidence to back it up.

My brother and my best friend Nick saw the vision of what Hard Jewelry could become, and quit their jobs to help make it come true.

We quickly became a small business that created content and fulfilled orders out of the basement, having fun every step of the way.

At the time (2018), I was making just enough money to stay at my uncle's house and support my mom and 4 year old sister.

Unfortunately, my mother was still struggling and tragically passed away 1 year later.

I was there when the paramedics came and this became the worst day of my life.

I was completely broken and felt like I was never going to experience happiness again.

My mom was our #1 supporter and my best friend.

If you've ever lost a loved one, you know exactly how lost I was.

But through all of this pain and suffering, there was only one thing that made me want to keep going:

Knowing that she’d want me to keep following my dreams and NEVER quit.

Hard Jewelry became my creative outlet to express emotions, explore ideas, and bring the community together.

Our supporters witnessed everything via our IG stories, successes and failures.

The people saw that we weren't perfect, but appreciated that we were always real.

Since the beginning, our jewelry has always been a symbol of perseverance and following your dreams.

I truly believe our jewelry can change your life.

Whether it’s a big or small difference, I know it works.

Thousands of people DM me saying our jewelry has made them more confident and feel like they're a part of a community.

This all goes to say that if you find the right group of people and a good reason to change the world...

You can.

Love, Will CEO/Media Guy