Meet Margot Steffensen | Jewelry Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Margot Steffensen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Margot, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think I have been successful in my business because I know my target audience and listen to what they like. I live in a very outdoor and active community and the women want to look good while having fun. I make my earrings light (almost weightless) and fun to help my customers feel and look beautiful without compromising their active lives. I am very lucky to have a very loyal client base that has supported my business throughout the years. I like to make new earrings and necklaces frequently to keep people coming back for more. It’s fun to constantly be changing my designs to stay current with trends.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I make handmade earrings and necklaces using techniques I developed over the years. I use recycled composite pieces and I embed a photo or pre-drawn image on the composite. I then hand cut and seal the images making it unique and durable. I use high quality sterling silver wire, local turquoise, lots of Swarovski crystals and semi precious gemstones to help the images pop. The earrings I make are unique and captures peoples personalities by the images they are drawn to. From feathers to beautiful scenery, I love making a big selection for my customers to choose from. My favorite part is seeing pictures of people having fun and wearing my earrings. Earrings are very easy to loose. I have customers that come back to buy another pair if they have lost one along the way. My customers always have a story of how they lost an earring and it’s always in a great place. My earrings have been lost in the ocean after an epic surf session, left behind on the Great Wall of China, to being tossed off an ear in a rapid now laying on the bottom of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. I love that I am a part of peoples adventures. Honestly the biggest challenge has been lately with COVID-19. I am featured in boutiques, airports and markets and that all was on hold for a few months. Some boutiques closed, airports are at low capacities and my art shows are all cancel. It’s been hard not knowing if I should continue. So I needed a break to figure out what I should do. I felt funny making jewelry while peoples lives were falling apart. I took a few months and then checked my emails. I was shocked by how many people wanted to have my pieces. I started getting my whole sale orders back too. I needed time to figure out the next step and I’m so glad I did because it gave me a new creative eye and inspiration to continue. My numbers are still no where near where they were but the ball is rolling.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love being pampered like anyone does but also crave adventure, do a mixture of the two is my style. We would definitely stay at a great hotel and spa. Some pool time, drinks and a massage then off to great food and music at a secret Speakeasy. We would stay out late and and wake up early for skydiving in Eloy. Then off to a secret creek to hangout by eating fresh fruit from a farmers market. Quality time together talking and lots of time getting our adrenaline pumping.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My community is so supportive. I have been selling in the same boutiques for over 10 years and business just keeps on increasing. It’s nice to know when you buy from a local shop you are supporting that store directly and the artist, with one purchase.

Website: margotsimonedesigns@gmail.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/margot_simone
Facebook: Facebook.com/MargotSimoneDesigns/

Image Credits
Margot Simone KDI photography (personal photo)