Moondust & Me Is More Than A Conflict Free Jewelry Line ... It's A Presence Of Discovery, Healing and Intentional Community Building

We had the honor of interviewing one of the most intentional jewelry brands we've connected with to date. Moondust & Me was born out of the emptiness that founder Jasmine Offor-Verville felt when looking for more conscious spiritual black women owned jewelry businesses and simply did not find enough community. With self-care, sustainability and healing being a true passion of hers, Jasmine feels that holistic healing should be available with ease for all and thus is building this with her brand Moondust & Me.

CHECK OUT THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:

When and why did you start this brand/journey? What inspired the name?

We officially launched this July (2018) but has been in the making for almost 6 years. I went to grad school at London College of Fashion for styling so I always knew I wanted to make creating my career. Early on I discerned it filled me up so much to create especially with my hands. So after styling, I started playing around with jewelry in 2012 mostly as a way to keep busy. I never really thought about selling them. Between then and now, I got married, moved to Thailand & just had our second baby. Moondust came from the want to create meaningful healing adornments that would serve more than just aesthetics. Pairing my infinite adoration for beautiful elements and passion for alignment with soul is what has fueled us to make this floating idea into tangible reality. It wasn't easy launching right after Selah- Peace arrived & we were probably crazy to do it, but I don't think we chose the time, it chose us. The name Moondust And Me is a result from my fascination with the power of our Moon. Many people may not know but they also identify with a zodiac moon sign outside of their sun sign. I'm a bit of an obsessive researcher so when I heard this, I researched all I could about Moon signs, especially mine, and what they meant. Our moon signs are our innermost sacred selves. Our emotional selves. Basically all the characteristics of our soul. When I read mine I almost broke down, it was spot on. Sun in Capricorn, Moon in Pisces.

How do you envision or understand the connection between jewelry and identity?

For the longest time I didn't want to acknowledge there was even a connection between jewelry and our identity. I always felt a bit insecure about getting my masters in fashion because society seemed to make it sound so fickle. I guess I subconsciously took on that identity and never realized my love for adornments was a part of me that had depth. I soon realized the way we choose to adorn ourselves IS our identity. We have the ability to make millions of decisions daily, but the ones we make regarding the way we want to be perceived is the strongest. It's a domino effect and a direct correlation to how we treat ourselves and those around us. Adornment is and always has been part of my self-care.

What materials do you use for your jewelry and where are they sourced?

All of our healing pieces are made with 14k gold-filled which was really important to me, to create long lasting jewelry. Gold filled jewelry has the properties of solid gold & can last as long if taken care of properly. Most of the metals are recycled from a supplier in California where we're based which is beautiful because we work really hard to be as sustainable as possible. From the jewelry all the way down to our packaging. Our diamonds and crystals are 100% conflict free from our gemologist in India. We spent about 6 months really building relationships with our sources making sure we were flowing with people who saw the same vision we did. Assuring each component is the utmost quality has always been our end goal.

Does being a WOC influence your brand? If so how?

One of the main reasons for building Moondust And Me was realizing one of two things. One the lack of women of color within the health & wellness community and two the non-existent visibility we women of color creators receive. Around the time I was pregnant with my son Elisha- Rain, I really dove deep into what sustainable fashion meant and the impact it was making not only on our Earth but in the fashion industry. It was really disheartening to realize that the sustainable community was catering to a certain demographic of people. I hardly ever saw models of color used to represent their customer base and never saw a woman of color owned sustainable brand. It's still happening on a regular basis with brands I want to love but can't fully support. Already the health disparities between communities of color and white communities are shocking, it just seemed like another way to deepen the gap. I know with Moondust I have the ability to build and support a community of women of color owned brands that are creating magic to lift our communities up. To show them that they are deserving of beautiful things crafted by caring hands and a life of well-being.

How do you define healing? How would you describe the importance of healing stones?

I don't think I could define healing. I do know that it never stops and we never finish. That is the entire reason we're hear, to create and build. I use building and healing interchangeably. Not only healing from past hurts but building ourselves into the persons we're desiring to become. Healing is a moment to moment dedicated service to self. There's not just one thing we can do to completely heal ourselves. Once we make our peace with that, we allow this beautiful space to occur. A safe space to keep going without fear of failure.

I didn't discover healing stones until a few years ago but instantly felt a connection to them. Every single thing that has ever been created and will ever be created is scientifically energy. The seen and the unseen. Our Earth is constantly healing herself and one result of this is naturally occurring crystals and stones. I think the most fascinating thing for me to learn was regardless of our belief, we are constantly dancing with the energies of all things around us especially the power of healing stones. So with focused attention we can use these crystals for healing our inner & outer even if only as a reminder.

What is your greatest inspiration?

If I answered this question just a short time ago I would have given a list of so many external examples as my inspiration but today I answer with myself. I am my greatest inspiration. Not who I was or am now but who I'm becoming everyday. I constantly sit and meditate on the person ahead. Knowing that growth in a divine direction is not only possible but our true nature. Seeing others discovering that same inspiration within themselves is such an added push for me to keep learning and humbling myself with every teachable experience. I do have one true external inspiration, my son Elisha-Rain. At just 1 and half, this guy loves himself so much and stands firmly knowing his worth. It's unreal.