By Mckenna Middleton | Page One Editor
To some people, a necklace is just a fashion statement, but to Aspen, Colo., junior Megan Woodrow, founder of Pure White Jewelry, jewelry can serve as a reminder of God’s love and purpose.
Since Woodrow founded the company in January, Pure White Jewelry has worked to encourage women to embrace the identity that God gives Christians. The jewelry, designed by Woodrow, comes in three lines: white pearls to remind women they are pure, rose gold pearls to remind women they were made to shine and black pearls to remind women to be bold in the name of Jesus.
“Personally, something I’ve struggled with always has been how God sees me because it’s beyond something we can’t even imagine, really,” Woodrow said. “Really, those three things are things that I struggle with, too, and they’re reminders for me, too.”
The goal of Pure White is to create wearable and affordable jewelry to encourage women to embrace the identity that God gives them through Jesus, according to the company website.
“The different lines offer pieces that act as physical reminders to constantly seek Christ and wear his name proudly through purity, boldness and by simply pressing deeper into his love,” said Basalt, Colo., junior Hunter Ash, the graphic designer for Pure White. “Of course I love the jewelry, but really I love how it works to empower others in such a simple way.”
The jewelry is simple and natural; all of the pearls come from a supplier in Oregon, and the leather is recycled leather from Aspen.
“It’s funny when people ask me the inspiration of the line; it’s really pieces that I want to wear because I don’t wear a ton of jewelry, so they’re very natural, easy pieces to put on,” Woodrow said.
Woodrow will take her company international this December when she goes on a trip to Greece for 10 days with a large group of Baylor students. There she will visit a refugee camp that she spent time at this past summer with Antioch Community Church to provide humanitarian aid and get to know the people there. While she was there, she had the idea to create a new line of jewelry made by the women in the refugee camp.
“A lot of these people are super well educated, they just are stuck in these refugee camps and they have nothing to do,” Woodrow said. “For me, jewelry is very therapeutic, and it can be very simple too, so just being able to figure out a unique way to partner the talent that the women have in the camps and the company that I have.”
The limited edition necklace goes on sale Friday. Customers can preorder the necklace before Woodrow’s trip to Greece. In December, customers will be able to follow the entire process of jewelry making through the company’s social media accounts. Woodrow said 80 percent of sales will go directly back to the women who will make the necklaces.
“There are so many great companies that do help women in Africa, but you don’t really get to learn about the whole entire process over there,” Woodrow said. “So this way, people can really become engaged. They will be physically helping out these women over there, but my hope is that they would become spiritually invested, too, by seeing these faces and learning about more about the crisis.”
Woodrow, an international business and social entrepreneurship major, said the small business began as a website and has expanded to include trunk shows. Pure White jewelry can also be found at a hair salon in Houston and a ski shop in Aspen. Woodrow has been creating Jewelry since middle school and makes all the jewelry in her room. In recent months, she has elicited the help of her friend, Orlando, Fla., junior Kristen Gray, to make jewelry and manage social media accounts.
“I love working for Megan just because she’s so personable and really relational,” Gray said. “I am super passionate about girls seeng their identity in Jesus and getting to partner with someone who has already built that foundation in the business is awesome.”
Portland, Ore., junior Rachel Hengesh said she wears her Pure White bracelet everyday and is inspired by Woodrow’s heart behind the company.
“The jewelry is incredibly cute; it’s made of leather and it’s something thats trendy now,” Hengesh said. “When people comment on it, its a really awesome opportunity to talk about how it started.”
