I wanted to share more of the why behind n’Grained — and how it grew from years as a hobby biz. into something much more meaningful.

Career to Calling

Before jewelry, my path wound through admin work, natural skincare, and nearly a decade as a designer and illustrator for a corporate cooler + water bottle company.

It was creative and steady, but truthfully? I was always pining for weekend trail walks — or running late because I’d lost track of time sketching something wild in my nature journal. My priorities were always somewhere quieter…

I think part of that pull comes from where I grew up in the Northeast — a community with roots that run deep in handcraft. The kind of place where old stone walls still line the roads, and historic homes carry the marks of the tradespeople who built them hundreds of years ago. Being surrounded by that quiet reverence for workmanship and grit made me appreciate the beauty in something made by hand — the evidence of care that lasts.

“Connection to the outdoors isn’t a luxury — it’s a life line.”

A Shift in Rhythm 

In 2017, I learned the random symptoms I’d been pushing through were chronic migraine — not “just headaches.” Sometimes I’d throw up on my way to work in the morning just from the sunlight flickering between the trees, and masking discomfort through meetings and deadlines, but noticed something consistent: I always felt most at ease outdoors.

The sound of wind in the leaves. The texture of a stone. The grounding reminder that nature is raw, beautiful, and keeps me authentically curious— no matter

Taking Root

When my husband Jake got reassigned to Colorado last year and my company declined remote work, we decided to take a leap using my measly savings from that job. We gave my “hobby” a promotion — and that’s how n’Grained has started (trying) to take deeper root.

This isn’t a “poor me” story — it’s a reflection of how the name I chose years before my diagnosis found a deeper meaning.

The name n’Grained surfaced on a car ride through the White Mountains of NH years back, and speaks not just to nature being ingrained in who I am, but also to the literal grain from tree growth rings — the visible record of a tree’s life, resilience, and everything it’s weathered. Just like those rings, our journey’s shape us, layer by layer…

What I Craft

Now, every piece I make celebrates that connection. My work highlights textures and organic details as small, wearable reminders that we’re always part of the outdoors — even when we can’t step into it.

Taking that leap to dedicate myself to n’Grained (full-time) was also the time to shift to more long-lasting wearables, by investing in Sterling silver (finally) - plus I’d really be able to put skills into practice I had been acquiring in the background from NBS in Boston, Snow Farm school, and tutoring from jeweler and friend Harmony Winters! And even though I’d been experimenting with crafting jewelry for years, all these shifts were essentially a restart. So, I’m only about a year in to the revamped n’Grained, and deeply appreciative of all who have some of my work, ease the growing pains of small biz., and indirectly support my health journey! 

If my jewelry helps you feel a little more grounded or connected, then I know I’m doing what I’m meant to.

With gratitude (and probably a little dirt under my nails),

-Hannah