Unique Jewelry That Benefits Local Community
By Jamie Clark Tiralla
If you are looking for something truly unique this holiday season, you need not look any further than Maertens Fine Jewelry & Gifts or their sister store Maertens on the Island, both in Solomons, Maryland.
Both shops are owned by Calvert County native Heather Maertens, and her husband Darren Maertens. The couple opened their first store, Maertens Fine Jewelry & Gifts in the Solomons Town Center in October 2002. The store is the perfect creative outlet for jeweler, Heather, who has been making jewelry since she was a child. “I used to make bracelets out of beads and string,” Heather recalls, “and I would give one to each of my friends and every member of my family.” These days, Heather prefers precious metals, diamonds, and gemstones.
Heather creates many exclusive designs that can only be found in her stores. She draws her inspirations from memories of growing up on the Chesapeake Bay. Her newest jellyfish collection is just one example. “Of course nobody wants to be in the water when they’re out, but jellyfish really are beautiful,” Heather muses, “and I wanted to capture that beauty - the flowing tentacles and their gentle sway.” Heather’s collection features pendants available in two sizes, in a choice of sterling silver or 14kt gold, or in combinations of the two, and can be accented with diamonds and gemstones.
The piece that really gave Heather her start was a seahorse that she created during the Seahorses by the Bay Project. The Seahorse Project was a collaborative effort between Annmarie Garden, The Calvert Marine Museum and the public and private schools of Calvert County, Maryland. Each school was given a six foot tall seahorse statue to decorate for an auction that would benefit the art programs in each school. Inspired by the project and eager to help improve the county’s school art programs, Heather sat down and carved a wax miniature of the statue. The wax would be used in the ancient jewelry making process of lost wax casting. The finished product was a pendant available in sterling silver or 14kt gold accented with diamonds and/or gemstones. “So many people, myself included, didn’t realize that there were seahorses in the bay until the Seahorse Project. The project was wonderful on so many levels and I am so proud to have been involved,” Heather said. To date, Maertens has donated over $6,000 to the Seahorse Project from the sale of their pendants and will continue to donate 15% of the proceeds from each sale back to the group which still offers grants to art teachers and students.
There are many more stories like the seahorses at Maertens. Heather has created nearly a dozen area related pieces for local groups including the Arc of Southern Maryland, Relay for Life, and the Humane Society of Calvert County. She also makes one of a kind pieces to benefit school and charity fundraising efforts, most recently, a sterling silver and 18kt yellow gold frog pendant for the live auction at the Baltimore Zoo’s annual fundraising dinner, Zoomerang.
Heather and Darren believe strongly in giving back to their community. “Heather and I have been blessed with talent and good fortune and I can’t think of anything more important than giving it back to the community who has supported us,” says Darren Maertens. Darren dedicates his time to serving the community; he is currently the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and is a board member for the United Way of Calvert County.
The Maertens goodwill is contagious and it has been spread to all members of their team, most notably, jeweler Kristen Hobar. Kristen joined the Maertens team after attending jewelry school in Virginia Beach, VA. She had previously apprenticed with Heather and returned to work beside her at Maertens Fine Jewelry & Gifts. Inspired by the Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer’s motto “Put Wings on Hope” and her long time love and fascination of butterflies, Kristen created a special piece to help make a difference. Kristen’s Brem Butterfly pendant is available in two sizes and a choice of metal combinations with or without gemstone accents. Kristen “wanted the Brem Butterfly to stand out above the others I’ve made in the past”. The signature butterfly in the collection is accented with orange sapphires, because orange is the universal color of healing and a symbolic color for the Brem Foundation. Like many of the Maertens Exclusives, 15% of the proceeds from the sales of the Brem Butterflies are donated back to the Brem Foundation. “It is a chance to make a real difference,” Kristen said, “one hundred percent of the funds raised by the Brem foundation goes directly back into purchasing new advanced equipment to help detect breast cancer sooner.”
In addition to the Maertens Exclusive pieces, the Maertens feature one-of-a-kind creations by Heather and Kristen in addition to jewelry designers from around the world. “The first thing people notice when they visit the store is how different our jewelry is. We strive to offer unique designs, superb craftsmanship, and excellent quality,” says Heather Maertens.
If you haven’t visited the Maertens yet, now is the time! With unique jewelry and a friendly and knowledgeable staff, you are sure to find the perfect gift or something for yourself. Maertens Fine Jewelry & Gifts is located in the Solomons Town Center near Boater’s World, open Monday - Thursday 10am - 6pm, Friday 10am - 7pm, and Saturday 10am - 4pm and open Sundays in December. Maertens on the Island is located at the historic Solomons Pier on Solomons Island open Monday - Thursday 11am - 6pm, Friday 11am - 7pm, Saturday 10am - 6pm, and Sunday 10am - 5pm. And also on the web at www.maertensjewelry.com
About the Artists:
Heather Maertens, a Calvert County native attended Gem City College in Quincy, Illinois where she studied jewelry repair and manufacturing, design and the lost art of hand engraving. Heather has also studied colored gemstones and gemstone identification at the Gemological Institute of America. Heather and her husband Darren Maertens own Maertens Fine Jewelry & Gifts and Maertens on the Island both in Solomons, Maryland.
Kristen Hobar, also a Calvert County native, is a jeweler at Maertens Fine Jewelry & Gifts in Solomons. Kristen completed her studies in jewelry repair and manufacturing at the New Approach School for Jewelers in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
