ASHLEY MORGAN DESIGNS was born from a passion for jewelry design and entrepreneurship — the love of design is Ashley Berman’s, while the penchant for business pertains to her husband, Morgan. After the couple relocated to San Francisco from Colorado, Ashley began studying her craft at Revere Academy while working at a San Francisco jewelry store, where she trained as a bench jeweler and goldsmith; Morgan simultaneously received his MBA with an emphasis in entrepreneurship from the University of San Francisco. Ashley’s work behind the bench led to an appreciation for handmade, bespoke pieces that functioned as both accessories and works of art and had the power to evoke real feeling. “I realized I needed to design my own jewelry and tell that personal, emotional story,” she says. Soon, husband and wife integrated their talents to form Ashley Morgan Designs. And while the shop remains in San Francisco, Ashley, Morgan and their two daughters have found a home in Larkspur.
PHILOSOPHY For Ashley, jewelry is all about individuality — the designer opts to eschew jewelry trends, instead drawing inspiration from her clients and their own histories, traditions and cultures. Another aesthetic influence is the great outdoors. “I specialize in playing with nature’s anomalies to create strong, high-end pieces,” she says. “I prefer stones such as diamond slices or tourmalines that naturally give way to the beauty of imperfection.” THE SCOOP The majority of Ashley Morgan Designs’ offerings are custom — clients collaborate with Ashley to dream up and bring about the baubles of their fantasies — but the company also boasts “Signature,” “Colored Stones” and “Diamond Slice” collections. Pieces are available at Ashley Morgan’s Post Street store, with online selling planned for the near future. BEYOND MARIN In addition to custom work and collections, Ashley Morgan recently collaborated with Neiman Marcus stores in San Francisco and Palo Alto to create a line crafted specifically for both showrooms. “The collection includes multicolor tourmaline butterflies, diamond- and yellow-sapphire-encrusted daisies and much more,” Ashley says. WHAT THEY SAY “I truly enjoy working with clients one-on-one to imagine tiny treasures that capture their unique beauty and inspiration. Fine jewelry is timeless, and I love the idea of creating lasting pieces that will be cherished and passed along through the generations.” ashleymorgandesigns.com