Meet Carol Lipworth | Jewelry Artisan

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carol Lipworth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carol, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
This probably sounds a bit old fashioned, but choosing to marry my husband has been the single most important decision I’ve made that has contributed to my success. I grew up in a family where my parents and relatives all worked for someone else. Starting my own business was not a consideration for me. My husband, Steve, has always been his own boss; entrepreneurship was the only thing he knew. So when we got together, he encouraged me to venture out and start my own business. His belief in my ability and creativity gave me the confidence I needed to leave my corporate job and start my jewelry business. Whether its your spouse, your family or friends, having someone push, encourage, provide feedback, cheerlead and support you is incredibly important no matter where you are in your business journey.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Like many artists, my work is a true reflection of me. I design and create every one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry in my collections, using stones, pearls and other materials that I have hand-picked for quality and beauty. I’ve always had a difficult time characterizing my work – after 18 years in the business, I still don’t have an “elevator speech” to use when people ask me how I’d describe my jewelry. Because my designs reflect my loves, moods, attitudes, impressions, travels, environment, etc., they are often very different from one another. However, there are themes in my work: unique color combinations, organic shapes and textures all mixed together to create truly one-of-a-kind wearable art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Funny you should ask. I was just in Nashville doing a trunk show at Levy’s and a good friend of mine tagged along because she wanted to check out the sights. We hit Broadway on a Friday night (a must-see) and listened to music, ate BBQ and people watched for hours. She visited the Parthenon and the pictures she showed me were fantastic (another must-see) and then we made our way to downtown Franklin for the Dickens Christmas event and were given a private back-stage tour of the old Franklin Theater. Oh, and of course, breakfast at Biscuit Love and Noshville are two favorite places to eat.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well, I’ve already mentioned my husband, Steve, so I also need to give a shout out to the store owners and sales people who have been instrumental in building my business. I would especially like to thank Ellen and David Levy of Levy’s Clothes in Green Hills along with their entire staff for their friendship and tremendous support throughout the years. And, to Murry and Karen Penner and Belinda Hillhouse of MPenner in Houston, TX who took a chance on me in 2006 and sold more jewelry than I ever dreamed possible.

Website: [email protected]

Instagram: @CLipworth

Facebook: /CarolLipworthDesigns

Image Credits
Jeff Sturgess Photography Sandra LaForge Photography