Mayapple Creations is a green jewelry company that was founded five years ago by an Earth-friendly couple, Williams and her husband. The pair wanted to promote the evolving green movement as well as provide customers with nice jewelry that they wouldn't feel bad wearing.

The silver Williams uses to create her accessories is 100 percent recycled coins and old jewelry from a vendor in Virginia who melts the metal so that she can use it. The glass beads are recycled from old glass bottles from Ghana, and the beads are influenced by a folk art tradition and are crushed up and fired in a clay bowl. Williams also likes to use local woodwork like acorns and twigs in her creations because she thinks that silver and earthy materials make for "a nice aesthetic effect." Using wood also is great for the green movement because the material absorbs people's natural skin oils so that no extra chemicals or salience is needed.

Even the paper tags that Williams' husband attaches to every piece of jewelry is made from 100 percent recycled, chemical-free paper. The cards tell about the materials used to make the jewelry as well as the story and inspiration behind it. 

"I really feel like sustainability is a matter of personal responsibility, much more than telling other people what they should be doing in life," Josie says.

Mayapple Creations' jewelry is all silver wirework made with traditional hand tools. Williams has been making jewelry since she was 12 years old, and her creation inspirations come from patterns related to movements like water and flowing air. All of her jewelry pieces contain spiral designs that she likes to use because it has symbolism in many different cultures. The spiral is frequently used as a symbol of the cycle of life, Williams says. 

When the couple formed their company, they did so because they wanted to do something creative as well as be self-employed. It was a natural industry to transition into for the both of them because, as children, they both had been interested in the outdoors, Williams says.

Then, a few years ago the Williams couple really became focused on sustainability after hearing about child labor issues in semiprecious beads. They joined a green American business group and found a forum, which gave them their recycled metal supplier. From other green business owners, the pair found fair trade recycled glass artisans and pearl vendors, which are all sweatshop-free.

"At Mayapple, which is our fulltime income, if we can walk the walk in what we're doing, that helps make it possible for other people to make that step," Williams says.

People want to have sustainability options, so the Williams and her husband are just excited that going green is becoming possible and more popular and that they can be a part of the movement.

Customers can buy wholesale products on the Mayapple Creations Web site at MayappleCreations.com but also can find their individual pieces online at Etsy.com/shop/mayapplecreations.

Locally, Cincy Chic readers can find the Williams' environmentally friendly jewelry sold at Park+Vine and a gallery that carries local artists' work, Indigenous.

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