The Shop
Nestled into the Herald Building is apse, a jewelry store looking to subvert the common idea of “jewelry stores.” Small signage with their cattywampus logo denotes where to look if you want something a little outside the jewelry box.
Photograph by Aubrey Black
The Atmosphere
The interior of apse is a cross between an art gallery and your “Interior Design” Pinterest board. The ceilings would allow a giraffe to fully extend its neck, and green plants and blue cyanotype prints break up apse’s white walls. The storefront’s large windows showcase products to passersby and illuminate the meticulously placed displays.
Beyond the store floor and behind a bamboo room divider is the studio area, where all the jewelry is made. Workbenches slot against the wall, littered with tools and works-in-progress. Upstairs is the office, where all the behind-the-scenes matters are handled.
Photograph by Aubrey Black
Everything about apse is contained within its storefront, but it doesn’t feel crowded. Everything has its place.
The People
Established in 2016, apse is the brainchild of wife and husband duo Hayley Boyd and Jarod Faw, who met during their time in Western Washington University’s fine arts program.
“I think we both really had a need and desire to make our love for art an everyday practice and to share that with people, even people who believe they aren’t creative or think art is too elite,” Boyd says. “We really just wanted to make a true, honest expression of the self, and artistic expression of the self, easy.”
That ethos is very much present in the spirit of the pieces they make. Boyd brings funky and casual designs to life with precious metals and gemstones. She wants to encourage people to wear her pieces all the time, rather than just save them for special occasions.
“The contrast of precious gems, precious metals, these beautiful, precious materials but worn and designed in a way that’s not on a pedestal,” Boyd explains.
The ethical sourcing of materials is a major priority for Boyd, as well as a vital part of apse’s brand identity. She uses a lot of independent, ethical miners and cutters to source metals and gems for her designs.
“If we find a material we resonate with on an artistic level and we find a great supplier who shares our same values then we kind of just run in that direction for a while and kind of let it define our designs and brand a little bit,” Boyd says.
Boyd says she handles more of the creative responsibilities like designing, consulting with customers, prototyping, and the overarching business vision. Faw takes on the bookkeeping, inventory, tool maintenance, and the day-to-day administrative duties.
What You’ll Find
Photograph by Aubrey Black
Rings are apse’s bread and butter. Chunky rings with bright gems, chain rings, bands, and even more sculptural pieces, all in silver and various forms of gold. apse’s sister company, Profess, is a bespoke engagement ring service: clients meet and brainstorm with Boyd, and she makes their one-of-a-kind dreams come true from designing to sourcing materials to fabricating.
apse also carries a range of necklaces and chains. Some necklaces have pendants that showcase apse’s range of gems such as malachite, citrine, sapphire, and topaz. Some pieces also feature the mother of pearl that Boyd sources from a farm in New Zealand.
Photograph by Aubrey Black
I would be remiss not to mention the Croc. The Croc that sits in the window, on the same display as some of apse’s chains. It’s begging to be looked at, begging to be asked about. It’s adorned with charms of apse’s signature shapes, the “Existential” swirl and the “Orbit” four-point star.
The Croc charms exemplify the ‘precious metals gone casual’ idea to the highest degree, as well as making the vibe of the store more approachable and lighthearted.
Favorites
Photograph by Aubrey Black
Part of me wants to buy Crocs just to have somewhere to put the shoe charms. I’m forecasting camouflage-patterned Crocs laden with silver apse shoe charms as a major trend for 2025.
I also really loved the combination of the Orbit Chain, which features a charm of the four-point star and an oversized clasp on a ball chain, and the Nova Charm, which is a pendant stamped with a star design with a precious gem in the center. I love that the clasp of the necklace is integrated purposefully into the design, making every piece of the necklace a thoughtful inclusion. 1153 N. State St., Bellingham, apse.us
