Founder of Cut + Clarity Features “Vote” Necklaces Inspired by the 2020 Elections, Proceeds Benefiting St. Petersburg Free Clinic
Tampa Bay, FLA (September 10th, 2020) – Cut + Clarity, a New York based jewelry company, has made its way to the Sunshine State. The accessories brand was founded by Mariana Russo Chambers with conscious jewelry and community at the forefront. Cut + Clarity (C+C) utilizes smart technology to enhance traditional jewelry craftsmanship and bring real, authentic pieces to consumers.
Noticing the broken system within the jewelry and fast fashion industries, Chambers established C+C with the intentions to not only curate custom and timeless pieces but also implement a design structure that creates zero waste and has a drastically smaller carbon footprint. The fine jewelry company works alongside highly experienced jewelers in the NYC Diamond District with generations of jewelry and expertise and has vast accessibility to raw materials such as recycled gold and ethically sourced stones.
The latest collection for Cut + Clarity features a design inspired by the 2020 presidential and general elections. The company has taken its Mini Name collection, that includes two necklace styles, a bracelet, earrings, and a ring, and showed how it can be customized right on the Cut + Clarity website. The motto behind the “Vote” campaign is “You have options – voting isn’t one.” The available options include gold, different font styles, stones, and the jewelry piece itself.
Tell us about the “Vote” Collection and how consumers can order it.
“The Vote campaign is our way to celebrate 100 years of Women’s Suffrage, get the word out to vote, and give back to the local St. Pete community. We want to get people excited to participate in our democracy. We can all complain about some government function that isn’t working how we’d like it to, but taking action and participating in our democracy is how we make changes and fight for what we believe in,” says Mariana Russo Chambers, founder of Cut + Clarity.
Mariana really believes that activism begins at the local level and has been volunteering at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic since the start of the Covid pandemic; the clinic has since served over 83,000 local families. On October 10th, the St. Pete Free Clinic hopes to raise $400,000 for the pantry’s Hunger Free 2020 initiative.
From Sept 1- Oct 10, Cut + Clarity is committing between $45 – $107 of every sale of the Mini Name Collection to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic HUNGER FREE 2020 Food Drive when customers check out using code “VOTE2020” .
“2020 is truly the year of hindsight. Covid-19 has highlighted how deeply the government is failing women, families, and communities of color. The St. Petersburg Free Clinic addresses these problems head on and we want to give back to this amazing organization.” says Chambers.
Q&A with Mariana Russo Chambers, founder of Cut + Clarity
What brings your talents to St. Petersburg?
About 5 years ago, the first time I stepped foot in St. Pete I had the same reaction as when I moved to NYC, “where has St. Pete been all my life?”. I immediately fell in love and what’s not to love? The city has the ideal mix of natural and man made beauty. The beaches rival that of many exotic locations and the city is so rich in the arts from corner signal boxes to murals to art galleries. I live for the Dali Museum! The vibrant city colors in contrast with the white powder sand beaches really fuels my soul.
What is your goal in the Tampa Bay market?
Community. Growing up with all of my family overseas, as an immigrant, I learned to make the most of my community. Being a part of the community is important to me and I want to create the same supportive atmosphere that we have in NYC here, in my second home state.
How has your experience in the NYC Diamond District shaped your business model today?
While the District is rich with hundreds of years of jewelry traditions and each jeweler is a generational jeweler, I noticed there wasn’t much innovation and a huge gender disparity where men hold the meaningful, well paying jobs. In contrast,fast fashion has made us believe that things shouldn’t last. This disposable economy is bad for our environment, for people and for the rich tradition of craftsmanship. I wanted C+C to honor the history and the community in a meaningful way while also bringing in much needed innovation and powerful women into the mix.
What inspires you? You are an advocate for minority women. Tell us why.
As an immigrant, Latinx woman and mother, it wasn’t only important for me to bring my identities to the table when I was building Cut + Clarity, but it was imperative that we become THE table. That Cut + Clarity cultivates the place where women can come together and share in each other’s humanity. It’s the table I wish I knew existed as a 6-year old, non-English speaking immigrant. Privilege comes in many forms and I’m privileged to have a platform to create awareness and so I will.
What makes your product different or unique from other jewelers?
Our biggest differentiator is that we focus on customization and made to order goods; this gives the customer full control over what they are getting and what they are spending. During the design process, our platform allows for real time visuals on each piece so there is no guessing or disappointment later. In this way, the customer gets to really connect with their piece and see that there are real people behind each and every purchase and understand where their money goes. This is an important aspect to me because when the customer gets to experience both the design and production of their custom piece, they create an affinity towards it and are willing to slow down a bit and step away from the culture of immediate gratification.
ABOUT CUT + CLARITY
Cut + Clarity is a New York based fine jewelry company focusing on the intersections of sustainability, social impact and women’s empowerment. C+C uses smart technology to enhance traditional jewelry craftsmanship and bring you real jewelry. https://cutandclarity.co/
ABOUT MRC: Mariana Russo Chambers
CEO and Founder of Cut + Clarity, Mariana is a former language teacher turned fashion tech founder with 15 years of jewelry industry experience. As an immigrant from Argentina, who grew up in the suburbs outside of NYC, Mariana champions the values of community, heritage, and craft.
EVOLVE & CO: Evolve & Co is a full-service advertising agency located in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. The company is a collective of brand strategists and creatives, specializing in the lifestyle vertical. The firm is located at 475 Central Avenue Suite M7, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701. www.evolveandco.com
Editors: For details, or to schedule an interview contact Lisa Williams | lisa@evolveandco.com or 727.490.9835.
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