T
here was much to appeal to a young Jenny Crane McHugh about the business world. It suited her competitive spirit, her drive to succeed and prosper in the interest of climbing corporate ladders and breaking glass ceilings. The founder of Campbell + Charlotte also met her now husband while studying for her MBA, and their union was strengthened as they worked alongside one another and championed one another’s successes. Throughout it all, Jenny’s mom would often remind her that she also had a creative side, recalling the battles that used to ensure at bedtime every night when Jenny refused to remove the dozens of plastic bracelets, necklaces and earrings she insisted on donning each morning. While she laughed these hints off and continued to excel in her career, there remained a seed of curiosity, a yearning to express herself creatively.
For Jenny, each collection in her ever-expanding Campbell + Charlotte brand, is a representation of her ongoing journey through motherhood, the learnings of each stage and the search for self within every unknown.
Over time, the love for the intensity of her work started to wane, yet her identity was so closely tied to her profession that not even her husband’s gentle urgings to explore a different path could convince her to consider another kind of life for herself. It was the birth of her first daughter, Campbell, after whom her collection is named, that marked a seminal moment in Jenny’s world view.
She calls the experience of becoming a mother “transformative,” and she quickly realized that she wanted to begin working in a way that she hoped would make her daughter proud. That meant, she was finally acknowledging, giving voice to her emotions through jewelry design.
For Jenny, each collection in her ever-expanding Campbell + Charlotte brand, is a representation of her ongoing journey through motherhood, the learnings of each stage and the search for self within every unknown. Now the mother of two, she cherishes the lessons motherhood has taught her, how it has made being the best version of herself an imperative.
Wanting to model for her daughters that they have the right to live a life of their own choosing, that they are empowered to make their own destiny, Jenny takes great joy in the design and fabrication process and is proud to work diligently to ensure her pieces showcase exceptional level of craftsmanship.
While a novice to the trade, Jenny’s masterful networking skills and relentless savvy allowed her to navigate the labyrinth of the jewelry industry to find a jeweler who would take a chance on her, and to uncover sources for precious metals and gemstones. Her jewelry is both playful and sentimental, reflecting the joy Jenny has for her family, and the gravitas of an heirloom. While the creation of her collection has served as a meaningful tool on her journey of self-discovery, Jenny also wants to showcase the levity and joy jewelry can bring, she wants her pieces to become a joyful part of the narrative of one’s life.