Well folks, it happened. Abel has a Substack.

Why does a fine jewelry brand have a Substack?

I can’t say I ever thought I’d have a Substack, but I guess I also never thought I’d be pursuing a career in jewelry full-time, either. Add it to the list of reasons why I’m officially not allowed to speak in absolutes. You really can never say never.

You might be wondering why a fine jewelry brand has made a Substack, and that would be a very fair question. I already have a blog, and I already have a newsletter — why do I need a Substack, too?

The reality is, sometimes there are things I want to say that don’t feel quite right for either platform, and sometimes there are things I want to say as me: Kelsey and not me: Abel. Twitter/X doesn’t feel like the right audience for me, and I still haven’t quite figured out Threads. So here I am.

Based on who I know who is already on Substack, I think (I hope) these are my type of people. The work, the conversations, and ultimately the community I see here are ones I want to be a part of, and ones I believe I can contribute to.

I guess I should introduce myself.

I’m Kelsey, the founder and designer behind Abel Objects. I say “founder and designer,” but in reality, I’m more or less a one-woman show. I work with the occasional contractor and have some help with production, but for the most part, it’s just me behind the curtain.

I’m the social media manager, marketing director, sales rep, creative director, biz ops, bookkeeping, customer service, inventory manager, errand runner, PR + partnerships director, production coordinator, and my own part-time bench jeweler. Needless to say, I wear a lot of hats.

I also didn’t go to school for jewelry or work in the industry prior to starting Abel. I won’t get into it now (perhaps I’ll save it for a future post), but most of my professional background was spent working as a graphic designer and art director. I’ve pretty much been making things up and figuring out how to build this jewelry company as I go.

And that’s why I ultimately wanted to make a Substack. I think this could be a great place to share — to pull back the (aforementioned) curtain on what I’m doing day to day, what I’m thinking about, what I’m struggling with… and anything else that comes up along the way.

Want to come along for the ride?

I very much so want this to be a place where I can have meaningful conversations with an engaged community. If there’s anything you want to see more of or know more about, please let me know — I’m a very open book.

My hope is that Substack is a place where I can feel more comfortable being candid and unpolished, because for whatever reason I feel pressure to be buttoned up in the current places I show up as “Abel.” So I hope you take me up on this — subscribe, leave comments, ask questions, let’s chat!

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