Anne Waddell Jewelry Founder Story
An artist & her anvil
Anne Waddell Toohey has always been an artist. From her high school days beading and wire wrapping friendship bracelets to discovering her joy while painting, she’s continued to foster her creativity. She was even voted “Most Likely to Become an Artist,” in school.
Waddell found her calling in jewelry design during her first casting class freshman year at the University of Kansas. When she realized jewelry design meant playing with torches and fire, her whole design world expanded and she was ready to experiment. Every moment when she wasn’t out partying with friends, she could be found in the studio transforming metal into art. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design in the 2000s.
Post college, she had a successful career at Nordstrom and David Yurman selling the top jewelry brands and mastering her customer experience expertise. She continued to create designs on the side in her parents garage while she grew her family and career. Like most successful brands, they all start in a temporary garage studio.
In 2018, Waddell was ready to transform her life. After years of selling other jewelry brands successfully, she needed to do it herself. Waddell’s sister believed her in artistry and approached her to launch the brand. Waddell felt the surge of confidence to finally launch her brand, “Anne Waddell Jewelry.” She wanted her business to amplify the art and connect with customers through jewelry. She constantly draws inspiration from the world around her whether it’s from the highs and the lows of her own life experiences, from her cherished family and friends or from the perfectly imperfect patterns in nature. The collection includes pieces made of sterling silver, gold, precious and semi-precious gemstones, intention and love. Creating jewelry that tells your story and represents your style and aesthetic is Anne’s favorite part of the design process.
Since the launch of her brand, she has designed x amount of collections and curated partnerships with the Minnesota Vikings, styled the Host, Amanda Brinkman, on Daytime Emmy Nominated Show Season 5- The Small Business Revolution with Ty Pennington . She has graduated from her home studio and will be expanding to a studio in Deephaven, MN opening in the spring of 2022.
When Anne is not making jewelry she is training for her second marathon or spending time with her husband Tim and two daughters, Caitlin and Charlotte and Puppy Bailey.