December/2024 Roundup

I spent the first week of 2025 completely flattened by a cold, most likely brought on by the busy holiday season finally catching up to me. I was cooped up all weekend in my apartment resisting (only semi-successfully) the urge to work, feeling simultaneously incapable of making meaningful progress in my sickened state and stressed out by my growing self-imposed to-do list.

Luckily I’m surrounded by friends who are much more reasonable than I am, and they talked me out of going to my studio, encouraging me to be gentle and patient with myself instead — to listen to my body and REST.

It’s during times like this I realize just how hard I am on myself. Grace and advice I would easily extend to friends I don’t allow myself. Instead, I beat myself up and constantly think about everything I haven’t yet done, failing to appreciate where I am and what I’ve already accomplished.

It’s a trait I’m adding to my list of areas of self-improvement (trust me, the irony of that statement is not lost on me) and in the spirit of this, I’ve decided I’m going to use December’s roundup as a way to reflect on what I’ve accomplished this past year. Yes it’s coming later than I would have liked — I so badly wanted to have 2024 tied up in a pretty little bow a week ago — but again… trying to be gentle on myself!

So any without further ado, here’s my 2024 with Abel in review:

(01) POPPED MY PODCAST CHERRY

I kicked off 2024 by diving headfirst WAY out of my comfort zone and recording my first podcast interview. Michelle Wainwright invited me to be a guest on her podcast Creative Juicy, and the pit of fear that formed in my stomach when I read her initial invite signaled to me I needed to do it.

I was insanely nervous during the recording, but I think it’s important to push through uncomfortable feelings and unfamiliar experiences that lead to growth. Michelle was such a gracious and thoughtful host, and I’ve since enjoyed getting to know her over the past year outside of the recording booth.

While I hope I’ll be a more articulate guest the next time an interview opportunity rolls around, I’m proud of myself for simply doing something I was really scared of. If you’d like to listen to my episode, you can find it here.

(02) PUT MYSELF OUT THERE ON SOCIAL

While anyone who’s met me in person knows I’m an extrovert, putting myself out there on social media comes less naturally to me. When I first started Abel, I didn’t want my face or name attached to it at all. However, after learning the hard (and expensive) way social media really is the best free marketing tool that exists for a self-funded operation like mine, I decided to put my discomfort aside and invest more of my time and effort into it this year.

Fast forward to now and I’ve done things I never thought I would do — past Kelsey would be shocked to learn I’ve made videos with voiceover, even a couple of talking-to-camera (!) videos. Unbelievable.

The thing is… it’s working. I’ve been able to find and connect with so many more of you through social media this year, and it’s heartening to realize that people can see my mess behind the scenes and still find value in my work — I don’t have to be fully polished and fully professional all the time.

Now that I’m unleashed (lol), who knows what 2025 will bring? Maybe I’ll start live streaming or do an AMA. If there’s any content in particular you want to see more of, let me know.

(03) DID A PHOTOSHOOT WITH FRIENDS

One of the highlights of my year was getting to work with Kristina Dittmar on a multi-generational photoshoot with my friends Wilma and Nick, along with their baby Tassilo and Wilma’s mother, Cecelia. I had been wanting to shoot with both Kristina and Wilma separately for months, but the timing had never quite worked out.

The stars finally aligned last spring, and unfolded even better than I could have ever imagined — by the time the shoot happened, Tassilo had been born and Cecelia would be in town from Portugal and able to participate! The fact that we were able to capture three generations of Wilma’s family through Kristina’s lens was so special, and it was an honor to adorn them in Abel for it.

(04) DID MY FIRST POP-UP IN MANHATTAN

In May I did my first pop-up event in Manhattan with HYER GOODS and Circle of Friends. Collaborating with other small business owners, especially ones who share similar values, has been one of the most rewarding experiences of doing Abel full-time, and I cherish being able to learn from those who’ve been at it for longer. It was so fun to work on this event with Dana and Hilliary, and it already proved to not be the last time we’d work together again!

(05) LAUNCHED EIGHT NEW STYLES

I launched eight new styles in 2024: the Column Stack Ring with Pavé Diamonds, the Epps II Necklace, the Epps II Bracelet, and five new Side Set Ring variations. I also added polishing cloths and digital gift cards to my catalog.

While my collection is still relatively small compared to other jewelry brands, I want to grow it thoughtfully and I think these additions are appropriate extensions of my body of work. It’s a lot of effort to develop and launch a new style, so I always want to make sure that any piece I add is one I can see being a part of my Core Collection forever.

This is an area of Abel I plan on focusing on significantly this upcoming year. I already have a LOT of ideas in the works, not just for new pieces, but also for new categories of items 👀 I’m super excited to share these, so I hope you’ll continue to follow along!

(06) MADE WALL HOOKS FOR A NEW HOTEL

What started as an inebriated Halloween party bathroom chat ended up leading to my first homewares collaboration (true origin story lol). This year I made wall hooks for the guest rooms of Hotel Saint Augustine, a boutique hotel in Houston that opened this past fall.

I had never taken on a project of this nature or scale before, and there were certainly elements of faking it till you make it. I had imposter syndrome for sure, but I figured the only way to learn was to go through the experience. I’ve always wanted to expand into homewares and work with more hospitality entities, so I’m hoping this will be the first of many in Abel’s portfolio…

(07) ADDED FIVE NEW STOCKISTS

One of my ongoing goals for Abel is to be in more physical locations so you can try my pieces on in person. I’m not yet in a position where it makes sense to do a trade show circuit (this entails investing thousands of dollars upfront!), so I’ve been chipping away the old-fashioned way: cold outreach.

In 2023 I got into two stores and one online shop, and in 2024 I added five stores to my physical presence. It’s not much, but it’s progress! Coming from a graphic design background, wholesale was an area of the jewelry industry I had to learn the ropes of as I went. I’m still learning, but I sure know a lot more than I did a couple years ago.

One of my goals for 2025 is to find more retail partners, particularly in cities outside of NYC. If you know any stores that you think Abel would be a great fit in, please send them my way!

(08) WROTE MORE

2024 was the year I started writing more: I started a Substack and this Journal, and became more comfortable speaking from my own perspective. Although the medium of writing does not come naturally or easily to me (I much prefer to deal with the visuals), it turns out I do have quite a lot to say. And ultimately, sharing those thoughts with you all has led to a lot of personal growth and connection to a community I’m proud to call my customers.

One of the reasons why I want Abel to always be small is so that I can have this direct relationship with my community. Writing allows me to share what I’m thinking about, what I’m struggling with, and invite others in to share their thoughts with me. My hope is that this will allow me to only better serve my customers and build a brand that resonates in their lives.

(09) RETURNED TO WCC

I returned to West Coast Craft in November for my second year, and while I can’t lie — doing a market across the country is a G R I N D — it was so, so worth it. Not only did I get to reconnect and spend more time with customers I met at last year’s show, but I also met more new wonderful people this year.

WCC is truly a special market and I’m looking forward to returning year after year. I think it attracts people who genuinely value craft and I’m very grateful for all the kind folks it’s brought my way.

(10) MADE MORE JEWELRY FRIENDS

Having come from an outside industry, when I started working on Abel full-time I really only had one jeweler friend (Hi Lindsay!). This year I made a conscious effort to establish more connections and build more relationships in the industry, and it makes me emotional to look around now and realize I’ve somehow surrounded myself with many talented peers — peers who not only share the desire to uplift and support one another in our professional pursuits, but who I also consider to be friends in their own right.

The beauty and power of these connections were on no greater display than in Golden Hour, the fine jewelry shopping event I co-produced in December with six other designers. While there were admittedly times I had no idea what I was doing (turns out it’s a lot of work to put on your own market!), it went better than I ever could have let myself anticipate. It’s truly a testament to the power of community and teamwork.

(11) CRUNCHED THE NUMBERS

I have some anxiety heading into this next and final section because I’m going to try to do something I normally struggle with: fully owning my achievements. I’ve already rewritten and deleted this section more times than I can count but I promised myself I would include this so here we go I’m going to rip the bandaid: Abel made a profit in 2024.

Not a large one, but still — a profit. Given the fact I lost a substantial amount of money last year and 2024 was my first full calendar year doing Abel full-time, I’m feeling pretty proud of this.

I entered 2024 with two somewhat vague goals: 1) wanting to reduce my expenses and COGS (cost of goods sold), and 2) I wanted to rely less on custom jobs for income (in 2023, custom accounted for almost 60% of my income). To be honest, I didn’t even consider profitability a viable outcome for me.

After doing all of my year-end bookkeeping, I’m proud (eep, there’s that word again) to report that this year I decreased my COGS by 15% and cut my expenses nearly in half. Not only did custom work account for less than 1/3 of my total income this year, but I managed to increase my DTC (direct-to-consumer) income by almost 2.5x and my wholesale income by more than 3.5x. Overall, I experienced a 120% growth in profitability. I’ve truly never been in my spreadsheets more than I have these past two weeks, making sure I haven’t made some kind of egregious accounting error. But I think the numbers are there. And I’m proud of them.

ALL THIS SAID...

I wouldn’t be here at the start of 2025 feeling all of this excitement and momentum heading into the year ahead if it wasn’t for you: my community. I know that sounds like such a cliche line but the truth is in the aforementioned numbers; my marketing budget was a sliver of what I paid in 2023, and yet my business grew. It was because of your support — whether it was sharing my work, purchasing something, engaging with my content online — all of this is what helps a small brand succeed in a landscape that’s so often pay-to-play.

I know I’ve been putting in the blood, sweat, and tears, but I also know this all wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the support of so many. So, genuinely, from the very bottom of my heart, thank you. I can’t wait to see where Abel goes next.