Southern Spotlight: Carolina Pearl

In a 1969 blue-and-white pickup truck named Big Pearl, a pile of oyster shells makes its way to Rachel Gordon’s studio and boutique, Grit & Grace, for a grand transformation. “We pick out the ones we think are pretty, and for every oyster shell that we sell, we recycle 10 to 15 shells,” says Rachel, who, along with her talented team of fellow artisans, fashions the discarded shells they collect from local restaurants into hand-painted jewelry and decorative baubles.

Rachel’s passion for coastal preservation and her affinity for nautical treasures traces back to her childhood in rural Maryland near Chesapeake Bay. “I like anything that reminds me of the beach,” she says, noting that pearls and sea glass are other coastal elements she incorporates into the Grit & Grace line.

In addition to earrings, necklaces, and the collection’s signature ring dish, blessing beads adorned with a glossy oyster shell are a popular offering. “I describe them as a Southern rosary,” says Rachel, who spent many years in fashion and bridal design.

Well-considered details have always mattered most at Grit & Grace, beginning with Rachel’s selection of the name. It echoes an encouraging mantra penned by Rachel’s late mother, Rebecca, in countless letters she wrote her daughter while battling breast cancer.

“Her words of inspiration were always, ‘You have grit and you have grace, and so whatever you’re going through, you’ll be okay,’” says Rachel. For years, while Rebecca sat in a hospital chair for chemotherapy, Rachel watched in admiration as her mother wrote thank you notes and heartfelt sentiments to loved ones. “It was the epitome of grit and grace,” says Rachel.

For more information, visit gritandgracestudio.com.

Photography by Reese Moore, Jenna Marie, and Merriwillow Photography.

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