“There wasn’t really anyone that inspired me to get into the business of making jewelry, although I will say that my father definitely played a role in shaping my path.
When I was younger, I wanted to pursue a degree in drawing and art, but my father encouraged me to embrace what he considered to be a more stable career path. So I studied computer science for a while and eventually switched to marketing, which has proven to be incredibly helpful in my business endeavors now.
My father was a hands-on person—he built houses, crafted cabinets and did pretty much everything himself and always with such incredible skill. Even though he suggested against studying art, I still found a way to express myself artistically like he did.
I started my career interest in jewelry in 1986. For six years, I did bench work for Bailey, Banks & Biddle, an old jewelry firm from Pennsylvania that was a high-end chain store of Zale Corporation. When they closed in 1992, I decided to open up my own shop, and my business Designs by CC has been here on 7 Pleasant Street in Portland, Maine ever since. April 10th will mark 33 years.
My business is all about custom handcrafted jewelry. Everything is made by hand. Whether someone wants a 3-carat diamond ring or needs a piece fixed that's been passed down through generations, I can do it all. I specialize in repairs that a lot of other places don’t want to deal with because the process to them might seem too technically difficult.
We carry a wide variety of stones like rubies, sapphires, and a lot of Maine tourmaline, which is our signature stone. Additionally, we offer appraisal services, restringing, and engraving—whether it’s the inside of a ring or the back of a pendant.
The best part of the work I do is that it gives me the opportunity to design and create. Every single day I get to make something new, which gives me such a great sense of accomplishment. It’s not just about making new pieces either. I also get to fix things that others may have given up on. Taking something broken or damaged and making it new again is a huge part of what I do, and one of the most rewarding parts as well.
As for my legacy, I think it’s in the pieces I’ve created for people over the years. I don’t know if I’ll ever really retire because I really love making jewelry. I think I’ll always find ways to be involved. But when I eventually do step back, I’m hopeful that the business will continue. I have a wonderful employee who has been with me for 17 years, and I hope she’ll be the one to carry it on when I’m no longer running it. All the designs and molds we’ve made over the years will be passed down to her, so she can keep creating the pieces people love.
Jewelry, to me, is about more than the finished product. I am in love with the process of creating something unique, and the idea that someone will cherish it forever. I don’t just make jewelry, I make memories also, and that’s really the legacy I want to leave behind.
It’s special to think that maybe one day, someone will wear a ring I crafted and pass it down to their children and then their children’s children. And years from now, someone will hold that same piece in their hands and my work will extend beyond my own life. It's these stories and the journey each piece takes that really gives meaning to my work.”
— Cheryl Cook, Owner of Designs by CC in Portland, Maine
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