The moment life grows quiet is often when creativity finally has room to speak.
For Jessie Summerville, founder and designer of Mochuelo Designs, that quiet arrived unexpectedly. After decades spent raising children, working as a registered nurse and building beloved Franklin businesses, the sudden shift into an empty nest created both space and uncertainty. What emerged from that season is a jewelry brand rooted in story, heritage and deeply personal connection.
“I went to school for art with an emphasis on jewelry a lifetime ago, before becoming an RN and having a family,” Summerville said. “Through the years, jewelry got put on the back burner since I was raising two kids, working as an RN, and starting multiple businesses in Franklin.”
Mochuelo Designs did not begin as a business plan or brand strategy. It began as a return. When Summerville’s youngest child left for college in 2023, the transition was more difficult than she expected.
“I was having a very difficult time as an empty nester with all of my free time,” she said. “That stage of life isn’t discussed enough. It is HARD. People need to be more prepared for it.”
Encouraged by a close friend who even purchased equipment to help her get started, Summerville transformed a room in her home into a studio and began creating again. What started as part-time exploration quickly became something more. After losing her job in November, she leaned fully into her craft, allowing Mochuelo Designs to become both livelihood and lifeline.
The jewelry itself reflects that layered journey. Described as handcrafted sterling creations, each piece carries a sense of grounding and intention. Sterling silver and turquoise are central materials, chosen as much for emotional resonance as aesthetic appeal.
“With my family being from the southwest, sterling and turquoise have always been favorites of mine,” Summerville said. “When I started creating jewelry in college, it was just natural that I gravitated towards these materials.”
Summerville’s family roots trace back to New Mexico and Colorado, and the influence is evident in her work. Organic shapes, earthy stones and subtle nods to Native design traditions give each piece a sense of place and history.
In her studio, the creative process is intentionally intuitive rather than rigid. Summerville often begins by sitting with her stones, allowing the final form to reveal itself organically.
“I have so much fun from start to finish with the creative process,” she said. “I usually sit down with my stones and feel their energy and what they are asking to be created into. Sometimes I sketch out ideas and other times I just have it in my mind’s eye and go from there.”
That same reverence carries into some of Mochuelo Designs’ most meaningful offerings. When creating heirloom jewelry from vintage family china, Summerville approaches the process as a quiet ceremony rather than a technical task. She spends time in prayer and meditation, intentionally honoring the family member whose china is being repurposed. Rather than seeing the process as breaking something old, she frames it as continuing its story in a new form, transforming sentimental objects into wearable heirlooms meant to be loved again.
Her memorial pet pieces are approached with similar care. After the loss of her dog, Oreo, who was nearly 14 years old, Summerville found herself unable to create for several weeks. When she returned to her bench, the first piece she made was a tribute, a sterling silver keepsake designed to keep that bond close.
As she fills each memorial piece before sealing it, Summerville prays over the ashes and gives thanks for the love the animal brought into its family. It is a deeply personal ritual, one that reflects her belief that jewelry can hold memory, grief, and comfort all at once.
“I usually create from a very personal place by listening to the stones’ vibrations of what they want to be created into,” she said. “By taking time to spend and being intentional with each one, I hope to create something that speaks not just to me, but to others as well.”
Summerville’s vision for the future remains rooted in curiosity and collaboration. While sterling silver will always anchor her work, she continues to experiment with copper, 14k gold and the possibility of introducing bronze. She is equally open to creative partnerships that align with her values.
“Mixed metals is a fun way to wear jewelry, but silver will always be where my heart is,” she said. “I do love a good collab and am always open to that though.”
Beyond adornment, Mochuelo Designs has become a vehicle for connection. Each piece is one of a kind, infused with care, memory and intention. Summerville hopes that love is felt the moment someone wears her work.
“I hope it brings joy and happiness in the same way it does for me,” she said.
For those considering a creative leap later in life or during an uncertain season, Summerville offers simple but hard-earned advice.
“You’ve gotta put yourself out there, no matter how uncomfortable it is,” she said.
Mochuelo Designs stands as proof that creativity does not expire and that transitions, even painful ones, can open the door to something unexpectedly beautiful. In returning to her first love, Jessie Summerville has created more than jewelry. She has created a reminder that meaning often waits patiently for us to come back to ourselves.
MochueloDesigns.com
“By taking time to spend and being intentional with each one, I hope to create something that speaks not just to me, but to others as well.”
“Mixed metals is a fun way to wear jewelry, but silver will always be where my heart is,” she said. “I do love a good collab and am always open to that though.”