VCU adjunct’s jewelry gives Spanberger a shine at historic inauguration

By Leila Ugincius

As an artist and jeweler with her own online shop, Virginia Commonwealth University alum and adjunct faculty member Mallory Martin-Parker is used to custom requests. But none was as daunting as her most recent project: making jewelry for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to wear at her historic inauguration on Jan. 17.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, the now-governor’s team reached out to Kimberly Guthrie,

chair of the Department of Fashion Design + Merchandising in VCU’s School of the Arts.

“At first, they wondered about the possibility of a garment being made” by someone at VCU, Guthrie said. But designing and creating a new dress was not possible in such a short time frame, so she suggested embellishing an existing garment instead – and connected Spanberger’s team with Martin-Parker.

“Mallory’s work features beautiful embellishment designs, and she was teaching the embellishment course” at VCUarts, Guthrie said. “I suggested Mallory because of her talent but also because of her professionalism. I knew she would follow through and not disappoint. She shared her proposal deck with me, and I was so impressed and excited.”

The embellishment idea morphed into custom jewelry.

Martin-Parker specifically designed each piece for Spanberger, whose team wanted everything to be Virginia-inspired for the state’s 75th governor and its first female chief executive. The artist looked to the state flower, bird and largest river — dogwood, cardinal and James, respectively — for inspiration. She even incorporated kyanite into some of her designs, as Virginia is home to the largest kyanite mine in the world.

“I was shocked and so excited at the possibility of the collaboration. I’m so thankful it all worked out,” Martin-Parker said.

From sketches Martin-Parker sent, Spanberger chose the dogwood brooch — the artist’s favorite — to wear to her inauguration at Capitol Square, and the kyanite necklace with curving lines reminiscent of the James River to wear at the inaugural ball that evening.

The Spanberger jewelry is an early career highlight for Martin-Parker, who is only 25 and whose fashion trek started in earnest at age 14 when she made herself a dress for a school dance, a feat she repeated for her senior prom.

“I have always had an interest in the arts and was always painting as a child and teenager,” Martin-Parker said. “I started off at VCU as a psych major but quickly realized I needed to be a fashion major instead. In my freshman dorm — Rhoads Hall — I often played around with wire and other jewelry-making tools. I would make earrings for myself and my friends.

“Shortly after I started experimenting with jewelry, I started an Instagram page and began to sell my work. Years later I got more serious about it and started an Etsy page, GroveStAccessories.”

Overall, Martin-Parker designed six pieces for the governor, as well as a necklace and earrings for the governor’s mother, Eileen Davis.