Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Wortham.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hello! My name is Christian Wortham. I am a true Texan with North Carolina & New York running through my veins. I am the creator of Monarch Masterpieces jewelry right here in Fort Worth, Texas. I was diagnosed with class IV lupus nephritis in 2013 while I was attending college at the illustrious North Carolina Central University. After the initial shock and eventual acceptance of my diagnosis, I became eager to educate myself & others about what lupus is & how it affects the body. I knew I wanted to become an advocate, so I joined the lupus support group of Durham, began hosting panel discussions on my campus, participated in fundraising walks, & volunteered with the Lupus Foundation of America. My love & appreciation for jewelry-making began when I interned for a family friend who was a designer & business owner during the summer of my sophomore year. Over a short amount of time, designing & crafting pieces became second nature. I was swept away in both creativity & divine discipline. The opportunity allowed me to cultivate joy & appreciate the craft itself & this truly became one of my outlets for self-care. It was hard, detailed work but I loved it all. After the summer, I continued to make jewelry for my family & friends & give them away as gifts. In the midst of managing my life with lupus, I became more interested & intrigued by holistic wellness. After learning about different forms of alternative healing, my love for working with natural crystals & stones developed. Many seasons later, Monarch Masterpieces has been spreading its wings!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve had along the way?
My journey did not start off that seamlessly. It was painful, anxiety-ridden, & sometimes very lonely. Upon diagnosis of lupus nephritis, my body experienced a series of “shutdowns.” Over the course of the past 5 years, I have undergone a kidney biopsy, a left hip replacement, & a right-sided cerebral bypass. Through the midst of breaks & recovery times, I always returned to creating jewelry, working to build a concrete foundation for my business, & striving to fulfill God’s purpose for what He has for me. I’ve been able to network with so many professionals who see a vision for Monarch & are eager to help me grow. I’ve been fortunate to have a support system that is so much greater than me. Without them, I don’t know how I’d push through.
We’ve been impressed with Monarch Masterpieces, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My custom-made pieces are crafted with intention & love. It is my hope & mission to share positivity, comfort, compassion, & many forms of all around good energy to the wearer of my jewelry. Monarch Masterpieces is built on spreading awareness while supporting a cause & sharing a gift. It’s more than a piece of jewelry; it’s a token of transformative beauty, just like a butterfly, & just like us all. I have an ultimate goal of donating proceeds from each piece towards lupus research, support, & education.
Every piece, whether bracelet, earrings, rings, necklaces, etc. is made & designed by me. I pick out the natural crystals, I spend time putting different patterns & designs together before the piece is actually made, & I am the one who crafts it all. So I guess you could say that I am genuinely my own team. I love including personal notes in each order that describe the crystals used & their beneficial properties, as well as just simply saying thank you for the support. There’s a certain care & consideration that even after Monarch grows, I wish to forever uphold. Integrity, authenticity, & quality is what I care about.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice for those just starting a business, learning to live with a chronic illness, or experiencing anything that requires stepping out on faith in some way, is remember that life is an ebb & flow. In the midst of the ups & downs, everything is temporary. Nothing will last forever but your impact on people, how you treat yourself, & how others will remember you treated them. Practice gratitude nonetheless! It’s not easy, but truly if it were, everyone would be able to do it. Everyone isn’t you, & life isn’t happening to you, it’s happening for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.
monarchmasterpieces.com - Instagram: @
monarchmasterpieces
