Adriana Klas/ The Scout Guide
Yearly Co
Nearly 60 years ago, Ann Williams’ grandfather bought her grandmother a simple gold bangle bracelet to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and a yearly tradition was born.
“She collected this beautiful anniversary stack,” Williams says. “All the kids had that memory of her. Those bangles, when she passed away, were handed down to her five children.”
Williams’ grandparents lived in Puerto Rico when they began the tradition. However, the custom is thought to have originated in Cuba.
In the Williams family, women receive their first bangle on their wedding day.
“I was sourcing them for our family, getting them from different makers, and trying to find someone who could make them consistently,” Williams says. “I just didn't have a lot of luck.”
Mary Craven/ The Scout Guide
She decided to take action, registering for a metalworking class at Vanderbilt University. Her teacher, Nancie Roark, taught her the skills needed.
“She kind of took me under her wing,” Williams says. “I went out to her studio in Franklin and she taught me how to solder and get the basics down, so I was able to start making them.”
All Yearly Co. jewelry is custom-made.
“When sourcing these for family,” Williams says. “I discovered that plenty of women said, ‘Oh, I can’t wear bangles because they fall off or they never fit onto my hand.’ Every woman's hand and wrist size is very unique, just like our finger ring sizes.”
Williams adds that her grandmother wore her bangles all the time, and that’s a big selling point for other women who want to engage in the tradition but don’t want to have high-maintenance pieces.
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Mary Craven/ The Scout Guide
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Mary Craven/The Scout Guide
“Because they’re solid 14k gold, no one ever takes them off in our family,” she says. “They don’t have to be removed. You can wear them in the pool and the ocean, to the shower, to work out—they’re really meant to be like a forever piece.”
Many bracelet styles can be monogrammed or initialed. Those who are playing catch up can snag a multi-pack of yellow, white, or rose gold treasures.
In addition to bangles, Yearly Co. offers rings and necklaces, including the new Puff Pendant.
“I’d been searching for that everyday necklace that made me feel a little more put-together,” Williams says. “It’s hard to be entirely unique when you're going for simple, but I was playing around with some circles and just kind of hammered these round pieces of gold into a puff shape.”
Williams, who purchases metal from family-owned, Louisiana-based brand Stuller, which engages in ethical practices like sustainable sourcing quickly, outgrew her home studio and has been working out of a shared Green Hills space. Now she’s excited to open her own shop.
“I’ve hired two full-time jewelers and two other employees, so it's going to be five of us full-time,” she says. Yearly Co.’s new shop will have a soft opening this month.
“I'm hoping to include local artists and other local makers,” says Williams. “It's really important to me that not only is it a space for my business to grow, but it's a space that supports small businesses and entrepreneurs in Nashville.
4107 Hillsboro Circle; yearlyco.com