This Story Starts with a Girl

Megan grew up in the rural suburbs of Mount Airy, Maryland - a sleepy little town an hour outside of Baltimore and Washington, DC. Her love for the natural world sprouted here and grew with each core memory she collected - the cherry tree whispered that school was ending soon - the lake held all her favorite adventures - the oceans smile shimmered offering gifts. Megan admired the tranquil beauty and wanted to capture that though art.

In high school, Megan enrolled in a Jewelry and Small Sculpture class, where her introduction into hand fabrication began. Inspired to make this her career, Megan enrolled at the Rochester Institute of Technology and received her Bachelors of Fine Art in Metals and Jewelry Design in the spring of 2020. Her ambitions grew to learn more, which lead to internships that taught her pavé, chasing, repoussé,  and more. Wanting to hone her skills further, Megan applied to work for a small jewelry company at the end of her collegiate schooling.

While working for this small business she learned many things, but at the cost of her confidence and passion. As she continued, her mental health declined and she became disillusioned to the life she once dreamed so fondly of. Concurrently, Megan lost many influential people in her life to illness. These compounding experiences clouded her ability to enjoy life, let alone the beautiful things in the world that once sparked so much joy. In 2022, she knew she had to make a change. She started looking for work in a humanitarian field – maybe giving back to the community would help her see the good in the world again. In 2023, she quit her job at the small jewelry business, got married and looked forward to new experiences.

Megan started working in schools, mainly elementary, as a substitute teacher. As she worked with the budding future her wonder slowly returned, sparked by the curiosity of her pupils. She started drawing again at their encouragement. Her passion for art was returning slowly encouraged from this unexpected source; drawing turned to sketches of jewelry, learning new techniques, and watching cad tutorials. This was the conception of May West Fine Jewelry before the name was even conceived.

Megan's desire for creating was blossoming again; she wanted to give herself a shot, could she be her own boss? Invigorated, Megan began designing the Burgeon Collection. A collection of flowers she admired throughout her life. Megan worked tirelessly designing this collection between her teaching job and in 2025 she knew her time with the kids that rebuilt her confidence was coming to a close. That summer she left her teaching job and began her new venture.  

Currently settled in Pittsburgh, PA, Megan works from her home studio designing and handcrafting jewelry for May West Fine Jewelry. 

How the Name May West Came to Be

To learn the names origins, it’s crucial to know the characters that inspired it. In 2017, Megan began the process to adopt a tiny orange cat with huge paws called Cheeto. When the adoption went through, Megan excitedly raced up to the shelter to pick him up, where she named him Chester. From then on, Chester went everywhere Megan went; on family vacations, to visit friends and family, and they even went hiking together.

During this time, Megan came up with a multitude of nicknames for Chester, but ‘Chest West’ quickly became the favorite, usually followed by an enthusiastic ‘is the BEST!’ whenever she saw him. Megan treasured their bond through late college nights, an insufferable first job, losing 5 family members, planning a wedding, and every move she’s ever made; Chester
was there comforting her through it all.  

As Megan crafted her business plan, there he was sitting on his cushion cheering her on as usual. This is when tragedy struck – Chester became ill suddenly – and within days he passed away. Megan felt lost and all plans were put on hold as she grieved. As the months went on, so did life, thoughts of her friend were unrelenting, but within this grief laid the answer to what
she would name her business. To honor the bond they had, she named the business from pieces of their names, May from Megan and West from Chester's nickname.

The name was perfect as every time Megan feels discouraged, she’s reminded that he is still there, cheering her on.

What the Flowers of the Burgeon Collection Mean to Me

Cherry Blossoms

Megan has admired this flower since she noticed it blooming outside her bedroom window as a child. She grew to treasure the tree for the joy it brought her and the lessons of presence it gave her. It became a recurring theme in her work. The series started with the jewelry set she crafted and wore on her wedding day. To Megan, the cherry blossom symbolizes how the quiet, often overlooked, everyday details in a partnership can create a stronger bond when nurtured with attention and care.

Yellow Foxtail

Growing up surrounded by farm fields left Megan and her friends with little to do other than wander around for a quiet place to call their own. It was a place where they developed their independence and sense of adventure. It showed her that the seeds of friendship are as prolific as the wheat in those fields when watered. No matter how far she traveled, those home roots never faded, reminding her that the endurance of friendship is worth sowing.

Snowdrops

One afternoon, Megan and her husband were taking a walk when Megan noticed a little white flower poking up through the snow. Infatuated, she stopped the walk to admire the blooms and learned they were called snowdrops. She fell in love with their graceful form and began sketching and researching the history of this little flower. She read how, in German folklore, when snow was being created in the heavens it called out to all the flowers to share their colors with it and all refused except the humble snowdrop. In return, the snow granted the snowdrop the ability to survive the cold conditions. It's also said that the snowdrop is a sign of Persephone's return from the underworld, that the harsh winter is ending allowing the earth to reawaken. For Megan, these stories mirrored her own experience as she had just lost her beloved pet Chester and during this time when life felt duller, the snowdrop showed her hope.

Chrysanthemums

Megan's fixation started with the chrysanthemum as a complete surprise to her. Growing up she didn't much care for the repetitive buds on everyone's doorstep, until she started researching flowers for her wedding arrangements. This is when she discovered the many varieties that existed in the genus, their wild petals prompted memories of the joyous friendship her and her husband shared. They became a feature in her wedding bouquet and she's been discovering new varieties to satisfy her infatuation ever since. To Megan, the chrysanthemum is an enduring symbol of lively friendship.

The Techniques that Bring my Ideas to Life

Megan utilizes multiple techniques for each piece she makes, but her most used are wax carving, chasing/repoussé, and hammer forging.

A dremel and dental like tools are used to carve the designs out of the wax, then she sends them to an expert caster to be made into a mold. The mold is injected with wax, making exact replicas of her original design that are then cast in the metal of her choosing. When she gets the piece sent back she removes the casting sprue and refines the casting to finished element.

Most cast elements are combined with a hand forged metal element. This is where chasing/repoussé techniques are implemented. Megan uses square stock steel that's been shaped, hardened, and polished to push the metal into shape by hand. She starts by laying the metal in a tree resin that hardens at room temp, from there she can hammer the steel hand tool into the surface, shaping a once flat sheet into a 3D element. These elements are either used in combination to make the jewelry or combined with cast elements.

Hammer forging is the technique of using different shaped hammers and stakes or anvils to shape the metal. This is Megan's favorite technique, and is the reason she fell in love with metalsmithing. She uses off cuts of wood, a sinusoidal stake, tree trunks, etc. as surfaces to hammer against and aid in shaping the metal. These pieces are typically stand alone pieces, but are sometimes combined with other elements.

Many other skills and techniques go into crafting jewelry by hand, but these are the most prevalent in Megan's metalsmithing practice. It's a slow process, filled with trial and error, and MWFJ is proud to bring you authentically unique handcrafted jewelry made by Megan.


A Dedication

To my husband - Thank you for pushing me to be the best version of myself and to chase my dreams with the passion you've fostered in the (near) ten years we've known each other. I couldn't have made this possible without you.

To my friends - Thank you for the kind words, encouragement, and advice you've gifted me. My work is better because of you and I'm forever grateful to have the best group of people in my corner.

To my Family - Thank you for raising me to appreciate all the little things around me and giving me the strength to do hard things.

I love you ~ Megan