As the owner of a jewelry boutique in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., Amanda Hagerman brings old-world inspiration and careful craftsmanship to each piece she creates, designing jewelry that feels personal and meaningful to her customers.
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, Mrs. Hagerman was exposed to various forms of art from a young age. Mrs. Hagerman explained that growing up around goldsmiths and being surrounded by nature influenced much of her work, saying that most of her jewelry pieces are inspired by nature and other forms of art. After learning more about art from her high school art teacher who was also a goldsmith, Mrs. Hagerman discovered a passion for jewelry making. That experience led her to double major in fine arts and art education in college.
Before pursuing a career in metalworking, Mrs. Hagerman taught high school art. Although she enjoyed teaching, she felt something was missing creatively. With the support of her husband, she opened a studio in her home and began focusing more seriously on jewelry design. Beginning in 2016, after leaving teaching, Mrs. Hagerman and her husband traveled to craft shows to share her work and reach a larger audience. After three years of hard work, displaying her designs at art shows, and connecting with future customers, Mrs. Hagerman realized that jewelry design was the path she wanted to pursue.
Over the next ten years, Mrs. Hagerman continued to grow and evolve as an artist. She transitioned from using base metals to silver, later adding vermeil, which is gold over silver, and eventually introducing solid gold into her collection. In 2020, she made the transition to exclusively working with solid 18K gold designs. As demand grew and she eventually outgrew the art show circuit, she settled in Washington, D.C., opening a showroom in Georgetown, tucked just off the main street, to create a more intimate experience for her customers.
The pieces displayed at Amanda Hagerman Jewelry are handmade by Mrs. Hagerman and are inspired by elements of nature and antiquity, particularly ancient Rome and Greece. When asked how she hopes people feel when wearing one of her pieces, she confidently replied, “I hope they feel like they supported an independent business. I want to make them feel beautiful and special because they’re wearing something that is one of a kind and irreplaceable.” Mrs. Hagerman hopes her storefront will remain “exclusive, like a hidden gem.”
Amanda Hagerman’s journey from high school art teacher to jewelry designer shows that success in the creative world rarely happens overnight. Through years of risk-taking, persistence, and dedication to her artistic vision, she built a business that reflects both her creativity and her values. She encourages young creative entrepreneurs to “not be intimidated by the risk you’re taking, and stay true to yourself, because the more authentic you are, the more people will respond.”
