"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." -Mother Teresa

Who We Were: Our Mariamor Coin Jewelry Origin Story

The idea behind Mariamor Designs began in 2013. My uncle fell ill, and being from a large Catholic family, we began to pray for God’s help in curing the illness and granting us peace of mind and heart. Unfortunately, our prayers went unanswered, and my uncle passed away later that year. During a family event following the funeral, my aunt approached my uncle’s only daughter and presented her with a large decorative jar full of dirty coins. As my cousin looked quizzically at her, my aunt explained: From the moment my uncle was diagnosed, she began to collect coins that she found on the ground. She had been privy to a belief that every coin found on the ground is worth more than the monetary value, but is in fact a message and prayer from a guardian angel. On every coin, there is an inscription of “In God We Trust” and when the coin is found and read, it serves as a reminder to have faith; that you always have someone watching over you and carrying your precious prayers from your heart to God’s ears.
My aunt told my cousin that every prayer that she had found over the last year was a prayer for my cousin’s ill father and our family, and had been carefully placed in the jar. Following the story, my cousin excitedly accepted the gift and continues to look at those coins every day as a reminder of the love, protection, and comfort that her guardian angel and her father provide every day. 
From that moment on, I began collecting the coins that I found on the ground and keeping them in a small bowl in my apartment. As a loving friend and family member, I wanted to find ways to spread this love and those prayers, just as my aunt had done for my cousin. It did not take me long to realize that I could use my naturally creative mind to decorate them and give them as gifts to those for whom I cared most. From there, the idea exploded. Now each coin that I find on the ground is decorated and embellished in a unique way, and given as a gift. Whether it is my gift to you, or your gift to a loved one, they are all given in love. Just as every person and prayer is unique, so is each coin; there will never be two exactly alike.
In high school, my religion professor used to say, “God is Love” and “Love is God.” Everyone has different beliefs and practices diverse religions, but those two lines seem to simplify it all. To spread love to others is to share God in your life, and that is exactly what I am doing. I hope that every person that purchases a Mariamor design is reminded that they are loved and special in their own way. As it states in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” My passion and creativity are my way of making my light shine for others. Through these prayer coins, I hope to make the world a better, more loving place.
Spread love, spread happiness, spread beauty, spread joy, in whatever way is unique to you. Each of these pieces does exactly that. 

Who we are now: The Good Hearted by Mariamor

In January of 2022 I created a coin for our Mariamor Inspirational Coin Jewelry company that read: FIND GOOD. The idea behind that coin was that there was joy and beauty to be found in each day if only we open our hearts enough to see it. Fast forward to December of 2022. I had spent a year loving on our two new baby boys and had the wonderful blessing to be able to stay at home with them while I ran Mariamor. Unfortunately, there came a point during that year when I felt that, with the current business model, I was not able to spend the amount of time and energy on neither Mariamor nor my boys and that a change had to be made. The decision was difficult yet simple. My family had to come first.

The minute we announced that we were closing, however, I was wildly overwhelmed by the amount of love, support, and kindness from our customers, family, and friends. I had dozens of texts, emails, and calls sharing with me the impact that our company, our coins, and our messages had on the lives of others and requests for the continuation of Mariamor. I have always felt that it was my mission and my call to bring light and love to the lives of others. With requests and stories like that, how could I not try to continue Mariamor somehow? This felt like a bit of a message, if you know what I mean.

Mariamor was never just about the jewelry. As it stated on the front page of our original Mariamor website, “Mariamor is more than just jewelry, it’s love.” Mariamor was about spreading love and light to the world around you in whatever way was special to you. So, I thought… let’s do that! Let’s spread love in a multitude of ways, not just jewelry! Why close when you can expand instead?

Enter: The Good Hearted by Mariamor

The Good Hearted is a play off the January 2022 FIND GOOD coin by Mariamor, a message originally inspired by my two young sons (read more on the The Story Behind The Names page). Our mission with this new side of the brand is to help inspire our good hearts to shine for others. Just as our mission with Mariamor was to spread love, the same rings true here. We will continue to create messages of hope, inspiration, joy, strength, faith, and happiness and hope that as they light up your life, that your light can then shine in the lives of others. Just as Mother Teresa said, I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone that creates many ripples. The goodness, grace, and love that you share with the world will surely create many ripples and will change the world for the better!

We hope that you love these new designs, whether as additions to an already curated Mariamor collection or as your first experience with one of our pieces, and that they bring you the strength, love, happiness, or encouragement that you need daily. Thank you for being a part of our mission. Now go on and spread that love and let your good heart shine!

 

Mary Grace Schmidt, Founder/CEO

Mariamor was founded by Mary Grace, a native of Orange, CA. With a dream of a career in the fashion industry and an aptitude for making others smile, she has developed a line of inspirational pieces that she hopes will bring joy and love to the world around her. She is a wife, a mama of two young boys, a lover of all things beautiful, and has always had an addiction to sparkle. Over the years, she has added certifications in personal styling, wardrobe styling, and image consulting to her toolkit, and has never wavered in her faith or her belief that each woman is unique and beautiful in her own way. These designs are all one of a kind, just like Mary, and she continues to pour her heart and love into the company as it grows and expands daily. 

It takes a village....

There is book called It Takes a Village: and other lessons children teach us that was written in 1996. In this book, it states that raising a child is not a one-man job, but that to be done well, it takes a group of committed and supportive individuals nurturing and guiding that child through his or her life. The same is to be said about Mariamor and The Daily Good by Mariamor. Mariamor and the Daily Good are my babies, and in that light, it takes a Village to help them grow properly. I am so grateful to my family and friends who are so incredibly supportive of this journey and of Mariamor. I know that I could not do it without each and every one of you. I love you guys with all of my heart! Thank you for always being there for me!