Meet Jasmine Offor-Verville of Moondust & Me in Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Offor-Verville.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jasmine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born here in California and was always surrounded by adornment and beauty because of my culture. My mother is Yoruba & my father is Igbo. Growing up, many of my experiences were shaped through food, music, colorful clothing, traditional language & of course jewelry. I would watch my mom as she carefully chose the clothes and accessories that suited her the best. She did it with such care and attention that I simply thought all women did this. Fast forward to college, I decided to attend Temple University in Philadelphia, there I fell in love with all forms of art on a deep soul level. I connected to my multidimensional being through studio art classes, photography and eventually received my BA in Advertising & Arts. A few months after graduating, I got on a plane and headed to London where I studied Styling at The University Arts London, London College of Fashion. It was there I was able to fully express those beautiful memories of watching my mom decorate herself into tangible forms that graced the pages of ads & magazines.

After a few years “finding myself”, as I’m sure many young creatives do, I met my husband and we moved across the world to Thailand, the land of smiles. During that time we truly entrenched ourselves in the meaning of contribution and what does it all mean to gain everything you want in this life while others are deprived of that right. We knew we were Divinely guided down this road where we are today, refining and tailoring our gifts and talents so that we can offer them to the world in a way that truly creates change.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No road would be worth going down if it was already paved. The journey to this very moment as I answer these questions has not been made smooth but has been filled with treasured lessons I would never trade. Each bump and dip has allowed the strongest parts of myself to move forward. It has shaken me to my core and made me realize how powerful each and every one of us really are. There was a time in Thailand when we first got there that I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that we had made a huge mistake. We had given up our beautiful apartment in downtown Baltimore, sold both of our cars & everything we had, and got on a one-way flight with three suitcases between the two of us. We didn’t speak one word of Thai and barely knew where the country was on a map. But that time showed us exactly what our life purpose was. To contribute, gift and offer until our last breath. Giving was redefined, it wasn’t just giving materially what you had, but time, a kind word, a nod and yes even a smile admits the individual struggles we each went through. I am so incredibly grateful for that time. It gave me the foundation and self-love I now hold so close.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Moondust & Me – what should we know?
Moondust & Me first started out as a fine jewelry line, a lovechild born out of our belief that the inner will never fail to light a clear path of least resistance, so we should always trust it. We really harnessed our intuition in Thailand and knew we had to share that with whoever wanted to listen. My husband Alex is a real genius integrating numbers and patterns to building a business, paired with his innate compassion, we knew we had to work together on this. Each piece is handmade by me here in Long Beach CA. We not only wanted each talisman to be beautiful and long-lasting but more importantly healing. Our timeless collection labeled, The Light Within, is a mixture of healing crystals ranging from conflict-free raw diamonds, moonstones and white topaz. Each crystal retains its own healing properties and supports the wearer throughout the lifetime of the piece. We chose 14k gold filled for its strength and its ability to be worn by those with sensitive skin so that weaving beauty, quality and healing was all the more possible.

I am most proud of our companies ethos and promise. We have never sacrificed the quality of the treasures we create for the sake of a dollar. We truly believe in placing people before profits and leaving Mother Earth in better shape than we found her. That’s why down to our packaging, everything is recyclable and even compo stable! Each thank you card we send to our beautiful family of customers is a wildflower seed card meant to planted with their deepest desires.

We recently have gone on to extend Moondust to include a sister company, Grounded & Good, a conscious brand agency where we are able to work and collaborate with other like-minded individuals who aspire to create businesses with a strong foundation in giving back. We provide mentorship and share all of the priceless business wisdom we’ve learned along the way because frankly we wish we had it at the beginning.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Honesty. This characteristic is one that I attempt to channel each day. I truly believe we are all tapped into the deeper parts of ourselves and able to know when we aren’t being authentic to ourselves or to others. This authenticity and vulnerability allow you to connect even deeper with a stranger by simply understanding that we all share the same feelings of despair & love. Being able to infuse that truth into our business is something that is incredibly important to us and a big reason why we have been able to meet so many incredible people along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.moondustandme.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/moondustandme

Image Credit:
Photographer: Marissa Alves, Models: Yhanni James & Mariama Diallo, Makeup: Taylour Chanel

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