Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/786765
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LISA RICOV (SODERSTROM); APRIL SODERSTROM (JEWELRY) THE BEAUTY AND BIJOUX WITH HER COVETED BAUBLES, FINE JEWELRY DESIGNER APRIL SODERSTROM HITS BOSTON BIG. BY KELLY ANDERSON She once competed for crowns, but today she creates them. Nestled on the top fl oor of an airy brownstone on Commonwealth Avenue, April Soderstrom picks through little boxes of gold beads. Soderstrom is a jewelry maker, one with a long list of orders to fi ll for clients ranging from Boston's glitterati to Gisele Bündchen and Deepak Chopra. Once a former Miss Massachusetts fi nalist, today the 32-year-old also designs custom jewelry for beauty pageants. Recently she even built her own bejeweled crown, which sits atop her supplies cabinet. "That was a passion project," Soderstrom says, laughing. "If anyone wants to buy that I'll sell it to them, but I don't think anyone will." A Michigan native, Soderstrom moved to Boston after college to pursue interior design. After making jewelry on the side for years, she fi nally made it her full-time gig in 2014. While she mostly designs formal jewelry, Soderstrom's studio is also stocked with bohemian Buddha beads, symbolic gemstones, and her signature, highly stackable bangles. Selling primarily online, Soderstrom recently enjoyed a smash-hit pop-up shop on Newbury Street, at The Third Piece—and she plans to have more. "People in Boston are so supportive of entrepreneurs," she says. "I love it." april soderstrom.com . Boston bangle! Former Miss Massachusetts finalist April Soderstrom bedecks Boston's beauties (as well as a long list of loyal celeb clients) with her precious stone-studded jewelry and signature stackable bracelets. STYLE BLING 62 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM