All Sparkle & Heart 

Hannah Barnthouse is sparkle, personified. Don’t believe it? Spend a minute inside her Edmond jewelry shop, Feed Me Gems. It’s there that all things rainbow, color, personality and kindness mix to create the magic that has taken not only Edmond, but the international stage by storm. 

Her handmade jewelry can be found dripping from fingers across the globe, shining from stars like Paris Hilton, and dangling from the ears of Meghan Dressel as she embraced her husband, swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who just took gold in the Paris Olympics. 

Hannah says jewelry has always been a passion, but it wasn’t always her profession. “Right out of college I started working with the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma,” she said. There, Hannah worked closely with teens and adults with Down syndrome, as well as expectant mothers facing new diagnoses. 

Like much of the world, the non-profit’s programs temporarily stalled in 2020. “When the pandemic hit, it was kind of like my life lost color. I felt a void and wondered, ‘What can I do while we’re shut down that will channel my passions?’” The answer came while cleaning out a closet. 

Jewelry Journey Begins 

“I started to go through old things and found a huge box of vintage jewelry I’d collected – specifically, a box of broken jewelry I didn’t have the heart to throw away.” 

Flooded with inspiration and memories of a childhood spent treasure hunting alongside her mother, Hannah began reworking the broken jewelry to make what quickly became known as “hair candy.” 

“I posted my ‘sparkle moment’ on Instagram and was inundated with messages. Then my brain started to tick.” 

Hannah found something she had fun making and felt beautiful wearing, and the world was ready to experience it too. “At the time I was reselling vintage fashion online, so I threw a few up on my Instagram and they sold in minutes.” 

Before long, Hannah’s “side-gig” surpassed her traditional income. “But it was never about the money,” she emphasized. “My non-profit position was the most empowering, fulfilling, important work I could imagine, so I was really at a crossroads.” 

Full Time Bling 

When she approached her boss about the dilemma, Hannah was lovingly encouraged to pursue her dreams. “I had tears in my eyes leaving that job, but I left with the hope that one day I could provide a place of employment and belonging for the individuals I’d been working with for so long.” 

So Hannah headed to her kitchen table, where she handmade each piece of jewelry before passing them to her husband for packaging. The demand grew so rapidly that after a year, Hannah opened a fulfillment center and trained other artists to make the jewelry by hand. And after another year, they grew again. Hannah now works closely with a manufacturer where her jewelry is still created by hand with the same quality and care as it was in her kitchen. 

Her next step was a storefront where she has now been building community for over a year at 3224 S Broadway #124 in Edmond. “It’s like walking into a jewelry box,” she said of the shop that her young daughters view as their own personal dress-up haven. “It’s a manifestation of my heart and soul, and it’s so much more than jewelry.” 

Feed Me Gems focuses on the community, hosting events, and – as Hannah once hoped – employing girls with Down syndrome whom she calls “the heart and soul of the brand. They have influenced the brand in ways I won’t be able to put into words.” 

While Feed Me Gems can be shopped online, Hannah encourages locals to come in and see the store that “feeds inner and outer sparkle” for themselves. 

Learn more at feedmegems.com.