Southern Entrepreneurs 2022
WORLDLY WHIMSY
FINDING INSPIRATION IN BOTH THE BEAUTY OF NATURE AND ENDURING ELEMENTS OF STYLE, A TEXAS DESIGNER CRAFTS ARTISAN JEWELRY THAT FEELS AT ONCE AU COURANT AND ABIDING.
BY Elizabeth Bonner Czapski | STYLING BY Mary Beth Jones | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Steve Rizzo
Although her roots span South Africa, England, and the northern U.S., it was an impulsive jewelry-making class in Texas that inspired Nicola Bathie McLaughlin’s distinctive line of artful earrings. Mother-of-pearl, gilded accents, and kaleidoscopic gems adorn her signature large-scale flower bouquet and basket designs, as well as simple hoops and studs that suit any occasion.
Nicola’s venture began while she was studying interior design at Texas Christian University with a studio schedule that conflicted with friends’ classes. “I was just looking for something to fill the time I was alone,” she recalls. Prompted by a loose stone she wanted to put to use, she found a local shop with supplies and created a necklace.
“I was living in a doors-are-always-open sorority dorm, so everyone saw [it] and wanted a necklace. One day when I went in for more beads and chain, they were teaching a class on making wire earrings. No one had come, so I felt obligated to sit and learn. It was a random event,” Nicola says of this catalyst to her company. “I just kept making jewelry piece by piece, and it happened. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t wait for the right time or a sign. If I had, I am not sure I would be doing what I am today.”
In 2013, she launched the business, Nicola Bathie, producing exquisite earrings while continuing interior design work until she had her first baby a few years later. She then decided to focus solely on her jewelry. “[At first] everything was one of a kind—once it was gone, it was gone. I think that drove
