The story behind Coppered® ME/CFS Signature Jewellery
Stories provide connection at a meaningful level
I love stories because they provide context, and tapestry to our experiences. When my kids talk about difficult encounters with others, I ask them to be curious about peoples' backstories. Backstories shape our view of the world and therefore our actions. To connect meaningfully with others, we should first understand their histories. Brands have backstories because they too have histories. The brand story behind Coppered® ME/CFS Signature Jewellery evolved from my personal experience of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ME/CFS. The following explains the creation and key elements of Coppered®.
Coppered®'s Creation Story and Purpose
It would be fair to say that ME/CFS has been life altering. About 10 years ago, I went from living a busy and active life, to shuffling around the house. This was alarming and frustrating because so little was known about ME/CFS. There was no definitive laboratory test to determine what was going wrong, no medical specialist to be referred to, and certainly no cure. I realised that I was basically on my own and that I would simply have to wait for someone, somewhere to solve it.
Fortunately after about 18 months, I started to recover, however I still had episodes where my symptoms would flare up. These flares worried me because I didn't know if they could trigger severe symptoms again. I was also getting impatient waiting for someone to crack the code and find a cure. I decided that if I was well enough, I should try and help find a cure. Obviously I'm no scientist, so I wasn't about to head into a laboratory. Instead I decided to fundraise so that others could.
Those who know me, understand that I like to dream BIG. If I was going to create a fundraising initiative, it needed to be meaningful and deliver a material impact. Coppered® ME/CFS Signature jewellery is the product of my dreaming.
The brand name
I chose the brand name Coppered® for its links to medicine. The Smithsonian Magazine reported on a study of the antimicrobial effects of copper. After decades testing how different viruses react on contact with copper, it's been proven that copper has a long-lasting antimicrobial effect, killing different pathogens within minutes. Copper has even been recommended for use on surfaces within hospitals, such as tray tables, bed railings and intravenous poles, becaue it keeps these surfaces clean of microorganisms.
I love that the name Coppered® pays homage to its use in medicine. And given that copper has also been used since ancient times in jewellery, it felt like a natural fit.
The Coppered® brand icon
There is further meaning in the ‘Cu’ brand icon which adorns every piece of Coppered®. I have stylized the scientific element for copper as a salute to science, as I believe that world class scientific research will solve ME/CFS.
At a deeper level I wanted to celebrate the Courage. Living with ME/CFS can be overwhelming particularly when we are not believed. This illness is challenging and it takes a tonne of courage to do the things we have to do each day. The ‘C’ in the logo speaks to this courage and, has also been designed to encircle the ‘u’. It's my way of hugging those who are impacted by ME/CFS (you) from afar.
This fundraising initiative is not about me it's about M.E.
Without supporters, Coppered® is only an idea. It's been a big call to commit to a project like this and to share my story, and it needs support if it's going to be successful. I understand that I can't rely on support without trust, so I want to be clear that I'm doing this for the benefit of M.E. and not me. Every dollar of profit generated will be donated to research. I've made connenctions with benefactor organisations, such as the Open Medicine Foundation, who will ensure this happens.
If you like the sound of Coppered® you can learn more about it here. And if you want to see it grow and succeed, please share the story behind Coppered® with you networks.
Sally Cox | Founder of Coppered Co.
