Origami Owl

Origami Owl started in 2010 in the Phoenix area of Arizona. Bella Weems was 14 and wanted a car for her 16th birthday. Her parents told her she would have to earn it. Forbes reported in 2013 that she put in $350 of babysitting money and her parents matched it. The family hand-stamped and customized jewelry at the kitchen table, and sold it to friends and family after school. Bella's mother, Chrissy Weems, and two family friends, Tyson Basha and Shawn Maxwell, became her co-founders.

“I had big dreams of having my own car by my 16th birthday. At 14, my parents told me the only way I could get one was by working for it.”

Bella Weems-Lambert, co-founder — Origami Owl “Our Story” page (origamiowl.com, archived May 2020)

Requests for home parties came next, then a mall kiosk in 2011, Cosmopolitan reported in 2015. The family soon could not keep up on its own, so it signed up independent sellers. Growth was very fast. Forbes put sales at about $280,000 in 2011, $24 million in 2012 and $250 million in 2013. By 2015 Chicago Tribune and KTAR News reported more than 60,000 Designers, and the company expanded into Canada that year. Its home office, nicknamed “The Nest,” was at 450 N 54th Street in Chandler, Arizona. Chrissy Weems became CEO in July 2017. The company's stated mission was to be a “Force For Good,” and Bella did get her car.

Origami Owl sold personalized jewelry that customers designed themselves. The star was the Living Locket, a round locket with a glass front. The company says Bella designed it at 14. It opened with a twist or a hinge, so the owner could swap the charms inside to tell a different story.

• Living Lockets: petite, medium and large lockets in silver, gold and darker finishes, plain or set with crystals, plus later shapes such as padlocks.
• Charms: tiny floating charms for initials, birthstones, family, hobbies, faith, pets and travel.
• Plates, windows and dangles: engraved plates that sat behind the charms, and dangles that hung outside the locket.
• Chains and Inscriptions: chains in several metals and lengths, and custom engraved pieces.
• More jewelry: bracelets, earrings, rings and Living Locket watches, plus licensed lines such as Disney, Harry Potter and Justice League.

Because each piece was built from parts, prices added up. The old Direct Sales Aid profile listed Living Lockets at about $20 to $30, chains at $12 to $22, plates at $7 to $9 and dangles at about $6 to $10 in the early years. Customers often came back for new charms to mark birthdays and other milestones. See our Origami Owl products page from the archive.

Sellers were called Designers. They sold at in-home parties the company called Jewelry Bars, where guests built lockets charm by charm. Designers also sold through a personal website, at vendor events and on social media. Hosts earned rewards and discounts. Through the Owlette and BROs program, young people aged 11 to 17 could build a business alongside an adult Designer.

Starter kits

Kit prices changed a lot over the years. The early Direct Sales Aid profile listed a $149 Basic Package, $399 and $799 party packages, and a $2,599 Business Blast Off kit. By February 2020 the company offered a $49 Start-Up Kit, a $99 Essentials Kit and a $199 Signature Kit. Under Think Goodness, new partners could start with $199 Pop-Up Packs, including an Origami Owl Best Sellers pack the company valued at $473.

Pay

The early plan paid Designers 50% on charms and 30% on other pieces, according to the old Direct Sales Aid profile, plus team commissions of up to 15% for building a team. By 2020 the company advertised commissions of up to 50% on personal sales, along with incentive trips and free jewelry, and published an income disclosure statement. Think Goodness then changed the model. From September 1, 2023, sellers, by then called Purpose Partners, moved to a single-level plan: 35% commission on every sale, rising to 40% after $3,500 in retail sales, with no upline or downline pay, as reported by Origami Owl seller blog Lockets and Charms. The 2023 to 2025 partner page promised up to 40% commission and next-day pay.

Want to hear how it was pitched at the time? Watch our old Origami Owl video on YouTube.

The end came in stages. Origami Owl's own site still sold under its own name in September 2021. By January 2023, the business traded as Think Goodness, a collective that sold Origami Owl jewelry next to Willing Beauty skin care, CMYK cosmetics and Intuitiv wellness products, and called its sellers Purpose Partners. In September 2023 it dropped team commissions for a single-level plan.

The partner program then closed in 2025. The Think Goodness site still invited visitors to “Join as a Partner” in an archived capture from April 16, 2025. On June 23, 2025, the seller blog Lockets and Charms told customers that “Think Goodness is no more” and that partner shopping links no longer worked, while “Origami Owl's Headquarter's doors remain OPEN.” By August 14, 2025, thinkgoodness.com showed only subscription clubs, with no way to join. The company did not publish a public reason, and we have not seen an official announcement.

Today the brand lives on without independent sellers. Origami Owl sells direct to shoppers at origamiowl.com, offers a wholesale program for shops and boutiques, and has hired staff for a Charm Bar store in Old Town Scottsdale. Its listed address is in Gilbert, Arizona. The Living Locket and mini charms are still its core products. Former Designers can buy as customers but no longer earn commissions. If you want a jewelry business with a seller program, look at live direct sales companies such as Paparazzi Accessories.