Meet Cristina Segarra, an entrepreneur with an artistic soul, and a deep-rooted passion for floral preservation.
Originally from Lima, Peru, Cristina's creative journey was sparked by watching her mother explore native crafts during her childhood.
At the age of 12, she moved to the United States, carrying with her a vibrant Peruvian heritage that continues to influence her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
In 1994, Cristina took her love for flowers and their ephemeral beauty and turned it into a flourishing business - Flowers Forever. Her journey started with the pressing of flowers, a skill taught by a dear friend that became the backbone of her enterprise. Over time, Flowers Forever has blossomed, expanding to include memorial and funeral preservation, pet memorials, and keepsake creation in a range of materials.
One of Cristina's distinctive methods is rooted in a meticulous process of floral preservation: pressing each flower petal by petal. These pressed flowers are then revived with a touch of artistry as Cristina hand-paints them to restore their natural colors. This process captures the fleeting beauty of these flowers, transforming them into lasting keepsakes. After the painting, Cristina masterfully arranges the flowers for framing, bringing the floral art to life. She even boasts her in-house framing shop, ensuring every aspect of the preservation is handled with the utmost care.
Building on the success of Flowers Forever, Cristina expanded her business to offer handmade jewelry that tells a personal story. Cristina's artistry shines through in the way she incorporates flowers and sentimental items provided by her clients into their custom jewelry orders. These materials – which may include wedding flowers, funeral flowers, honeymoon sand, pet fur, and even ashes – are carefully dried and incorporated into striking pieces of jewelry. Each earring, necklace, keepsake, and ring is uniquely crafted to reflect and evoke memories from the special moments these materials represent. The goal goes beyond merely creating beautiful jewelry: Cristina strives to provide her clients with cherished keepsakes that last a lifetime.
Cristina's creativity and dedication have impacted countless customers over her nearly 30-year career. Many families see her service as a tradition, preserving flowers for special occasions like weddings, funerals, and births.
What sets Flowers Forever apart is Cristina's extensive experience and her comprehensive knowledge of floral preservation. Her company stands alone in the USA, offering pressed flower preservation, resin keepsakes, clay jewelry, resin jewelry, pet keepsakes, and now more personalized jewelry-making parties.
Looking towards the future, Cristina and Flowers Forever are showing no signs of slowing down. They recently moved to a new facility, twice the size of their previous space, indicating further expansion and more services for their valued clients. Indeed, with Cristina at the helm, the future looks as vibrant and promising as the beautiful keepsakes she creates.
One of Cristina's distinctive methods is rooted in a meticulous process of floral preservation: pressing each flower petal by petal. These pressed flowers are then revived with a touch of artistry as Cristina hand-paints them to restore their natural colors. This process captures the fleeting beauty of these flowers, transforming them into lasting keepsakes. After the painting, Cristina masterfully arranges the flowers for framing, bringing the floral art to life. She even boasts her in-house framing shop, ensuring every aspect of the preservation is handled with the utmost care. Through this technique, customers can opt for jewelry pieces that showcase the vibrant colors of the painted flowers, or the actual flowers themselves, skillfully infused into clay or set in clear resin.
Joe Matthews
Meet Joe, a dedicated member of the Flowers Forever family. A long-time Columbia resident for over 50 years, Joe shares his life with his spouse and two wonderful pets, Cocoa and Oscar. A keen traveler and Soda City enthusiast, he often spends his Saturday mornings exploring downtown Columbia. With an impressive history of 18 years in customer service, Joe has enriched Flowers Forever with his invaluable experience and talents for nearly 2 years. We feel truly fortunate to have him as part of our team.
Joanne Shaw
Meet Joanne, an integral part of our team. Originally from Los Angeles, Joanne has been a proud resident of South Carolina for several decades. She shares her life with her husband, Vincent, and their four talented children. A dedicated Scout troop leader and mentor for over 13 years, Joanne's nurturing spirit extends to all aspects of her life. With a background in floral design and visual arts, she infuses her creative touch into our pressed flower designs. Recently, her artistic talents have found a new outlet in costume making for a local theater, where she has volunteered for the past 6 years. We're thrilled to have her unique skills and warm heart on our team.
Eimear
Meet Eimear, the creative force behind our jewelry designs at Flowers Forever. Passionate about crafting personal and unique pieces, she ensures each day brings something new. Eimear moved to Columbia from Ireland in 2019, and she has since been weaving her artistic magic into our offerings. When she's not creating stunning pieces of jewelry, she enjoys unwinding with her love of crochet. We're thrilled to have her unique perspective and talents on our team.
Emily
Meet Emily, a versatile member of the Flowers Forever team. Having experienced life in various places as a military kid, Emily has found a place she proudly calls home in South Carolina for the past 4 years. Though new to our family, she's seamlessly integrated, showing immense love for her work and the people around her. Emily wears many hats at Flowers Forever - she handles shipping, floral preservation, and steps in wherever else help is needed. We are delighted to have her adaptability and positive spirit on our team.
Megan
Meet Megan, the resin designer at Flowers Forever. She has been with our creative family for over a year, meticulously crafting each memory-infused piece with patience and a meticulous hand. Resin design is a tedious but fulfilling process. One of her work's most time-consuming but essential aspects is dealing with bubbles. Ensuring each piece is bubble-free guarantees that the final result is clear, allowing your cherished mementos encapsulated in the resin to shine through.
A beloved fixture in Columbia, South Carolina for over nineteen years, Cristina's retail store has not only served the local community but has also carved out a prominent place for her in the national landscape of custom jewelry designers. Her creativity and design prowess set her apart as one of the leading figures in her field.
Recently, Flowers Forever has turned a new leaf by moving to a larger location at 4482 Fort Jackson Blvd, after spending 19 fruitful years at the Rosewood location. This new and expansive space enables us to offer an even wider array of services to our valued clients.
Even as Flowers Forever continues to grow, broadening its services and product offerings, we are unyielding in our commitment to quality. Every piece we create is hand-made with meticulous attention to detail at our new location. This allows us to ensure that your custom keepsake is not just one-of-a-kind, but also embodies perfection.
Schedule an in-person consultation or just stop by the studio to learn more!
4482 Ft. Jackson Blvd.
Columbia, SC 29209
