I have been creating for as long as I can remember: sketching, painting, knitting, sewing – everything from slacks to wedding gowns — decorating (and re-decorating) our homes and baking ridiculously ambitious cakes but I never made a living at any of it. For that, I was a film/TV publicist. About 12 years ago, I was between pictures and saw an ad for a silver jewelry-making course. I signed up and got hooked. I took several more courses but I’ve mostly been self-taught (ruined silver is a powerful teacher). It still is not a career but, being semi-retired, I have been putting more effort into selling what I make. I’m not sure the film business fits in with my brand – apart from developing my appreciation for one-of-a-kind creations.
Hmmm; I love reading, cooking, photography, travel, and gardening (on a small scale as we live on a floating home).
My taste in jewelry runs to clean, bold and modern. I am finding ways to draw an audience that shares that preference.
I’m driven by a need to create beautiful things with my own hands.
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What are you passionate about?
I have a passion for the materials I work with. I love the play of different surface textures you can create with silver. I’m also becoming mad for stones; not necessarily gemstones but stones with unique shapes or color patterns.
I think jewelry making sort of chose me. I was captivated by forging and think the casting process is pure alchemy. But soldering, I confess, drives me quite mad at times!
I really hope that my jewelry will give pleasure to women who love beautiful one-of-a-kind items.
Working at my bench.
How do you describe what you do and why are you doing what you do?
I make jewelry because I can’t seem to stop and I sell it because I can only wear so much myself.
I think it would be presumptuous of a self-taught jewelry maker to try to make a difference in the field. I’ll leave that to the true artists.
My ideal customer is a mature, educated and self-confident woman. She probably enjoys travel and collects interesting objects from different cultures. She is to be found in the art gallery, not the disco. When I design for her, I want her to have a piece that will be as unique as she is.
Creative design.
- bold
- modern
- unusual
- textured
- clean
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What is about your shop that is unique? What makes your shop different? This morning (March 10) I checked and found 1,960,753 results for Handmade Jewelry on etsy. It is not easy to stand out in a crowd that big, but I try. In the film business, if getting our story told meant I had to stand in the rain at night for 12 to 14 hours, I did it. My motto was “Whatever it takes.” I try to apply that to my shop, too. I want customers to be happy with their purchase. If they are not, I will refund. If they want a slight variation on an item, I’m absolutely willing to create it. And I never make exactly the same thing twice and seldom make something closely resembling. I want my unique buyers to have unique jewelry.
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I think my work appeals to women who are searching for a jewelry item that is handcrafted and uniquely beautiful. It might be for themselves or they may need a gift for someone really special in their lives.
When someone sees my brand, I want them to know that it will provide something that is theirs alone. I hope that, every time they put their jewelry item on, they will feel a little glow of pleasure in how perfectly it reflects them.