Francesca Lobbe

Where do you live?

I live in a small town on the Hudson River called Newburgh, 60 miles north of New York.

Describe your artistic style.

Well, I do not consider myself an artist, but only someone who derives great pleasure from creating jewelry for friends, family, and whoever loves glass beads and their sparkly combinations.

What inspires you as a designer-artist?

I believe almost everything inspires me: a summer sunset or a wildflower can give me the idea of color combination for a bracelet; an old lace can inspire a necklace charm; a magazine ad can become the inspiration for new wire-wrapping earrings.

What materials do you most enjoy working with?

All types of wire are definitely my favorite materials for their versatility and challenge. I recently started working with beading wire to create lace jewelry and the result is very exciting.

What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?

Beading and Nothingness

What inspired this design?

I was inspired by the memory of the countless summer sunsets I had the fortune to admire when I was living in Italy.

How did it come together?

I started with a few sketches first, and then the final result defined itself once I had all the parts done.

When and how did you begin making jewelry/beading?

I was about 10 years old when I started beading with a rudimentary bead loom my father built for me. Glass beads have always charmed me, but only recently I started making jewelry pieces with the purpose of selling them.

Who introduced you to beading?

I remember one of my mother's friends doing some loom work; I took interest and I wanted to try it myself.

Do you have an artistic background?

I was born and raised in Italy, and art had always been a part of my everyday life: from the family Sunday mass in a beautiful Gothic church, to the ancient frescos on my high school walls.

Moreover, my family has always been "home-made" artistic; my uncle is a self-taught musician, and he can make music with virtually anything (a plastic cup or a leaf just to give a couple of examples); my father used to make inlay work chess boards; and my mother introduced my sister and me to embroidery, crochet, knitting...

How did you discover Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®?

Thanks to magazine's ads.

What other hobbies do you have?

Embroidery, crochet, knitting, parchment paper craft.

What role does jewelry-making play in your life?

Jewelry-making is like a good friend: it is always there for me, it helps me to relax, but also makes me very excited when I come up with a new idea. It is still a hobby that I am planning to change into a part-time career.

If you used jewelry-making as a way to bring in income, how are you selling yourself and your jewelry?

I am working to link my website to high traffic websites such as Facebook and Pinterest. I am also looking to sell jewelry through etsy.com; it will give me a chance to reach out to my friends and family in Italy and maybe to sell overseas.

Do you participate in any charity fundraisers?

For the past three years, I have participated in a local fundraiser for breast cancer.

Any advice for aspiring jewelry-artists?

Follow your instinct and do what you like, have fun and you will be successful.