Vera Babich

Where do you live?

Oskaloosa, Iowa

What inspires you as a designer-artist?

I like seeing beauty in nature-made things and then I usually want to make something that I want to wear myself. I fall in love with the piece I make (and then cry when it sells).

What medium do you work with mostly?

Natural beads and stones.

Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making?

Combining natural colors and creating patterns is very therapeutic. When it comes to clasps and wire work, it is very convenient to have a metal-working skilled jeweler in the house, and I take full advantage of that.

Where and how do you sell your jewelry?

Both mine and Sergiy's work is sold online and at a variety of art shows we travel to year around.

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

Appalachian Trail

What inspired this design?

This design was inspired by Vera's trip with the Boy Scout troop to Appalachian Trail. The colors of the stone match the colors of the Appalachian forest overlooking the banks of the Potomac River. The twisted wire represents the roots of trees wrapping the rocks on the trail. With a closer look you can even see the Appalachian Trail symbol at the center of the necklace.

How did it come together?

Appalachian Trail necklace was in fact inspired by a multi-day backpacking trip I personally took to the Maryland stretch of the Appalachian Trail several years ago. It wasn't until I saw the rectangular magnesite bead with greens and blues on it that I could totally see the colors of the Potomac River with forest banks that were imbedded in my memories from the trail. The thick copper wire weavings represent tree roots and rock that are such natural parts of the trail. In the middle of the necklace, if you look closely, you can see the letters A and T combined together, just like the symbol of AT (Appalachian Trail), the fleur-de-lis, represent the boy scouts of America, and a wonderful group of boys with whom I shared the adventures of that trip. I am very glad I came across that particular stone selection at Fire Mountain, the variety you offer is so great, only artist's imagination is the limit to what can be done with those.