Jewelry Artists

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Stacy Dutch

Garnet Sterling Silver Double Row "Y" Necklace
 Meet the Designer-Artist


Where do you live?
Smithfield, Rhode Island

What inspires you as a designer-artist?
Nature, wildlife, ocean life.

What materials do you most enjoy working with?
Very much love working with sterling silver and vermeil with a lot of pieces focusing on pearls and gemstones that you don't often get to see main-stream such as Kyanite, Seraphinite, Spessartite, Chrome Diopside, for example. Very much like linear designs, and delicate lacy/filigree type looks, while also leaning towards bolder styles at times. I think I have a pretty eclectic collection, since every now and again I do get requests that reflect a buyer's style and not necessarily my own.

What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
Garnet Sterling Silver Double Row "Y" Necklace

What inspired this design?
The inspiration for this piece was just a love for garnet.

How did it come together?
I had a rough idea, but the piece really designed itself once I started laying out its components.

Share Your Background


When and how did you begin making jewelry/beading?
I started making jewelry one year after I bought a few items to make some friends and family some earrings for Christmas. While looking for supplies, I discovered Fire Mountain and internet ordering, and it snowballed from there. I just started buying and buying anything that caught my fancy, and squirreled it away, not knowing for what. One day after filling a whole spare room with all of my treasures, I decided I really should do something with them, that was in 2004, and it's been uphill ever since. It's a passion thankfully, since I have a full time day job, and this takes up most of every night, usually into the wee hours, but it's truly a labor of love.

Who introduced you to beading?
It was actually self-taught with many hours of experimentation.

Do you have an artistic background?
I do have an artistic background. By trade, I'm a machine designer, and spend a majority of my time creating solid models of fairly small mechanical parts that are used for either manufacture or prototype.

How did you discover Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®?
I discovered Fire Mountain after buying a lot of miscellaneous supplies on eBay, and while searching one day for one particular item, I saw your website and was amazed to find that I could get pretty much anything I needed all in one place. Bought so many things, I actually became a Platinum Club member!

What other hobbies do you have?
I'm an avid gardener, and love to play tennis and mountain bike.

Do you belong to any beading societies or beading groups?
I don't as of yet, mostly because I just find I don't have the time since I also have a full-time job.

Beading Success


What role does jewelry-making play in your life?
Again, it's a second source of income, but I could hardly call it a second job, as it's truly a passion, and would never consider it work. There's nothing better than coming up with new designs, and especially fulfilling a special request from a customer who shows amazing appreciation, it's very rewarding. Definitely a labor of love.

If you used jewelry-making as a way to bring in income, how are you selling yourself and your jewelry?
I have my own website that I developed after a few years of selling on eBay. I did a few craft fairs in the beginning, but found I really didn't have the kind of time it takes to participate in them, although they were enjoyable. I do send out mailings on occasion to introduce new items.

Do you participate in any charity fundraisers?
In the past I've made pieces and donated them to auction off for charity.

Any advice for aspiring jewelry-artists?
My advice to anyone wanting to make jewelry is to not limit yourself, use your imagination and do not be afraid to put something different out there.