Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Jewelry-Making Contest 2010 featuring Glass
Finalist |
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Meet the Designer-Artist
Where do you live?
Elmore, Ohio
Describe your artistic style.
Based on Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles.
What inspires you as a designer-artist?
I like old-fashioned style jewelry. Jewelry my mother and grandmother could wear.
What materials do you most enjoy working with?
Austrian, Czech, gold-filled, sterling silver, shell, natural stones and gems.
What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
Paris Evening Necklace
What inspired this design?
A brooch I've had in my collection for 20 years.
How did it come together? For example, did you plan it out or did it define itself once you began working?
I planned it out using the brooch as the starting focal point and working backwards. So the necklace will complement the brooch, and vice versa.
Share Your Background
When and how did you begin making jewelry/beading?
Since I was ten years old I have liked looking at jewelry in stores. I've collected jewelry for 40 years and started making jewelry in 1990.
Who introduced you to beading?
I saw your catalog in a gemstone collectors' magazine.
Do you have an artistic background?
Yes. My father drew cartoons as a hobby and I've always had a natural talent for other kinds of art.
What other hobbies do you have?
I used to collect cutlery. I still collect gems and jewelry from estate sales. I also collect ancient Egyptian and Persian jewelry, some being 3,000 years old.
Beading Success
What role does jewelry-making play in your life?
My mom has dementia. Jewelry-making relaxes me and makes me feel good about myself. It is a part-time hobby, so far.
If you used jewelry-making as a way to bring in income, how are you selling yourself and your jewelry?
I used to enter local county fairs. I won first place, three times in three years. I haven't sold my jewelry (I'm unsure of how to price them)
Any advice for aspiring jewelry-artists?
Beading teaches you patience. I was always impatient and making jewelry taught me otherwise. Jewelry designing and making allows my mind to blossom. |
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