Linda Syph

Wild Woman
Meet the Designer-Artist


Where do you live?
Tonawanda, New York, just north of Buffalo.

Describe your artistic style.
Conservative, but fun, dress up or dress down jewelry.

What inspires you as a designer-artist?
Colors in nature, in textiles and making jewelry that people would really not only wear but to look at.

What materials do you most enjoy working with?
Crystals and pearls, both glass and natural.

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

What inspired this design?
One of my Christian sisters is crazy about leopard prints, and I made this for her.

How did it come together?
I usually start by looking at one bead, one gemstone and imagine in my head what I could do with it.

Share Your Background


When and how did you begin making jewelry/beading?
Maybe about 25 years ago, just for myself and my family as gifts, using plastics and Fimo® clay.

Who introduced you to beading?
When I got more serious, a co-worker gave me a gift of a bracelet that she made. We started talking and that kind of inspired me to get back into it.

Do you have an artistic background?
I have always had an interest in sewing, and interior decorating, always was good with matching colors and working intricately with my hands.

How did you discover Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®?
My co-worker, Marcia gave me a used catalog she had and I've been hooked ... that was about 8 years ago.

What other hobbies do you have?
Sewing.

Beading Success


What role does jewelry-making play in your life?
I am a widow with 2 young children, (11 and 7). I find jewelry-making very calming, almost meditative for me during the day when they are in school or after I've put them to bed in the evening. I have been trying to lose weight and I find it to be a deterrent to going to the fridge; when I'm in the middle of a project, I give it my full attention.

Any advice for aspiring jewelry-artists?
If you are making jewelry for a certain individual, consider their personality, but be sure to put your own touch in there too!