Did you make this?

I’ve had a lot of questions since I’ve taken my jewelry on the road (so to speak), one being “did you make this?” and the other being “how long have you been making jewelry?” The first one I usually shrug off, people are used to women selling jewelry through large companies that look similar to mine and I think having a certain “look” with displays and packaging that can throw people off as well. I started making, assembling, designing jewelry about a year ago.

I wanted to have a booth at the local craft fair, something I’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t know what to sell. I couple of my co-workers were making jewelry at the time and I bought a very basic kit from Michael’s to get started. My booth ended up being a few necklaces and earrings along with handmade Floyd postcards, note card sets, and recipe cards. The kit that I purchased contained round-nose pliers, plastic beads, needle-nose pliers, toggles, beading wire among other things.

My creativity was sparked…I had no idea where to start so I just dove in. I began collecting images online of jewelry that inspired me, collecting books to learn new techniques and around December put a huge chunk on money on my credit card to buy metal smithing supplies. All told I’ve probably invested well over two thousand dollars in supplies, books, classes and better tools. My goal has always been this: to create jewelry that I would want to wear. Followed by offering a range of pieces that anyone could afford. High-end and low-end.

Pricing seems to be a huge deal in the jewelry world. Charge too much and you will get looks and even the occasional comment “you want $100 for that?!!? I could make that!” (yeah, but you didn’t) or from fellow artists “I can’t compete with your lower prices”. I ran into a lady recently at an art show, we took a metal smithing class together in the spring and we were updating each other on our progress. She mentioned (something I remember her saying in class) that she refused to compete with those selling $12-$14 pre-fab earrings just to cover her booth fee. This is why she only does a handful, if that, of fairs a year.

I get that sentiment, really I do. But, I can see both sides as well. I sell very affordable jewelry because it helps me to make money for more pricier supplies, it’s also satisfying to sell jewelry to people who otherwise could not afford it. My taste is not that of the typical “artisan” jewelry. I like antique jewelry, collage, breaking rules about mixing metals, I like layering, interesting pendants, color combination and coming up with new ideas.  When I started buying supplies on etsy I noticed that a lot of my favorite jewelry was available in pieces for sale. My mind raced “what could I do with this? how can I make it interesting? or different?”

Some days I sit at my bench and throw things together, sometimes ideas morph from others, some days I draw sketches and cut metal, while others I simply assemble jewelry in a way that looks good to me. Not all of it is 100% about a movement or a statement. Sometimes I just need to get the ideas out and other days I am forced, yet always happy with the results. If I’m not? I start over. I never gave myself a standard with this, this is my one thing where there are no rules and I wouldn’t second guess myself. I just do it.

I’m not a competitive person by nature. I never joined quiz bowl or sports teams in school. My biggest challenger always has been and always will be myself. How can I be better than who I was yesterday? This is how I look at everything I do. I refuse to wait until I’m “good enough” or for someone else to grant me permission to participate. I refuse to let someone else’s standards shit on my parade. I’m not here to compete, challenge or win the race. If someone else needs be be first or number one? There is room for us all. I have people who love what I create, they come back for more…for exactly all of these reasons and that makes me happy, that keeps me coming back to my bench.

This is my beginning and I 100% own it regardless of how people feel about “assembled jewelry”. This does not mean that I am using it as a cash cow (still not rich), not growing/challenging myself, or exploiting it to be something it’s not. I am a designer first…I design my packaging, logos, websites, and jewelry. I take all of my own photography. This is what makes me excited about life. I am steering. I do not believe in waiting to do something when all the other pieces fall into place. Had I have waited until I learned metalsmithing (a continued process for me) to sell jewelry I would have missed out on so many experiences, friendships, social encounters, bookkeeping skills, packaging and marketing ideas.

This is a journey for me, the destination is unknown.