I had a friend the other day that made a comment that made me think. She said she thought I might be giving some people the impression that I can whip out a piece of jewelry using my handmade glass beads in a few minutes. Her comment came after I had posted a necklace that I named after seeing a post about the Eden Gardens outside of Destin, Florida. The day before I had made a beautiful encased floral bead. I made it because I was thinking about all the lush flowers and greenery that surround my favorite place in the world, Destin. It just so happens the next day another friend of mine posted a blurb about the Eden State Gardens. I thought to myself what a perfect name for the necklace I just made using the floral focal bead.

I don’t want anyone to get the impression that I just whip anything out in a few minutes. It doesn’t work that way, so I thought I would give you some insight into what I do and my process. Every day I have images of things I have seen running through my head. Most of the time those images are related to the ocean or the Emerald Coast of Florida. I’m constantly trying to recreate those memories in the jewelry I make. At night while I’m trying to sleep different ideas pop into my head. It’s a never ending thing with me. I can’t keep those beautiful sights, sounds and memories from flooding my brain. So each time I sit down at the torch to create a bead to incorporate into a design I have in my head I have plenty of  ideas to pull from. That is the easy part.

Just because I have these beautiful sights and sounds in my head doesn’t mean when I sit down at the torch they just happen. Sometimes it takes hours and hours of work to get one single bead that I believe speaks and has purpose. I can’t and won’t put just any bead I make into my designs. In fact, I have several boxes of beads that I will never use in my designs because I don’t feel they send the message I want them to send. Everything, and I mean everything about the bead has to be just right or it’s not going into anything I do. I sell those beads that don’t work for me and my designs to other designers. There are some days I can’t create anything that tells my story. Those days are very frustrating for me. Too many of those days in a row and I can get real cranky :).

When I do make that special bead that speaks to me I have to find the right components to pair it with. Since I love the ocean so much I use a lot of pearls. I love their luster and how they feel against the skin. I also use a lot of copper in my designs. I guess in some ways I’m a little rebellious. I like to step out and be different. For the past several years sterling silver has flooded the markets and I’ve become bored with it.  I made a decision to use copper in many of my pieces because I love the patina and the market isn’t flooded with it.

My style of jewelry is what I call statement pieces.  I want my handmade glass bead to be the star of the show. I don’t want to complicate the design with tons of extra things that aren’t needed. I want pieces of jewelry that capture the beauty of the glass and my dreams. I don’t like overcomplicated jewelry. My jewelry is made to be worn at all times with everything in your closet. Casual or  formal my pieces are always just right. Because I choose to let the handcrafted glass be the star of the show my designs will always be in style and on trend. Each piece I design makes a statement and its the ONLY one in the world that makes that statement!

I hope this gives everyone more insight into what I do and why I do it. If I could just whip out jewelry I wouldn’t be doing it. I don’t want to be a production worker. I want to be what I am….a free spirit glass artist putting her memories and dreams into beautiful one of a kind pieces that make a statement about you and me.

Now after saying all of this, here is what I created today. This bead was made two days ago. The wind was blowing and images of seaweed dancing in the water kept popping into my head. The fronds of silver infused glass that flow from the bottom of the bead is my subtle interpretation of seaweed. I hope you like it.

SOLD

SEAWEED-Handcrafted Glass Art Jewelry Necklace with Copper and Pearls