Please let me introduce to you a jewelry designer from the Etsy shop New Vintage, based in Roseville, United States.
I have had a lot of fun interviewing Jessica about her jewelry, and I hope you enjoy reading her interview!
1. When did you first begin to design jewelry?
I first remember making jewelry with my mom at the dining room table. She used to take classes for all sorts of hobbies to try them out and pass the skills on to me and my sister. I started with hemp necklaces in middle school, some basic wire wrapping and stringing in high school, and by college I was selling memory wire stacking bracelets to the girls on my floor.
2. Do your studies at university tie in with you interest in fashion, or do you just see this as a hobby?
It certainly began as a hobby; I honestly didn’t expect it to turn into a business at all! I have so many other things love to do, including watercolor painting, home schooling, reading, baking, etc. I went to school for music ministry with vocal and piano majors but I decided my second year to get just an associates degree in piano pedagogy. I still believe music is one of the primary gifts God has given me to glorify Him, but for now He has changed my priorities to fit His timing and given me new challenges for this stage in my life. I got married the week after graduation in May, 2004 and a year later had a baby boy, later to be diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Two years later I had a healthy girl. Chase is now nearly 6 and Jorja nearly 4 and I have felt led to give my
attention to being a godly wife and mom, educating my kids myself. I have put my music on hold as far as church service goes, but I teach piano to a few students in my home and work on my jewelry designs intermittently. The beauty of Etsy is that I can let my shop go for awhile when things get busy or put more into it if things get tight!
3. What do you like about designing jewelry?
Surprisingly, I am not a “jewelry person” per se. I wouldn’t actually worry too much about accessories from a vanity standpoint when getting dressed in the morning if it wasn’t so much fun to make all the pieces I now have lying all over the house. I design for the sake of designing. I am fascinated with form, shape, balance, color, and texture. I enjoy learning about the scientific properties and historical or Biblical significance of gemstones. I love challenging myself to learn a new technique and the struggle to make one up when it hasn’t been done before (or at least put into a tutorial!). I get inspired by accidental color combinations I come across in magazines, fabrics, art, etc. I also get many ideas directly from the runways.
4. Where do you get your inspiration?
I get inspired by accidental color combinations I come across in magazines, fabrics, art, etc. I also get many ideas directly from the runways. I do enjoy looking at fellow Etsier’s designs and also my favorite big name stores like Anthropologie. My mom has a successful Etsy jewelry store (www.etsy.com/shop/WiredVintage) and my sister has a degree in fashion design (www.etsy.com/shop/whatHEloves) so we all share an interest in fashion and entrepreneurship. My family, including my husband Brandon, are all inspiring because they are proof you accomplish a lot with
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