JET Artisan Profile:Gaetana Parris of SatinDollCo

Hi! I'm Gaetana, and my shop on Etsy is SatinDollCo.

I attended and graduated from the Katherine Gibbs School with an Associate Degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising.

Although my main focus is designing women’s apparel, I decided to initiate company business with creating handbags and accessories.





 I'm a fashion designer by trade, and designing jewelry just fell into my lap one day.

I mentioned making earrings to my older sister and the next thing I knew she ordered a book for me. I skimmed the book to see what components I needed and that was it. I never really read the book. Ssh... Don't tell my sister!

I'm self taught. After purchasing everything I needed I free styled it. I used to play with beads for hours mixing and matching the colors to create unique combinations.

 On the left are one of my early earring designs.

I made my very first piece of jewelry shortly after I graduated college with my degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising in the summer of 2004.

I can't remember the exact color combination but it was a pair of glass beaded earrings. They were simple but cute.

I love making earrings, and I have a huge collection to choose from in my shop. I love big, bold style, like the pair you see below ...

 The Tribal Flowers Wooden Beaded Earrings on the right are fabulous for summer and beach wear! Light but a really nice size, these are so fashionable - and they'll definitely be noticed!

I do have a special love for earrings ...

My father has been a vendor in New York City - Brooklyn to be specific - for more than 30 years.

Shortly after I graduated college, while trying to find my first fashion design job I was working full time with my dad. He convinced me to make a bunch of earrings and sell them at his vendor location. Since they were so simple to make and the beads were so easy for me to get I sold them 1 pair for $3 and 2 pairs for $5.

They were a hit in no time. 

So earrings play a big part in the SatinDollCo shop.

And you'll find so many different types.

 I love working with natural materials like wood, shell, mother of pearl, and coco pukalet to name just a few.

Our Trek in the Desert Mother of Pearl Glass and Wood Beaded Dangle Earrings are just one beautiful example of what I can design by using natural materials. 


I'm an earring type of girl. I can't leave the house without a pair on, and I think every woman should wear them everyday too. So my favorite type of jewelry to make hands down is earrings.

But of course I do make other kinds of jewelry ... Bracelets and Anklets, Hair Accessories and more!

Me being a fashion designer has a huge influence on where and how I get my inspiration.

Everything is done by collections. I get inspired by everything; newspaper articles, movies, TV shows, plants, food, lands far away etc.

Normally when inspiration hits I have a sketch book somewhere close and I either write or sketch it down. I'll come back later and do detailed research about the era, culture and etc.

I'll then create a trend board or collage featuring pictures,inspiration, and color. From there I'll sketch my ideas. After that I'll most likely map out the materials I need, then purchase them.

Then each piece comes alive.

 My favorite tool would have to be my jewelry pliers. I can't make any piece without them. They are essential to everything I do.

The next jewelry making skill I want to learn is polymer clay. It's cool how something that used to be a lump of clay can be turned into something beautiful.

Square knot jewelry

The latest jewelry making technique I taught myself is the square knot or commonly known as the friendship bracelet technique.

It takes a steady hand and plenty of patience but overall I enjoy the look of the technique.

Find SatinDollCo here:

Etsy: SatinDollCo.etsy.com

Website: www.satindoll.biz

Blog: blog.satindoll.biz

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SatinDollCo

Twitter: twitter.com/SatinDollCo

Pinterest: pinterest.com/SatinDollCo

Instagram: instagram.com/SatinDollCo