JET Artisan Profile:Pam Robinson of CoolJewelry and CoolJewelryJR

I have always loved jewelry. It's  personal female fave of mine ... I'll take jewelry over handbags and shoes ..

How I Became a Jewelry Artisan

 It unfolded like this: a friend who was selling a line of jewelry asked me to become part of her downline. It got really creepy. During training sessions we were "supposed" to wear the jewelry. Honestly, it WAS pretty, but I just could not conform. I'd show up wearing just one piece of the designated jewelry, and the rest was from my jewelry box.


Then I found Etsy. I did a bunch of research via direct purchase of goods from all over the U.S. Spent a ton of money! But I was working, I loved jewelry, and so it was a win-win.

Mahogany Obsidian Murano Glass Sterling Silver Bracelet

And THEN I spent a mega ton on stones, beads, lampwork and hardware. I still have a LOT of it in the studio from which I cull when making jewelry today! I sometimes wonder ... you bought THAT??

What I do comes naturally. With color matching in my DNA and a love of texture ... I was off and running, no training, no anything and have not ventured away from my original style which is "random chaos."

Bohemian Beaded Bracelet / Carnelian Boho

I so love to see others moving into other areas
and techniques. I don't trust me with a torch.

I haven't been making jewelry a long time. I made my first piece in late 2007, and sold my first in early 2008. I still recall the gal who put my pathetic earring photo in the TOP row of her treasury and it hit the FP ... she is no longer on ETSY and I hope it wasn't a side effect of the photo ......oh, it was awful.

I love to use all kinds of stuff in my designs. Anything is fair game! Why? When you have a chaotic personality like mine that slides over into the process of making jewelry just about anything can catch my eye.

Orange Tangerine Coral Asymmetrical Dangle Earrings

Lampwork is a definite. Polymer clay and vintage beads are used as embellishments. The gemstone beads and hardware are top dollar; and there's a definite boho style that pervades my work.

I like making necklaces and earrings. But I truly LOVE making braceles because they are small works of art ... oh sure, there are the "safe" strand of whatever stretch bracelets ... but I am bringing ME to the stretch bracelet ... for folks who love them, and hate to fool with clasps.

 Oh, and I make some more mainstream pendant necklaces for folks buying a gift and don't know *exactly* what to get. That might be guys.

My method of inspiration is sorta strange but it works along with my eclectic style. My creative

Bright Boho Lampwork Wire Wrap Necklace

process consists of me heaping mounds of everything except for precious metals on the kitchen table.

I then go about my madness of finding the *exact* (in Pam's eye) perfect matching components ... yes, this has morphed from the studio into the kitchen -- photos would be scary.

My tools are basic; pliers, cutters, files ... there is one tool I use for just about everything though. The magnifier I need to wear to see up close ... I love it, and I even got a second one for closing wire wrapped jewelry.

Modern Glass Post Earrings

Of course I would LIKE to learn more jewelry making techniques and expand my skills. In my next life - with a fire dept close-by, like maybe next door I would love to work with a torch, patinas, PMC, etc.

My current sport is adopting Sir Theodore Nibbles (a Norwegian Forest / Angora cat) who is a diva ... never lived with one before now. And I need to visit Sephora a LOT for all of his black eyeliner.

Need to get my passport renewed so I can get back to The Netherlands ... I enjoy traveling!

You can find my jewelry on Etsy, in my two shops there. My original shop is CoolJewelry, at  www.etsy.com/shop/cooljewelrydesign. Also visit CoolJewelryJR, at www.etsy.com/shop/cooljewelryJR -- Cool Jewelry at a much lower price point!



Here's a look into my shop ...

 

JET Artisan Profile: Deena Roberts of Deeta By Design

Welcome! I'm Deena of DeetaByDesign. I have been surrounded by art my entire life, as my dad was in the art business. I spent weekends as a kid at the California Design Center in his showroom.

I suppose that is where my love for design grew the fondest. I have a love of both fashion and interior design, majored in Art throughout college, am a licensed Make-up artist, and fell deeply for making jewelry.

My passion is incorporating people's family heirlooms into current pieces and making them relevant to hand down through the ages.

Bronze Heart, Pearl and Gem Necklace

My drive for making jewelry totally changed after we lost our oldest son to a tragic accident a couple of years ago. He had always been so inspired by what I did. I turned that into my tribute to him...thus...the name of my business evolved into Deeta...his nickname for me.

I have always wanted a "hobby". But I fell both blindly and hard for making jewelry when a wire artisan I knew showed me how to wire wrap. The tools felt so right in my hand and it took nearly no time for me to grasp the basics of wire wrapping.

My passion for design fell right into place. I had always loved

Faceted Watermelon Tourmaline Rondelle Bracelet

stones and beads. She was kind enough to take me out to help me purchase my first bit of silver, quality stones and my tools, and that was the beginning of my new passion.

I began making jewelry nearly five years ago. My husband was traveling quite a bit, and our twins were small, so after they went to bed
I spent my nights trying new things, looking at stones online, etc. A great gal at the jewelry store I frequented was an incredible inspiration and really helped form the style of my designs today. But, making jewelry took on a much more meaningful approach after the company was given a name for our son.

Labradorite Sterling Silver chain link bracelet

Twig of Laguna

Five years ago, when I first began making jewelry I sold my first piece. Since then, my creations have grown so much! As I have taken on a more natural approach, I have been fortunate to have been asked by a few Rock band members to design them custom pieces, and my more natural collection is sold at a wonderful boutique on the Southern California coast called Twig of Laguna.

I still love working with Sterling Silver, Gold Vermeil and Bronze metals. But it's the stones that I really enjoy. It amazes me how the attraction to one stone or another can change with one's mood.

I love to sit in my workspace and just gaze at them while the creation just evolves. I know it sounds funny, but a creation must "feel" right and just flow.

Some days, that occurs more naturally than others. I also love incorporating leather in my designs. I love how a piece takes on a different perspective by adding buttery soft leather to it.

Sterling silver Bangle Bracelet

I truly enjoy making necklaces the most, probably because that is where I began, but I do enjoy making a bracelet here and there, as well!

Like most artists, I am highly inspired by nature and my surroundings. My workspace is a wonderful niche, in line with beautiful trees just outside the windows.

I love my tools. And I take care of them. Fortunately, when I invested in my tools, I was lead in the right direction, and still have my original set of pliers and nippers!

I'm working on expanding my skills, so my business can grow!  I look forward to taking on Precious Metal Clay so that I may make my own charms and bezel settings to add to my pieces in the future.

Citrine, Turquoise, Leather Bee Bracelet

Find and "Like" my Facebook page here:

www.DeetabyDesign.Facebook.com

A peek into my shop ...

 

Thanks for visiting!