Susan's Jewelry Designs

Several years ago I saw a few pieces of jewelry that I thought were unique and ones that I would love to have. Then I looked at the price tag and thought, "I know I can make that for a lot less." So I set out to teach myself the art of jewelry making.

I first bought a few books, then watched a few youtube videos, saved up money for tools and supplies, then dove in making a few pieces. My first few attempts were pitiful! But I kept on keeping on. Once I got some confidence in my jewelry making, my pieces started being a little fun and an awesome creative outlet. I have a design degree and put some of that training to use.

One thing led to another and then family/friends started asking me to make them a replica of a piece I was wearing. Then a friend who worked at a local hospital asked me to set my jewelry up at a craft show they were having for the staff and patients. I had no idea how to go about selling at a craft show but I didn't let that stop me. I researched that, too, and got a few ideas.

One craft show turned into several craft shows and the next thing I knew I had a pretty nice setup. I took along who ever I could talk into going, friends, family, church friends, etc. After about 6 mos of selling locally, I decided to give online selling a try in January 2009. I had already been selling clothes, household items, etc. on Ebay since 2002, so I brought with me some online selling experience.

I initially started out selling wire wrapped jewelry - earrings, necklaces, bracelets and especially rings. Then branched out into using beads and gemstones in my designs. Then in 2012, I had a metal stamping friend who was getting out of the business and was selling all of her supplies and tools. I bought most of those and slowly learned that craft. It took a while to get to where I was proud of my stamped work, but was an interesting new branch of jewelry making.

A few years ago handwritten jewelry was starting to become big and I wanted to branch out and offer that sort of jewelry. I went back to researching again and figured out the machine that I wanted to buy. In 2017, I ended up finding a used engraving machine and financed the cost. Now that self-taught phase came with the most frustration but yielded the most reward. I had lots of previous experience with AutoCAD and plotters, so I just told myself that my engraving machine was only another plotter and the engraving software was only another cad program. It worked and within a few weeks I was off and running.

That brings me to where I am today and who knows what is around the corner! I'm always researching trends and I'm sure my story isn't over yet. I appreciate every one of my customers and love helping design special pieces whether it be an urn, medical alert item, handwritten piece, or something fun like a wire wrapped ring. The rose gold items are by far my favorite - its my latest obsession and I don't think it will ever end.Stop on by my shop, do a little browsing, and let me know how I can help you design your special piece!