Gearing Up

How long have you been making jewelry, and how did you start?

I began making basic jewelry as a teenager- dabbling in stringing and hemp weaving through high school. Through most of college, my focus moved away from jewelry making in my spare time. As a senior in college, I began making jewelry again, this time, multi-strand necklaces. I planned out the materials and created pieces inspired by various tales, from Hans Christian Andersen and The Brother’s Grimm. I posted them for sale on a forum I am a part of, and from there I discovered Etsy.com

When I began selling on Etsy, in 2005, I wanted to move above and beyond my stringing techniques, to have a more versatile way to convey the stories in my jewelry. I began to hone and expand my skills working with wire. My style as it is today was developed over these years, through experimentation and trial and error. With each piece I aim to tell a story, or portray a scene from places and times imagined and real.

Where did you pick up your unusual double-wire style of wrapping?

I had seen others use multiple strands of wire in wrap designs, often kept straight, or as a frame to a piece. I knew I’d need to forge my own way. I began experimenting with the wire work being on a focal, in addition to around it, refined the looping, swirling technique, and a style was born!

Your work covers a very broad spectrum of designs. What inspires you?

Oh, just about all of existence. Much of what I draw from is intangible- a snippet of a memory, mine or half-imagined, sometimes I am not even sure! I’ve been an introvert, an observer since childhood. That paired with a love of nature and literature, and serious wanderlust provides immense inspiration to draw from.

You seem to have a lot of myth and fairy tale references. Do you consider yourself a fantasy artist or a steampunk artist? Do you think the two are mutually exclusive at all?

I think the term “fantasy artist” describes me well. Fairy tales were my first inspiration as a working artist, and they continue to inspire me, along with other types of lore, history, and nature. I consider myself to have steampunk tendencies, but I fully acknowledge that I am not strictly a steampunk artist. It is but one aspect of who I am, what I do, and I think it fits well with the other pieces of me.

You’ve made so many Passage Pendants, and you tend to work in series; do you find it difficult to keep pieces looking fresh while still adhering to the same theme?

I really enjoy working in series- offering a variety of pieces, banded together by a common theme. Working in series’ enables me to really define, and then explore the boundaries of the concepts I present in my jewelry. If a series is a customer favorite, as with the Passage series, so much the better to continue offering designs within that series. To keep my offerings fresh, I am always thinking, planning future series, while consulting with the past, to revive series that haven’t been worked on in a while. I aim to offer new items in 3-5 different series each week in my shop.

Sarah can be found on Etsy and deviantArt.