The Jewelry Blog

So Much Going On

2008-09-07T12:35:00.002-05:00

Grad school starts in a week and I'm still trying to figure out where I can sell my jewelry in the area. I've already got it at O.A.K., but I'm not so sure it's really selling. Cambridge has a few of it's own artists' cooperatives, though, so I'm thinking of applying to some of those, including the Cambridge Artists' Cooperative, and Sign of the Dove.

Wish me luck. With the cost of grad school, I could use the extra income...

On top of that, I moved about a month ago, and, while I love the apartment, we still don't have a working doorbell, and the washing machine just broke again. It's not the landlords' fault that things are breaking, but I do wish they'd take care of the issues more quickly.

Clear your workspace, clear your mind

2008-02-18T10:45:00.004-06:00

I finally had a chance to clean things up around here this weekend. I recovered my corkboard in white and my brother helped me rehang it on one of the doors -- it's perfect for keeping my jewelry visible, accessible, and out of the way of my lightbox:

I can't decide if it surprised at how much or how little space it takes up...

But...

With all the jewelry hanging...

My lightbox seems so clean!There had been jewelry laying everywhere, and it was hard to get a clean picture because of everything in the way. I'm so excited to have an uncluttered workspace.

My brother also helped me figure out a few things with this camera. My pictures have been coming out a little bit yellow tinged. I knew I needed to adjust the white balance but didn't know how to do that on this camera. Of course, my brother did. I can't wait to try it out!

More pics (hopefully) coming soon.

Pictures? Yeah, we've got those

2008-02-11T15:20:00.000-06:00

Alright, here are the first of the pictures taken with the new macro lens. The light box is better, but still needs some work; the pictures are still coming out a little too yellow:

Silver Hoops with Black Beads

This is after some fixing up in Photoshop.

A few more:

Small Silver Hoops with Purple Glass

Silver Hoops with Pink Opal

Triple Brass Drops with Keshi Pearls

So, how do they look?

A little warning, people

2008-02-10T18:51:00.000-06:00

If you're going to set up a lightbox on a folding table, be very careful. I was in the middle of taking some pics today, when the table decided to start collapsing in on itself. Not a pretty occurrence when said table is piled high with lamps, lightbox, jewelry, and props. I got it back up and into place, but I hope that doesn't happen again.

Still no sign of the camera cable.

Ready for your close up?

2008-02-10T01:33:00.000-06:00

Got the new macro lens a few days ago and have been playing around with it. Installation was easy and the pictures are coming out wonderfully so far.

Now I just need to find the cable so I can get the new pics on my computer.

Standby for updates.

I hope...

I never thought about how much my personal life affects my creativity and professional life.

2008-02-04T11:16:00.000-06:00

It seems that I go through cycles with my creativity and jewelry making. I've been working on some new earrings recently, but before that hadn't made more than a couple pairs in four or five months. The new earrings are all hoops (both large and small) hung from ear wires with various stone and/or glass beads. I seem to have developed a preference for faceted briolettes and teardrops, and have been experimenting with wire wrapping, which makes the earring so much more interesting. I'll take pictures as soon as I get my new macro lens, which apparently shipped today (about a week after I bought and paid for it -- I'm not thrilled about that). I'm excited to see the difference it makes with my photos, though!

Right, back to the jewelry. I suppose I just haven't felt very inspired lately. I like some of the new earrings I've made, but I'm in a bit of a funk. In August, I broke up with my boyfriend of almost two years and moved from Nashville back home to Boston. Ending the relationship was the right thing to do, but it hurt more than a little that he already had a new girlfriend within a couple months of our relationship ending. On top of that, I'm currently living with my parents. It's just a temporary situation while I apply to graduate programs, but I feel a bit like a loser living with mom and dad at almost 24 years old -- especially since I lived on my own in Los Angeles for a year after graduating college. I've been dating on and off, which is frustrating. I met a neighbor in early December and we seemed to hit it off. We've spent some time together since then, but he's sending out some very mixed signals, which isn't surprising since he was engaged until his ex-fiancee broke things off last July. I think I'm sending out mixed signals myself. I'm so scared of rejection and getting hurt (as I think he is, too) that I'm acting too casual and it's coming off as platonic or disinterested. What's worse is that he and I get along really really well. We read the same books, have very similar political and religious beliefs, both love to travel, and can talk easily about almost everything. The first time we went out, we sat for two hours after the bill had been paid just talking. I haven't given up, but things are slow, and I need to learn how to voice my feelings, even if it means risking someone being upset with me.

So yes, my personal life definitely affects the flow of my creativity and my drive to do well. I'm glad I have a few good friends in Boston, but my closest friends are all still in Los Angeles. Maybe it's time to take a little trip to visit them all.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

2008-01-29T20:11:00.000-06:00

I ordered a new macro lens for my camera today. I've gotten tired of having terrible pictures because I can't zoom in close enough and focus at the same time. It's actually a set of three stackable lenses (1x, 2x, and 4x) plus the adapter. At least they make macro lenses for my camera, still! It's a Canon PowerShot A80; they haven't been made in almost 5 years, but it's still a decent camera. The problem is, the camera is only worth about $25-50 at this point, and the lenses cost $40 including shipping. Ah well.

I know my lightbox needs some work, too, but that's easier to fix. I need a more opaque back and better top lighting. Everything right now is coming out with too much backlight, which looks even worse. Hopefully this will fix the problems.

Opinions Please

2008-01-28T10:14:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, my jewelry will be at OAK, a new Boston boutique, when the store opens in March. Currently, I'm using my regular business cards as hang tags for the earrings, but I think I'd like something a little different. I found these on VistaPrint and really like them:Thoughts?

(And I have used VistaPrint before -- I know some people have horror stories about them, but I've always been happy with their product.)

Thanks!

Connections

2008-01-27T22:53:00.000-06:00

Friday night my aunt and I decided to get dinner out and make one last trip to JasmineSola, a formerly-lovely chain of clothing stores that was ruined after being bought out by New York & Co. Summer clothing was 90% off, but most of the store was still 70% off; the store is going out of business, but they still want to squeeze every last cent out of their loyal fan base. I didn't buy anything.

Afterwards, we stopped at a cafe, got dessert, sat, and talked for a while before wandering around the mall for a while longer. We ended up at Stil, a boutique with three locations around Boston. The clothing is all from Northern European designers, though much of the jewelry is local. Several months ago, the manager at another location commented on one of my pearl cluster necklaces. Though nothing ended up coming from that, I got to talking with the woman working at this store and mentioned offhand that I had just dropped some jewelry off for a new store opening off Newbury Street. Turns out, she's a freelance writer and has done several pieces for an online magazine called Lovely. Currently she is working on a piece profiling up and coming jewelry designers in the Boston area. I gave her my card, she checked out my Etsy site, and loves my jewelry! Wow.

Check back for more updates!

2008-01-26T00:36:00.000-06:00

I've been on a bit of a hiatus from Miribella Designs for the past month or so with grad school applications due and a lot going on at work, but today I'm back.

Earlier (ok, well, technically yesterday at this point) I stopped by OAK to talk to Keara, see the location, and drop off some jewelry for the promo pictures. I had planned on only selling my large link chain jewelry there, but was low on supplies. When I stopped by my usual supply store at 10:45 this morning, they were closed -- despite their usual opening time of 10:30 -- and I didn't see anyone in the store. I bulked up the line with some hoops, but it's not quite what I wanted. The store is going to be great, though. It's on two floors of an old building off Newbury Street. The rest of the building is residential, so the store will have it's own entrance near the front.

Metaliferous - NYC!

2007-11-18T20:11:00.000-06:00

I got back from New York a few days ago, and I do have to give a shout out to Metaliferous! They had a very nice supply of beads in some unusual shapes and styles. I got a strand of beautiful aventurine faceted teardrop beads, another of green blister pearls, and one of champaign rice pearls. I'm really excited to use them!

On another note: Edy's (Dreyer's for those on the west coast) is out with their holiday flavors: Egg Nog and Apple Pie. Yum.

Breathe in, breathe out

2007-10-23T18:24:00.000-05:00

Deep sigh.

The South End Open Market was a complete bust. I sold ZERO items in six hours. I also got a sunburn. I'm not upset per se, but it's certainly disappointing. I don't think anyone else did all that well, either, though; the market is in an out of the way location and isn't super accessible by public transportation. There is some parking, but people may or may not know that. There's also a lot of jewelry, and while mine may be different, this market in particular may not be the right demographics for my jewelry.

I'm still looking into area boutiques for selling, and I think that really might be the best place for me.

South End Open Market

2007-10-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

This Sunday, October 21st, I'll be at the South End Open Market at 540 Harrison Avenue in Boston's South End. I'm sharing a space with Ezra's Cousin a great designer from New York. We'll be there from 10 am until 4 pm, so come on by!

Everyone Loves a SALE!!!

2007-10-14T13:34:00.000-05:00

And it was about time, too. I finally created a sale section to (hopefully) sell off older designs and pieces that I've had sitting around for a while. The pictures haven't yet been updated, but I'm working on it.

In fact, I'm working on updating all the pictures in my shop. They could definitely look better, and I've gotten mostly positive feedback about the new ones in comparison to the old pictures...which were actually scans.

In related news, I've set up my new lightbox in my room. My brother designed it using pvc piping and a white sheet. There are multiple lamps to give extra light, but I think I still need more. Pictures are still coming out a little too dark; also, from certain angles, there's a distinct yellow cast to the pictures. I can fix most of this in Photoshop, but I shouldn't have to. So, I'm off to Target to replace my lightbulbs with brighter, non-yellow casting bulbs.

Lots of Updates!

2007-10-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

New post on Etsy today:

It's dyed turquoise (water safe - I checked!) with silver links. I think that the links are silver plate, however I'm not entirely sure because this is vintage chain. I said this in the description, but how would you guys deal with this?

* * *

On another note, I'm currently looking for brick & mortar stores in the Boston area. I know that I can't generate enough of an income from Etsy alone, though it's an awesome site, so I'm out there looking. I've already sent in an application for one in Somerville, but I'm sure there are others. The thing is, jewelry is very competitive and a lot of chain boutiques buy from people who can at least semi mass produce and/or designers from Europe because of the allure.

I'm still hoping to find more, though. Any ideas?

An Early Holiday Wishlist

2007-09-27T23:52:00.001-05:00

Yup, that's right folks, I'm posting my holiday wishlist here. This year my goal is to give and receive gifts only from Etsy (or that I've made myself), and I'd better start now, so I don't forget...and so people don't snatch things up that I like!

As some of you know, I'm redoing my bedroom within the next couple months and have found a few things that would make great accents:

Ruthscrafts makes these pillows and also these. I really like both, but I think that the second would work better. I also am in love with this set of three prints by Red Bean Design. They're organic and graphic and just really fun! They have several other prints I also love, including the Peace Dove and the Long Flowers. (Awesome! Apparently Red Bean Design can be found at Magpie, a store in Somerville.)

Unrelated to the bedroom, I am also completely in love with this purse by Buttermilk Aviary and this cute little tote bag by An Untangled Web.
So that's it. Enjoy...and if you love me, let me know what you like, too!

New Jewelry and New Room

2007-09-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

I'm almost done moving back into my room at my parents' house! The desk and new printer are set up and my books are pretty much unpacked. My lightbox is put together and the backgrounds/props are put away, too. Truly thrilling.

Of course, I'll have to move back into the guest room temporarily because the plaster in one wall of my room has to be redone and then we're going to repaint.

Anyway, I posted a new pair of earrings today! Let me know what you all think:

Beadworks Boston!

2007-09-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to update this for a while since it's now been over a week since I went to Beadworks. I happened to be on Newbury Street and when we walked by, I just had to take a look. There are a lot of reasons to like this store: good selection of basic beads, well organized, apparently friendly and knowledgeable staff. Unfortunately, their selection of stone and semi-precious beads is fairly limited and the prices are on the high side. The beads were beautiful - there was a strand of faceted Russian Amazonite that I coveted - but I just didn't feel I could justify buying them, especially not right now since I haven't sold much recently.

I haven't been to Beadworks' other locations (one in Cambridge and one in Salem), but for some special and pretty beads, they do have some interesting choices, especially if you aren't concerned about price.

Musings

2007-09-20T19:49:00.000-05:00

I may not have mentioned this before, but, at age 23 I'm living with my parents again. I broke up with my now ex-boyfriend with whom I was living in Nashville, packed up my stuff (after he kicked me out for breaking up with him), and moved back to Boston. This should be a temporary (year long) stay until I start graduate school in fall 2008, but it's still a little embarrassing. To top it all off, I'm currently living in the guest room. My room still exists, however my aunt was staying with my parents while she underwent radiation for breast cancer and so she could save up some money. She's doing well now and gaining strength and officially moved into her new apartment on September first. Unfortunately, it is now the 20th and she's not completely out of my room. I can't set up my workspace, or even put my desk back together. My jewelry and supplies (not to mention my lightbox and tripod) are spread out over my parents' tv room.

*sigh*

I'd just like some space of my own again.

On the upside, I now get to go through my old things. I apparently still have all the scarves I crocheted while on a bit of a crocheting kick around my freshman year of college. I was never all that amazing at it, but they weren't awful, either. It's interesting to see the other crafty things I did before I started making jewelry!

New Earrings!

2007-09-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

Just posted today! I love these earrings, but, sadly, I can't keep them. They're made with chunky amazonite nuggets and pink opal briolettes with silver hammered rings at the top. The sea green amazonite and pink opal look amazing together and I plan to use both in future pieces. I'm becoming a big fan of the hammered circles, too; they add just the right amount of interest to the earrings.

I'll be posting more items in the next few days, both here and on my Etsy site.

A quick and non-jewelry related note

2007-09-18T14:56:00.000-05:00

I just had a snack of some of my mom's homemade applesauce. Why does no one make their own applesauce anymore? It's amazingly delicious and doesn't contain any preservatives or added sugar. Plus, you can add as much or little cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc. as you want :)

New Jewelry Pictures

2007-09-14T18:52:00.000-05:00

My brother was over for dinner the other night and we began to take pictures of my jewelry using his lightbox and very expensive SLR Digital Camera. Sadly, a lot of the pictures came out dark, but it's a good start:
This is a pair of Kiwi Jasper and Pink Opal earrings in silver. I'm still deciding if this is going to be the line I use to consign at O.A.K. on Newbury Street. I want to make sure that the earrings aren't too summery, since it's almost fall here in Boston. Any opinions? You can go to Miribella Designs to take a look at what else I have that might be more fall/winter appropriate, especially since the store won't be opening until November.

Promotional Materials

2007-09-07T17:13:00.000-05:00

I ordered new business cards on Wednesday from 123 Print. They arrived today and are lovely (Please note that the template is copywritten and belongs to 123 Print. I am only using this to show my new cards):

I'm very happy with how the cards themselves turned out. I might like a thicker cardstock for future orders, but I love the design and shipping was very reasonable compared to Vista Print.

And why did I get these new cards? Aside from the fact that my old ones have incorrect information on them and needed to be replaced anyway, I wanted to have professional cards ready for the South End Open Market this Sunday! I'll be there from 10 am until 4 pm sharing a booth with Jenn, whom I have never met, but seems very nice.

If you're in the Boston area, please stop by!

Glory's Creations!

2007-09-04T14:52:00.000-05:00

I need to thank Gloria of Glory's Creations for a beautiful custom ring that I hope to receive very soon. I cannot do complex wire wrapping, nor can I create settings through wire wrap techniques. Gloria does gorgeous work. I don't remember how I came across her shop (which, buy the way, can be found at http://www.gloryscreations.etsy.com), but I immediately saw a beautiful turquoise and gold fill wire wrap cabochon that I wanted. Unfortunately, it was a size 7.5 and I wear a size 6 ring, so I sent her a convo and we worked out a custom order where I picked out the cabochon and the color wire and size.

Beautiful, huh? I am so excited for this ring! Want to see it from another view?

Thank you again, Glory's Creations!

Back from New Hampshire

2007-09-03T13:23:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend in Durham, New Hampshire for my cousin's Bar Mitzvah. Durham's in interesting town; there's pretty much nothing there besides UNH and some farms. We stayed at The New England Center, which is UNH's confrerence center and is beautiful! It's a set of Frank Lloyd Wright-esque buildings set back in the woods. Nothing is regular or typical. The building has a honeycomb pattern in the halls and throughout the restaurant, The Acorn, which also had beautiful high ceilings with floor to ceiling windows that look out onto the woods. Of course, the service was very leisurely and took forever. At least the food was excellent, and well worth the wait.

On the drive back, we stopped in Dover for an excellent lobster dinner (I haven't had lobster in years since I don't really trust lobster in California), and then went on to Portsmouth for a bit of walking around. Despite the place being mobbed by people wanting to see Hillary and Bill Clinton, who were stopping by, we did get to see a bit of the town, and I found a little bead store. I bought a strand of purple glass briolettes and a strand of large faceted teardrops which were labeled as "pink opals." I have to check, but I don't think these are actually opals. They're beautiful stones, and the price was reasonable, so I bought them anyway, but I'll now have to figure out what they really are. I'll post pictures when I have them.

And the destash is still coming!

The Pear Tree

2007-08-30T19:32:00.000-05:00

This is a cute little bead store on Beacon Street in Brookline. It's had several locations over the years, all in the general vicinity of Coolidge Corner, but this one is probably the best as it's just down the street from Mint Julep, a great little boutique. Unfortunately The Pear Tree is not a great supply store for the serious jewelry designer. The selection is quite limited, and they don't label all of their stone beads. Those they do label are not always entirely correct; sadly, I encountered at least one "trade name" intended to mislead the buyer. In this case, it was "New Jade," which, in fact, is not jade at all. Whether or not the store knows this isn't for me to decide. The stone was still beautiful, a neon green, faceted oval bead, and I did buy a few since the price was reasonable, but I'm well aware that "New Jade" is not what it would seem to be.

Another thing I noticed is that they don't easily sell findings in larger quantities. There was, as always a sign that mentioned larger quantities available upin request. I may have to ask about that later. But I do wonder if I'm better off just continuing to buy findings online.

As an aside, I also didn't find the employees particularly helpful. I mean, they noticed when I was ready to buy something, but no one offered to help when I was looking around.

* * *
On another note, that boutique I went into? Mint Julep. Yeah, it turns out that a girl I went to college with works there. Awesome! I have no friends from high school left in Boston, so it's nice to meet people...especially people I already know!

Goings On

2007-08-29T22:51:00.000-05:00

On a personal note, while I'm still keeping the shop going, I recently broke up with my boyfriend of two years, so the past couple weeks have been pretty difficult. I'm actually feeling significantly better, however, as part of breaking up, I also just moved 2000 miles from Nashville back to Boston. Understandably, my jewelry workshop has not been set up again. I'll still be around Etsy, participating in the forums, but my first priority right now is finding a job here in Boston, and settling in, which I won't be able to do entirely for another couple weeks due to circumstances out of my control.

I have decided to take this time to destash, though. I have LOTS of beads that I've somehow aquired over the past few years that I know I'll never use. I've already started going through them and should be taking pictures soon, so definitely look out for the new Destash/Supplies Section!

Marketing!

2007-08-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

I have a new myspace for Miribella Designs. Please feel free to add me (http://www.myspace.com/miribelladesigns) to keep up to date on what's happening with the line.

On a related note, I'm proud to announce that Miribella Designs is officially a registered small business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts! I can now accept checks made out to Miribella Designs and can make wholesale purchases of beads, stones, findings, and other supplies, which helps lower prices for the consumer. Hopefully all the paperwork will arrive soon enough.

Bead Stores and Supplies

2007-08-22T15:32:00.000-05:00

It's been so long since I've lived in Boston, that I don't know where to go for supplies anymore. I just spent more time than I'd like to admit online researching stores in the surrounding area, so here's my list:

Ancient Moon, Watertown (http://ancientmoon.com/)
Bead & Pearl, Newton Centre (http://www.beadandpearl.com/)
Beadelz, Harvard Square (http://www.beadelz.com/)
Beadworks Boston (http://www.beadworksboston.com/)
Beadworks Cambridge (http://www.beadworkscambridge.com/)
Bead Art Resources, Newtonville (http://www.beadartresources.com/)
Built by Beads, Natick (@the Natick Mall) (http://www.builtbybeads.com/)
Crystal Blue Beading Company, Watertown (http://www.crystalbluebeading.com/)
Life's a Bead, Belmont (http://lifesabead.com/)
The Pear Tree, Brookline (http://www.thepeartreeofbrookline.com/)
Sarapaan, Wellesley (http://www.sarapaan.com/)

I'm already familiar with Bead Art Resources, which is a decent store in my hometown, but tends to be rather overpriced. I've been to Crystal Blue Beading Company and The Pear Tree a while ago and they were very nice stores that I'd go back to. I suspect that Ancient Moon is still closed and my be closed permanently; the building in which their store was housed burned down several years ago and another building replaced it. I don't think that Ancient Moon is in the new building.

I went over to Bead & Pearl today. It's a lovely store and very modern, but not really suited to anyone who makes jewelry as a profession. The beads are a little overpriced and they don't sell findings in any useful amount, though they did say that they might be able to work out a bulk order for me. There's a note about discounts for jewelry designers, but I rarely buy $100+ worth of supplies at once, so I'd never even get that discount. If someone wanted to make a single pair of earrings, this store might be a decent option, but not for a serious jewelry designer.

Announcements

2007-08-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

Miribella Designs has moved to Boston!
Due to some unforseen events, I no longer live in Nashville, and will now be based out of my hometown of Boston.

...on a related note,

Miribella Designs at the South End Open Market in Boston
I've got the dates of September 9th and October 21st (both Sundays) at the free Etsy spaces. More information about the market can be found at: http://southendopenmarket.com. Hope to see you there!

Lines and Limited Editions

2007-08-16T18:57:00.000-05:00

While sitting with my boyfriend in the orthopedist's office today (I'll explain in a moment), I had a thought. See, lots of people have such great titles for their pieces, but I'm just titling them by materials, and I'm bored with that, so I've decided to name my pieces by design.
So, without further ado...Introducing the West End line:

The West End Bracelet in ukanite and vintage brass.

The West End Bracelet in mother of pearl and silver.

And the West End necklace! I need to figure out what kind of stone this is....

So that's the new collection. Due to the fact that I only have so much of this pretty link chain, it's going to be a limited edition series. Come and get them...

Full Time Jobs

2007-08-15T11:38:00.000-05:00

I wish I could make a living off my jewelry, but I'm simply not at that point yet. Sadly, this means that I have to find a full time job in my new home of Nashville, TN. In contrast to jewelry design, my bachelors degree is (essentialy) in sociology of religion. I college, I studied the effects of religous belief on political decision making, and that's still something I find fascinating. I'm hoping to get an interview with a PR firm in Nashville that I know is hiring. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

It's interesting how little you really know about crafting as a full time position when the entirety of your experience comes from college craft shows. Back then we paid a $5-10 booth fee and maybe had to donate 10% of our revenue to a designated charity. The shows I've looked into here charge $400+ for a booth; I don't know if I'd even be able to make a profit on that kind of fee! Of course, I'm sure there is a range, and maybe, someday, I'll find someone to share the space with. That would be amazing!

Anyone in the Nashville area interested?

Drowning in Pictures

2007-08-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

I'm not a professional photographer. Seriously, I take all my pictures with a Pentax Optio S40 digital point and shoot camera, which, luckily, has a macro setting. Since I don't know about professional photography, I'm always concerned that my photos won't accurately or fairly represent my jewelry. Here is an original photo:

Not so great, right?

Well, here are the most recent pictures:

Hopefully these are better, but I suspect that they may not represent quite how the earrings will fall when worn. That's always the problem: How to balance artistic and practical necessities in pictures. I'm wondering if it might make the most sense to have one picture with the earring actually in my ear.

What's in a Name?

2007-08-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

It took me longer than expected to think of a name for my jewelry. I wanted something that reflects me and something that reflects the beauty of my jewelry. When I was a kid, my mother's best friend called me Mirabella, probably because my name is Miriam or because the magazine of the same name was popular when I was younger. Whichever the case, the name always stuck with me. When I was thinking about naming my jewelry company, I realized that Miribella (spelled with an "i" more similarly to my actual name) is perfect!

Miribella Designs.

Now, all I need is to figure out this whole marketing and promotions thing.

Beginnings

2007-08-11T19:33:00.000-05:00

This is not the beginning of me making jewelry, but it is the beginning of Miribella Designs, which, while I was in college, was known as Miribella Jewelry. I suppose you could say that making jewelry is in my blood; my grandmother was an antiques dealer and made jewelry from the findings of broken vintage pieces. My mother also made jewelry as a hobby, but both my mother and grandmother only made jewelry for themselves. I didn't begin to follow in their footsteps until I was in college, less than five years ago. As my collection grew, I realized that I had to do something with the large number of earrings, bracelets, and necklaces that had accumulated in my dorm room. What better than to start selling my jewelry at craft fairs on campus? I was surprised at my quick success.

Of course, the real world isn't anything like college. Making jewelry may or may not be my lifetime career, but it's still a passion, and learning how to market myself outside the college atmosphere is a new challenge.