Who is this elusive person? And how do you get their attention?

First you need to do an exercise: Close your eyes and visualize the person who is your ultimate customer. Now describe them and what their life looks like. You might be picturing someone you already know or it could be an imaginary combination of different people you've met. Sometimes this is a good exercise to do collaboratively with people in your business, your family members, or your best girl friend. Those individuals might have insights and ideas that you haven't thought about. After you have an image of your customer answer the following questions and write down the answers to review later:

1. What is their age?
2. Are they local, national, or international customers?
3. What region or area do they live in—north, south, east, or west?
4. Are they female or male?
5. What is their level of education?
6. What is their income?
7. Are they rural, urban, or suburban?
8. What do they spend their discretionary money on? Where do they love to shop?
9. Do they have any special interests, professions, or characteristics? Maybe they love horses. Do they garden? Are they mothers? Brides-to-be? Gay? Do they play an instrument? Are they college students? Do they love to fish or go to the opera? Are they are architects, nurses, or teachers?
10. Are they collectors or do they only purchase jewelry occasionally? Are they impulse buyers?
11. Are they seasonal consumers (such as people who purchase a piece of jewelry as a momento on a vacation) or year-around buyers?

Now that you have a pretty solid image of the person who is your target market, let’s take this information and use it to figure out where to find them and how to get their attention. Again, get your pen and jot down as many of these answers as you can:

Earrings by jewelry Elizabeth Garvin Fine

1. How do you get your jewelry in front this specific customer? Magazines? Direct mail? Email? Events? Home jewelry parties? Small jewelry boutiques? Word-of-mouth? Through an awesome website? In a local retail gallery or boutique? At craft shows?
2. What would attract your customer's attention? Coupons? Your metalsmithing process? Branding? Collectibles and one-of-a-kind pieces? Fashionable or trendy jewelry? Pieces that are handmade? Jewelry that's made in America? Pieces with symbolic meaning? Your choice of gemstones?
3. What type of websites, magazines, newspapers, blogs, newspapers, radio, or facebook pages do they read or follow? Where do they get their information?
4. What types of events do they attend?
5. What types of organizations, associations, educational institutions, churches, or clubs do they belong to? Are they members of their local museum, theater, or symphony?
6. What restaurants, events, recreational facilities, and stores do they frequent?
7. What do they want from a buying experience? Do they like to sit down and browse at a leisurely pace? Do they love the craft show experience? Do they want to buy handmade from a website like Etsy? Are they looking for a bargain at a discount store? Will they buy at a church bazaar? Is a personal home-jewelry event or trunk show where they're likely to spend? Would they prefer to speak directly to the maker or to a trusted retail location? Do they love the convenience of a user-friendly and sophisticated website with beautiful photographs?

Put the "Ultimate Customer Profile" you've created, somewhere that it can easily be found. As your product line develops, your ultimate customer may also evolve. That's okay. It's important to begin now by defining who would buy your work. Through this exercise you'll have the opportunity to "meet" your customer, get to know them, learn what they like, and think seriously about WHY they would eventually feel compelled to purchase your jewelry.

If for example, you are designing a "mother’s ring" you should consider advertising in a local PTA or library newsletter or displaying your work at a church bazaar or maternity clothing shop. If your ultimate customer yearns for jewelry with a southwest flair, do as one of my clients did, and rent a booth at a local horse show! Or as another friend did when she rented a table at an SPCA "adopt a pet" event to sell her puppy and kitty pendants. I made fun of her until I found out that in a few hours, and with very little investment, she managed to sell a lot of jewelry.

Once you have the "who" and "why" figured out, you can begin searching for appropriate and affordable venues to get your work in front of them.

How have you discovered who your ideal customer is? Do you have any successful outside-the-box strategies for getting your work in front of them? Please DO share your experience!

This month’s submissions were impressive and wildly diverse! They included some really exciting and experimental copper chasing/repousse, a spinning woven bead ring, a jasper belt buckle complete with horse and cactus, and some bold, colorful resin bangles! All that and MORE too—check it out for yourself!

And the winner this month is Erin Austin of Eureka, CA. Here’s what Erin had to say about what she’s been working on lately:

I’m currently working on some new pieces featuring partial bezels/alternative bezels and beach pottery. My mom collected a good bit of this tumbled pottery on a trip to Mexico and I’ve been thinking about incorporating it in my works for a couple of years now, but just couldn’t seem to make it work. Similarly, I was an assistant for a surface embellishment workshop last summer and in my down time created a few etched and roller printed bezels that have also been waiting for the perfect project.

Enter the Brooch A Week challenge taking place on Flickr this year! I tend to go exploring with these challenges, but I also like to work through a design a few times. Up until now my brooches have mainly dealt with exploring the fibula and then moving parts, but last week I suddenly knew that I needed to pull out the pottery and roller printed bezels. 

They are open on the back so the wearer can still have contact with the tumbled tile.
I’m still working out their chains, but so far I’m pleased.

Thanks for reading!

I visited Erin’s Etsy Store, Erin Austin Design—where she calls herself a "Small Metals Artist" (which suits her!) and what I found inspired me. Erin’s work is inventive, outside-the-box, wearable, and prolific. Don’t be surprised if you see me walking down the street in an Erin Austin Design sometime next week! Several of her pieces have already made their way to my shopping cart.

Here are a few favorites:

Clockwise from top left: Copper Brooch with Brass Rivet, Sterling Silver and Iolite Earrings, Sterling Silver Bracelet, riveted and finished with a deep patina, and Fold Formed Brass Earrings

Now it's your turn to show us what you're working on. What inspires you these days? What materials are you dying to work with? Add a comment to this post with photos of something that's on your bench right now. This next part is REALLY important, so take notes!

WE NEED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IN ORDER FOR YOUR ENTRY TO BE CONSIDERED:

1. 1.Your full name (and a link to your website/Etsy store, if you like)
2. A photo of your chosen project. Include a few photos if you like!
3. A description of the project you're featuring. If you can include a little about your approach or technique, even better! Your fellow jewelers LOVE to read this stuff and so do we.
4. After you add your comment, be sure to check back and make sure your photo has uploaded as it should. We don't want to miss your pic!

Enter and you might be spending an extra 10 bucks at Rio Grande this time next month. Our next winner will be in the spotlight in June—Amy, over at Rio's facebook page will keep you posted on the deadline, so stay tuned!

I recently caught up with Marina Babić –2012 first place winner in the bead category—and  asked her how she got started in jewelry art and what she’s doing now.

This sterling neckpiece, part of Marina’s “vine series” in her online gallery, won first place in the bead category in the 2012 SBDA competition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsmx1ws46t4

In this video from 2012, Marina describes the process of creating her award-winning design. She says, "It was almost begging to have something growing out of it." It’s as if her designs come to life and flourish.

As I admire Marina’s designs, I see that she has mastered the art of contouring metal. When asked to describe her designs in three words she immediately came back with "clean, classic, and curvilinear." Her pieces mimic the beautiful curves that occur abundantly in flowers, leaves, butterflies and vines. These forms are captured repeatedly in Marina’s metals of choice.

Bernadette Bennett: What is your favorite metal and why?

Marina's Lacy Bangle from her Flourishing series was created using the anticlastic raising technique.

Marina Babic: I really like 18K gold because of its warm color. The color seems to look great with a lot of other materials and stones.

BB: How did you stumble upon jewelry making?

MB: I attended a fine arts program at the Art Centre in Toronto, ON, where I focused on figurative sculpture. Once I started working in bronze, I fell in love with the metal. I had much more control than working with plaster or cement fondue. I enrolled in a Jewelry Arts Program at George Brown College in Toronto. Once I learned goldsmithing and started making jewelry, I never looked back.

BB: What are you working on now?

MB: I am still exploring the anticlastic raising technique. The process of the forming creates these beautiful curvilinear lines in my work. These lines and the process itself are where I draw inspiration for my designs.

These graceful rings are part of Marina's Flourishing Series.

Another project Marina recently completed was a collaboration with Sally McCubbin, a Toronto-based glass artist. Marina and Sally collaborated on this metal and glass window panel. Each of the units are about 7 inches in diameter and it was created for an exhibition at the Design Exchange that is in conjunction with the SNAG Conference.

McCubbin Tesselation is a glass and metal window panel. It was a collaboration between Marina Babić and Sally McCubbin.

Come visit The Studio every Wednesday through May as we continue to follow up with past Saul Bell Design Award winners! Also, take a look at all of our past winners on the Saul Bell Design Award webpage.

Gold-filled square wire wrapped around orange CZ

Gold has some of everything that other metals have and brings it all together like no other metal does. It is conductive, resistant to corrosion, malleable, ductile, and biocompatible; it is a catalyst; it has unique nanoscale properties, which means that it may enable some amazing new technologies. For those of you who like to geek out on stuff like this, here is a link to a PDF all about gold and nanotechnology. (Yes, I'll be reading this as soon as I get home. Seriously, this looks fascinating. Now, back to gold jewelry…)

I’ve heard that gold represents perfection and the quest to perfect, illuminate, and refine. Because of its resistance to heat and acid, it is a symbol of power, strength and perfection. And, in ancient times, gold symbolized balance.

Pope Francis made a statement by choosing to wear a gold-plated silver ring instead of the traditional solid (sometimes heavily ornate) gold papal ring. (Pope Pius IX wore a diamond-encrusted self-portrait cameo as his not-so-modest gold ring). Pope Francis also replaced the high-end Prada shoes that popes before him have traditionally worn with locally made shoes—one of the many outward acts of modesty he has demonstrated since the white smoke rose to signal his election. Okay, I see what he's doing; and there is something to be said about modesty for each of us when it comes to what we wear and how we present ourselves. Perhaps he is making a statement about moderation and balance in the face of the gold prices we’ve seen these past several years!

Gold-Filled and Quartz Grooved Doublet Earrings Project

Which brings me back to gold and makes me think about how gold-filled is such an amazing alternative. The beauty of gold-filled is that you get the best benefits and characteristics of gold—such as corrosion resistance and that 14-karat luster—without the weighty price tag. It is today’s increasingly popular way to add to your jewelry collection, to enjoy more choices, to look and feel your confident best, and to do all that affordably.

One of my favorite rings is a gold-filled wire-wrapped ring that I made a couple of years ago with a little (actually a lot of) help from Dale Nichols in one of his wire-wrapping classes (Rio Grande offers some terrific instructional DVDs by Dale). For a project that doesn’t require a class, check out this gold-filled earring project recently posted on riogrande.com that's made with gold-filled wire and findings available from Rio.

Rio Grande offers a growing array of sheet, wire, findings, components, and more in gold-filled for you to choose from. And not only in the traditional yellow, but also in rose and white. The opportunities to turn your design imagination loose with the bright warmth of gold have never been more timely or more fun than right now.

What have gold-filled materials done for your design work in the last year or two? What's your favorite gold-filled creation? Share a photo, if you like; we’d love to see!

Michelle and Dennis Sims of Alaska Scrimshaw Connection

Now travel south to the "lower forty-eight." In the 1950s, Dennis Sims, a Southern California boy, developed a love for nature. He hunted and fished on a friend’s 1,700 acre property. In high school he met a teacher, a rock hound, who taught a creativity class. Students could throw pots in class, or paint, or they could choose another creative endeavor. Dennis chose silversmithing; he selected cuts of agate, set them in rings and pendants, and sold them to his teachers.

After eight or so years, Dennis left Southern California to become a master machinist in Arkansas. He returned to California to practice as a master machinist for several shops until, one day, his wife said, "Let’s go to Alaska."

That changed everything. It pulled together all of his talents, at the perfect time, in the perfect place.

So, in the mid-1970s, Dennis, his wife, their one-year-old child, and their German Shepherd-Doberman traveled north from California on the Alaska Highway in a camper he built with his own hands. He was around 22 years old. He secured a job in Anchorage picking up undeveloped photo film from customers in the afternoon and delivering the developed photos the next morning. He made and sold beaded jewelry on the side. (His California sister and her boyfriend, who had lots of beads, gave him some.) In Anchorage, he serendipitously met Alaskan Native artist Leonard Savage, who said to him, "Stop trying to sell those beads. Do this instead."

"This" was creating scrimshaw, and it became Dennis’s calling.

Scrimshaw is the art of carving or engraving on ivory or bone, then highlighting the design with pigment. The old sailing needle on whale’s teeth, darkened with candle black, soot, or tobacco juice as a way to while away the time on the high seas, gave way to today’s fine gravers on fossilized ivory and synthetic composites, darkened with inks and patinas. Did you know that a maker of scrimshaw is called a "scrimshander"? It is an old and beautiful art form.

So, Leonard Savage asked Dennis, "Can you carve?" "No," admitted Dennis.  "But can you draw?" asked Leonard.  "Yes," replied Dennis, "I can draw."

The conversation turned Dennis onto the fork in his path that became his calling. It took place at a jewelry store called Sims. (No relation to the young Dennis from Southern California with his camper and his wife and infant and dog.) Leonard instructed Dennis to buy a scrimshaw book at the used bookstore next door and to use it to learn about scrimshaw. Dennis bought the book and also a pound of ivory from Leonard. He scrimshawed on the side while he continued to pick up and deliver film.

Before long, Dennis was making more money selling scrimshaw earrings and other pieces than he was delivering photos. And that’s when he dedicated himself full-time to working as a scrimshaw artist.

Those are the roots of Alaska Scrimshaw Connection in Houston, Alaska, the business that Dennis and his wife, Michelle, now own. Scrimshaw is legal and acceptable as a native and native-inspired art. Dennis and Michelle sell and distribute within the U.S. only, and no animals are hurt because he works entirely with fossilized walrus ivory. Michelle runs the business and makes jewelry that incorporates the scrimshaw that Dennis creates using the same gravers he purchased from Rio Grande thirty years ago. Alaska Scrimshaw Connection also sells artifacts and beautiful ivory carvings created by none other than artist Leonard Savage. It’s a perfect collaboration of talent and friendship and produces art and jewelry richly steeped in Alaskan culture.

The Connection distributes throughout Alaska, selling scrimshaw ax heads and knives at Corrington Alaskan Ivory in Skagway, Alaska. The business also sells jewelry, art, and artifacts to tourists at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and the entire line of Princess Lodges throughout Alaska.

Dennis and Michelle are longtime friends of Rio Grande. Here are a few examples of Dennis’s spectacular artwork:

Dennis Sims’ scrimshaw wolf on fossilized walrus ivory

Dennis Sims’ scrimshaw tiger on fossilized walrus ivory

What’s your jewelry story? Where has your artistic path taken you? How did you get to where you are today? We would love to hear from you!

2012 Foldform Competition 1st prize: Undersea Candelabra by Rauni Higson

The online submission form, added this year, makes it easy to enter. Visit the Foldform Call for Entries announcement page at the Center for Metal Arts website to get all the details for entering. Entries will be evaluated by a jury including Charles Lewton-Brain, Hazel Wheaton, editor of Art Jewelry Magazine, and Edward Mack, award-winning metalsmith and director of the Center for Metal Arts. From the pool of entries, the jury will choose the best four designs.

A preview screening of all of the entries will be presented at a dinner to be held at the Seligmann Center for the Arts in Sugar Loaf, NY. The top entries will be presented in a 2013 Jurors’ Choice video. In addition, the publication of an art book of curated entries from the competition will follow the conference.

Find out who the winners are on August 5, 2013, at the Sixth Annual Charles Lewton-Brain Conference at the Center for Metal Arts in Florida, NY. Winners will also be posted online at the Center for Metal Arts blog and on the Center’s Facebook page.

The conference is an opportunity for foldforming artists to work with and learn directly from Charles Lewton-Brain, the pioneer of modern foldforming techniques that are best described as "a creative combination of origami with other forming techniques." To register to attend the conference and to learn more about the conference, visit Center for Metal Arts.com.

We recently caught up with master jeweler, Thomas Dailing, to see what he’s been up to since his impressive win of the 2008 Saul Bell Design Award. His grand prize winning piece, “Nautilus,” wowed the judges and attendees alike with its brilliant use of a white gold, parabolic reflecting dish that transforms the piece as your angle of view changes.

Left: Nautilus from the side. Right: Nautilus from the front

Originally created on the drafting table over the course of two years, "Nautilus" featured a 3.76 ct., faceted red tourmaline Phantom Spinner™ (cut by friend and mentor Richard Homer) set in a semi-bezel cast from a hand-carved wax model that spiraled outward to the edge of the pendant. The piece was fabricated from both 18K yellow and 14K white gold. It included a bezel-set .03-ct. round diamond held in a white gold tube that passes through the tourmaline. The fifth version of "Nautilus" is in the Smithsonian!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm5qKEc7Jcw

These days Tom says he’s "busy as all get out!" with commissioned pieces, developing new ideas and collecting new awards. Tom shared that he’s gotten better at envisioning his new creations—now (instead of two years at a drafting table) he’s perfecting them over a much shorter period. He describes himself as the "classic daydreamer" who, because he’s already worked through the design concept in his head, has no fear when it comes to creating.

Tom is currently focusing on ring designs in part because of the challenges involved. "With pendants you can pretty much do whatever you want, but rings have to fit the finger, be comfortable and ergonomic, and still be beautiful," he shared. Tom decided that men’s jewelry is in need of an update and has begun a new line for gentlemen.

Two rings from Tom's recent gentlemen's collection

Tom combines his innate jewelry making skills with a finely tuned sense of engineering, sculpture and architecture to create his amazing hand-carved/hand-made pieces. And since he absolutely loves the creative process, each day is an exciting adventure of experimentation and discovery. Tom says, "I want to habitually challenge my abilities!"

So how are you challenging your abilities? Have you designed a piece for the Saul Bell Design Award?

There are myriad ways to add color to your work, including finishing your metals, and there are so many metals and textured finishes to choose from, such as PMC in silver, bronze, copper, and gold. Following is a list of great links to posts from our archive here on The Studio, all of which touch upon metal finishing options and I've also thrown in some PMC inspiration for fun:

For the Blackest Black: Kliar E-Coating Extreme Black
Show Your True Colors: The Stunning Palette of Kliar E-Coating
In The Spotlight: Steve Joslin Shares The Joy of Gilders Paste
Electroplating: Add Flash AND Combat High Metals Prices
Blogs We Love: PMC Sterling Grab Bag  (See the many looks of PMC Sterling!)

Also, you might enjoy a few color resources, including our 2013 Color Trends resource on Rio's website, and SwatchMatic, a free app for Androids from Google. You can use SwatchMatic to make color swatches of objects in your environment for play and inspiration.

Consider these combinations, and tell us what inspires you!

Black Mother-of-Pearl  + Sterling Silver + London Topaz

Almandine Garnet + MIDAS Black-Brown Patina + Amethyst

  White Mother-of-Pearl + Silver and Copper Mokume Gane + Wood

Onyx and Crystals + Kliar E-Coating Extreme Black + Pink Druzy Quartz

Red Amber + Sterling Silver + Green Aventurine

Anastasia Topaz + 14K Yellow Gold + Peridot

Bronze Simulated Pearl + Bronze (in Urchin Pattern) + Lemon Quartz

Created Opal + Silver Filled Sheet + Green-Gold Murano Glass

Grey Pearl  +  White Gold and Argentium Silver Mokume Gane + Champagne CZ

So, what are some tried and true color combinations that you like to use in your jewelry? How have your favorite colors evolved over time? Do they reflect your environment? What’s the wildest color combination that has worked well in your creations? Share your color inspiration with us!

Hallelujah. We’ve been waiting.

This is not to say that there has not been a niche market for men’s jewelry and accessories, since bolos, and inlays in knife handles, and hand-hewn belt buckles are not new and never seem to go out of style for most men. But note the observation of rocker-inspired British designer Stephen Webster, who talks about his frustration ten years ago, when the market’s lack of interest in his men’s jewelry collection meant only a small line at Neiman Marcus and nowhere else (JCK Magazine, Guy & Sell: The Booming Men’s Jewelry Market, March 2013).

Looking online today, we see that this is not the case anymore. Webster (with flagship stores from Rodeo Drive to Kiev) has men’s jewelry collections at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and many more. The tide has turned.

Not only are the old standards still hot items (with new design flair), but bracelets are making a huge statement as a very masculine layering element. Check out the following sites, including Rio Grande’s Men’s Jewelry and Accessories Board on Pinterest, to see what’s going on out there.

• Rio Grande’s Men’s Jewelry and Accessories Board on Pinterest
• Tiffany and Co.
• Dolan Bullock
• Bloomingdales (See these amazing bracelets!)
• Neiman Marcus’ Mens Shop (Don’t miss the pendants section.)
• David Yurman
• Todd Reed
• Louis Vuitton
• GQ Magazine (Look at these great chains!)

Now let's take this a step further and turn some of your men’s jewelry ideas into reality! Rio Grande’s Yvonne M. Padilla, Mark Nelson, and Ashli Brooke Taylor have provided some great, do-able men’s fashion projects to get you started. In fact, they're hoping that these will inspire you to create a men's line all your own! Take a look at all the Men's Jewelry and Accessory Projects. We’ve put together step-by-step instructions and material lists to make it easy. Here's a preview:

Quick 'n Custom Leather Cord Bracelet with Skull Charms Project

The bracelets in the inspiration links listed above incorporate their share of skulls, talons, crosses, and more, not to mention leather cords; layers, layers, layers; and standout clasps. Yvonne has captured all of those elements here, making a very masculine bracelet that you can personalize and take in many directions. Make your own Leather Cord with Skull Charms Bracelet.

Textured Money Clip Project

This project is a bit more advanced and involves a Durston Rolling Mill, but the results are outstanding and we think this rolling mill is a must have for SO many jewelry projects. Intrigued? Make your own Textured Money Clip!

"Band Together" Sterling Men's Belt Project

If you can solder, you can make this Sterling Men's Belt. And remember, the basic steps of making this belt are the perfect springboard to making a belt design that’s all your own!

"Unite and Conquer" Mokume Gane Men's Tie Bar Project

Bending metal never looked so amazing. The man who wears a tie bar wants to not only keep his tie in place and look put-together in all settings, but he wants to express himself with a little touch of polish that others might choose to leave behind. We’ve recently seen these on Justin Timberlake, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Jimmy Fallon. Need we say more? Check out the details of the Mokume Gane Men's Tie Bar Project.

"Shake It Up" Men's Beaded Necklace Project

This Men's Beaded Necklace Project is chic with an industrial edge, and beads on leather cord are very popular with guys right now. Learn how to make your own beads—and let your mind wander to other items that you might turn into beads!

Fabric-Covered Men's Cuff Link Project

This is a classic, and you'll have the opportunity to personalize it with your choice of fabric. You might find yourself losing sleep to stay up all night making dozens of Fabric-Covered Men's Cuff Links!

"Tailor Made" Stone-Set Sterling Silver Men's Cuff Link Project

An accessory for the sophisticated gentleman! Imagine all of the color combinations for this classic, ever-popular cuff link project. There are a thousand ways to make this your own.

Let us help make men’s jewelry happen in your studio. We have resources for you!

1. Visit our Men’s Jewelry page on the Rio Grande website. It lists everything you need for your own men’s jewelry projects.
2. Get inspired by our Men’s Jewelry and Accessories Pinterest board.
3. On May 10, join Mark Nelson and Sessin Durgham "face-to-face" on a Google hangout! They'll be there to answer your men’s jewelry design questions. Email us at hangout@riogrande.com if you’d like to join us!

And finally, Enter our contest to win a pair of CraftOptic telescopes with a DreamBeam LED lamp! A great tool to help you see what you’re working on.

Here's how to enter the Contest:

• Take photos of your own men’s jewelry creations.
• Create a Pinterest board with them (it’s fun and easy!).
• Email us a link to your board at pinterest@riogrande.com, and you’re entered to win!

Mark Nelson and Sessin Durgham will judge the entries and announce the winners in our June 13 blog post here on The Studio. (Plus, we’ll pin your images like crazy!)

These are your tools! Now, stay in touch, make some jewelry, and sell your amazing designs!

"Bubble Necklace" 2003 Second Place Winner, Silver

It's that time of year! In just over a month, we will be recognizing the winners of the 2013 Saul Bell Design Award competition at a gala dinner during JCK Las Vegas. Until then, The Studio is visiting with past winners to report on what they’ve been up to. Check back every Wednesday!

I’m reminded (again) why I love my job this time of year. I've been at Rio since the Saul Bell Design Award competition’s inception in 2001, and since that time I've interviewed dozens of designers who remind me why I love what I do, why I love navigating around the gears of the artistic mind.

Chihiro Makio of 314studio also loves her job. What Chihiro may not know until she reads this post is that her love of her craft actually comes through in every piece she makes. Look at a Chihiro Makio piece and I challenge you not to smile.

It was during my first interview with Chihiro when she won her first award for second place in the silver category with her playful Bubble Necklace that I witnessed the guiltless pleasure she takes in designing her award-winning pieces. "After all where's the fun if you can't play with your jewelry?" I remember her saying about the jingling noise the loose beads under glass lenses made when you gently shook the necklace.

Two years later when she won first place for Orange Necklace, I got to take a peek into her studio. Along with the other winners that year, she sent video footage for us to edit into a presentation for the awards gala. This here was the studio of a happy artist. Her plants and orange tree (the inspiration for her winning piece), all named of course, share her space and are as precious to her as the pieces she was forming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nGUHMrVnZo

Finally, in 2012, as the final pieces arrived, I knew Chihiro’s as soon as I saw it. How? Because that "Strand of Planets" necklace made me smile.

Recently, I got in touch with Chihiro to hear about what she's been up to. 

Shelby Chant: Your line has grown so much! What are you most proud of?

Chihiro Makio: I have to say it’s my Klimt series. I consider it my ultimate creation in the hand-stitched technique. Unfortunately it’s not my best seller; it’s labor intensive and I lose money from making them. But I am still very proud of that line. My "Flora" series has developed considerably, to the point it’s becoming my new "signature" line after the "orange and lotus" look.

Chihiro's "Strand of Planets"

SC: Do you feel your design “style” has changed since we first talked?

CM: I think so…it’s very hard to make "art" when I still have to run my jewelry business and make a living...I'm constantly fighting between a "creative" and "realistic/marketable" look. Often I have to settle somewhere in between. I cared less about that when I was younger and just starting out. I miss those days. I try to think less as a business person when I work on a "big" piece though... It’s my goal to pour all my creative energy to that one piece a year so that I can be relieved!

SC: Do you feel there’s a common thread in your jewelry design?

CM: The only common thing that I can say throughout the pieces may be a "stylized version of natural forms" or "clean cut lines with delicate details." I do like details, and my work is never very simple to make. I take pleasure in the challenge of making the pieces and figuring out the solution for completing it.

SC: What other artistic endeavors are you enjoying?

CM: I'm still in love with glassblowing. My husband is a glassblower and runs a little school for adults. I take his classes just to stay in the loop. I've gotten a lot better at it than 15 years ago when I started in college, but nowhere near where I can combine it in my metal work yet. Glass is so fluid and completely opposite of metal to work with. It used to be so frustrating but now I enjoy the difference.

Left: "River Cuff" from Klimt series. Right: "Charm Ring" from Flora series. Both photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen.

I’m also back into playing piano. It’s like a recharging of my brain. And kind of stretching my fingers. There is no direct benefit to my career, I suppose but I just love playing music.

Chihiro’s terrariums…another source of inspiration.

SC: What has winning the Saul Bell Design Award competition done for you as an artist?

CM: It definitely gave me confidence and recognition as an artist. Making art is such a personal thing, and I would do it whether other people like it or not, but it is certainly assuring and rewarding when people recognize your work and approve of it. It makes me feel thrilled to be a part of community of other creative people.

SC: What keeps you creative and creating?

CM: I ALWAYS loved making stuff. Even if I'm not making jewelry, I knit, sew, draw, sculpt, something else for fun. I am so lucky to be able to do what I do. Money is tight right now and certainly not the easiest way to make a living, but I absolutely would not have it any other way.

I'm also making terrariums for fun. I made some last year for presents (succulents and moss terrariums in a glass containers that my husband and I blew) and it was a big hit. It’s a miniature world in a glass container.

SC: What new techniques/ideas have you been trying out lately?

CM: I started using pavé diamond charms and rose-cut stones lately. I always stayed away from stones because I felt the stones tend to be a focal point of work and would take away from creative forms….I kind of found a solution. I still form my shapes to be the main thing, and add stones as an "accent."…It may be an excuse to use all the stones that I collected over the years though...But I have to go for what I'm excited to make at times otherwise what’s fun in it? [sound familiar?]

Thanks, Chihiro, for spending some time with me. As always, I leave inspired.

Tell us about competitions you’ve entered! And have you ever entered the Saul Bell Design Award competition? To learn more and see all our past winners, visit saulbellaward.com.

"Spirograph Necklace" with pavé diamonds. Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen