Jewels of the Earth — The Lexington Line

Fashion is constantly changing—there will always be new styles or new brands, but if you’re seeking to change your look, you can never go wrong with finding the perfect pieces to accessorize with. Think of it as the last touch to creating your “personal brand.” Jewelry may be viewed as “eye candy,” but it is also a big part of who we are. Whether you decide to wear something bold to make a statement, wear something minimalistic, or simply have a piece handed down to you, having a unique selection of jewelry is the best way to express yourself individually.

There are so many varieties of jewelry to choose from, so why not customize the pieces to your liking or invest in a unique, one-of-a-kind handmade piece of jewelry. According to JewelSmiths, “Custom jewelry, on the other hand, is crafted to the highest possible standard. Each piece has its own unique CAD design, wax mock-up, and unique mold. The results look exceptionally better, but, yes, sometimes they cost a little more.” Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of a computer to guide modifications, creation, analysis, or optimization of a design. Throughout time, jewelry has been engraved, beaded, knitted, painted, or sequined.

With each individual piece, an artisan develops a personal relationship to jewelry and the design process.

So what natural materials are being used for handmade jewelry? The most common materials used are glass, wood, polymer clay or even plastics. So let’s hear from a few artisans who hand make jewelry with materials such as polymer clay, resin, and sea glass and learn their creative process behind their unique jewelry.

Tiana Washington is a Chicago native, born & raised in the western suburbs. In 2009, she attended Columbia College in Chicago, for Fashion Retail Management. Later, she switched to Arts, Entertainment & Media Management with a minor in Marketing Communications. About halfway through her education, she realized she wanted to broaden her understanding of management within the art world. After college, she went into the Events Management and Hospitality field. But, she wasn’t sure if she would ever find her way back to the arts.

Like many, she started her brand 29 Revolutions Studio during the pandemic as a form of self-care. “Navigating the latest COVID-19 updates, stay-at-home mandates, business shutdowns, and Breonna Taylor and George Floyd protests was emotionally draining. 29 Revolutions Studio’s initiative is to ‘Strongly believe that what you put out into the world is what you receive and that all humans should strive to simply do good.’ As a queer, Black, nature-loving woman, the causes closest to my heart are those involving nature preservation, female empowerment, support of LGBTQ+ communities, and support of black & brown communities.”

Washington explains that ten percent of sales are donated to the Lighthouse Foundation, which is a Black Queer-led, multiracial social injustice organization that particularly advocates justice for Black LGBTQ+ people in the Chicago area through empowerment, education, and entertainment.

29 Revolutions Studio primarily uses polymer clay, resin, beads, sea glass, and a few gemstones. The creative process for Tiana’s work is very loose. Her ideas are very spur of the moment, which makes them so unique and beautiful. Such as her most popular pieces include the “Jessica,” stained glass earrings, and the “Erykah” made from polymer clay. However, the piece that turns the most heads is her goldfish earrings.

“A lot of my smaller but equally unique pieces seem to find their forever homes within a much broader age range, around probably 18-55. I've shared my art with both men and women from all walks of life.” says Washington.

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Source:29 Revolutions Studio

As an artisan, Washington allows self-love, mother nature, and fearless women to inspire her jewelry pieces. “I, of course, draw inspiration from nature and incorporate a ton of pressed florals and water themes into my work. And I name my pieces after the women in my life that inspire me, whether that be friends, family, customers, or role models.” In all of her pieces, she uses genuine pearls and gemstones rather than faux materials and a little bit of both her soul and heart, which is poured into every single piece. What better way to share beauty than the one she takes in from around her.

Angela Steinman, a Long Island graduate student who studies social work, recently started her own handmade earring business called AccentsbyAng around the start of the pandemic. Initially, Angela turned to creating jewelry with both resin and clay as a way to keep her mind busy while the world was on pause.

“I didn’t know anything when I first started; it was all self-taught. I actually did not watch any videos of how to make jewelry. I kind of just started playing around with it and went for it,” says Steinman. On a day she is getting ready to ship out her orders, the jewelry making and packaging process takes around two to four days. Her process is intimate because she is dedicated to detail. Her jewelry gives her a sense of pride because she gets to look back on what she’s achieved and how far she has come. Making earrings became a part of self-care for Steinman. She mentions, “I have really bad anxiety and struggle with mental health, and this gives me a good outlet to relax.”

Having your own business is a challenge within itself, especially in the financial aspect. The more products you make, and the more you sell, costs go up in price because you are purchasing more material at a rapid pace. Oddly enough, Steinman’s jewelry is like baking. She rolls out clay with a pasta maker, cuts them to the shape desired, and into the oven they go.

Source: Instagram

Everyone has different personalities and reasons for owning their own business. There are so many small jewelry businesses out in the world and all over social media, but at the end of the day, it really comes down to the person behind the brand. Expressing your creative side is truly key. Angela mentions, “A lot of people have a set theme for their jewelry collections that they do which is either boho or very bold. Not having the set aesthetic or theme really sets me aside from everyone else.”

“Investing yourself in your business must come with the right reasons. If you’re doing it for just quick money, there is not really a point to it. You have to like what you’re doing in order to make money. Because putting your worth beyond your product is how you allow others to fall in love with your work,” states Steinman.

Learning how to budget and marketing is a huge challenge. With the handmade jewelry business, it’s hard to tell what consumers really want. It can also be a challenge to try and engage with potential customers, which is why many businesses offer customization options.

Boatran Tran, a first-generation university student who is an immigrant from Vietnam and now a resident of Arizona, is also a jewelry maker. Tran is a full-time registered nurse at the progressive care unit in the hospital who has a side business in jewelry. Tran makes jewelry when she has spare time. Growing up, her family always prioritized education. Having a business of her own was never really in the picture. Since the beginning of her childhood, she has always been infatuated with crafting. Whether it was watercolor painting, acrylic painting, embroidering, and crocheting, she wanted to experiment with these materials.

Similar to many, Tran found herself very bored over the course of quarantine and resorted to a creative outlet known as her company, Polymorph. She was self-taught by YouTube videos and saw a way in which polymer clay can become these beautiful pieces. Thus, her brand Polymorph was born. This brand specializes in making jewelry out of polymer clay, this type of clay is a very versatile medium.

Being from Vietnam, Tran has dedicated a lotus flower collection which symbolizes who she is and where she came from. As Tran explained the lotus flower represents the national flower of Vietnam, which is a symbol for divine beauty.

Source: Instagram & PolyMorph

Tran is also a strong believer in sustainability and goes out of her way to delay the process of recycling. “I can’t control transportation, and I also can’t control what the consumer throws away, but I can control the amount of waste used. I package my products with 100% reusable material, which cuts down a step in the recycling process. All my boxes are those that I have received from shipping, collected from friends and family, or I make it myself. I even cut up magazines to be used as tissue paper.

When you're creating, you should make things that you are generally proud of. As long as you follow the trends, make smart decisions for your business, and be true to yourself, you can be successful. Chasing money is not worth it. If you decide that you want a business just for the sake of being a money maker, it will not flourish because “people can spot ingenuity from a mile away,” says Tran.

Robyn Romanoff is a Long Island artisan who collects sea glass right off the beach and turns them into beautiful necklaces known as Roro’s Sea Glass Jewelry. Sea glass is a product that is both man-made and one directly from nature. It first begins as bottles, or shards of glass that are carelessly left on the beach, waves then tumble the glass creating the colorful gems. Romanoff first gained the fascination over sea glass as a child but never truly understood what it was. In college, she rediscovered her passion for sea glass and fell in love with the idea of searching for new pieces, such as a treasure hunt, searching for objects that are of value, or simply to collect and store.

Romanoff spends mornings on the beaches of Long Island before work, “Everything I do is super personal, it’s my time walking onto the beach, picking up each piece of sea glass, I bring it home, pair it with a charm, photograph them and wrap the sea glass. It’s really a one-man job and an intricate business.”

She first started selling her work in the summer in a street fair as a vendor and luckily sold 90% of the items she brought. Once you jump over that first obstacle, it gives you a sense of astonishment that people will always carry around a piece of your love and energy.

With small businesses, it’s really tough to make quick decisions. Romanoff admits, “When I first started dabbling with the idea of sea glass necklaces, I didn’t really understand cost and margins.” Nothing can hold a business back like financial problems. When running a small business, all choices you make are definitely a risk. Despite being a small business owner, this did not stop Robyn.

“The word ‘no’ does not exist. When someone tells you ‘no,’ you try again and go a different route. At the end of the day, you need to persevere for yourself,” says Romanoff.

You can purchase Romanoff’s sea glass jewelry on Instagram @roros_seaglassjewelry or in local Long Island surf shops and boutiques such as Island Surf, Bunger Sayville, The Village Boutique.

Jewelry will always be something that is used for distinctively making yourself stand out from the rest. After having the pleasure of speaking with these four artisans, their work is more than just something to wear. It’s a piece of their heart, their personalities, and who they are as an individual. That’s something that you can't ordinarily get with mass-produced jewelry. Jewelry is a part of their world, and what better way to express deep love than using organic materials here from planet Earth and sharing it with others.