Simple Wisdom, Finding Joy and a Tale of Two Custom Orders

"i thank you God for this most amazing day, 
 for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the
blue dream of sky and for everything
which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."

e.e. cummings
  
Susan is one of my best customers. And yet I have never met her.

Last summer during the opening days of my exhibit, Susan was in my small town in Wisconsin all the way from Maine. She was visiting with a friend who was attending the Aber Suzuki music conferences that happen here each summer.

My show had just gone live, when Susan happened upon our little Gallery Q. And she was smitten with so many of the pieces that I made they left the gallery before the opening night of the show! But I am glad that Susan found her way to Stevens Point, WI and to our little Gallery Q on Main Street. I am mostly glad that the pieces I created found a wonderful home on the other side of the country, and that I have made a connection with a patron from afar.

I don't believe that you need to meet the person that you are designing for. I have had wonderful success making jewelry for scores of people that I have never met, who live far away from me. So I was delighted that Susan thought of me when seeking something special as a gift for her mother and her best friend. I asked if she would allow me to create my new 'simple truths' pendants for the pieces and she agreed. I am humbled that she has that level of trust with me. That is usually the last question I ask in a custom consultation: Do you trust me? Sometimes the client really wants to control every last detail, but more often than not, my clients believe that I will deliver something special for them and tell me that they trust me. I am pleased that Susan felt that way!

{This is where I started... translating Susan's descriptions into pendants}

When I work with a client, whether near or far away, I start by asking questions. I want to know about colors and lengths and style, of course. But I also want to know about what makes that person tick, what rocks their world, what consumes their passion. From there I can put together an image in my mind of the wearer and develop a piece attuned to her unique personality.

Susan told me that her mother was very much into ocean colors and is quite a character who appreciates one of a kind work (sounds like my kind of mother!). Susan told me that a word for her mother would be 'wisdom.' So 'simple wisdom' was born!

I created this piece with a starfish on the front as if it were floating in the bright blue sea. Complementing the ocean colors is a disk bead from Humblebeads hugged by two verdigris patinaed bead caps from MissFickle. I found some of my favorite picasso finish czech glass beads a while ago that meshed perfectly with the sea and sand color palette.

I wanted the other side to be lighter (in terms of the size of the beads), so I went with seed beads in a dark bronze color for one strand and the other strand a soft silver sheen to play up the silver plated bezel and the tiny twisted silver jump rings I added inside the etched brass jump rings. But it just wasn't enough to have those two seed bead strands as I designed it originally. There needed to be more visual weight to the piece. So I added a length of Vintaj etched brass chain that I wove the seeded strands through. It still wasn't enough. I realized that the lovely sea color was not represented on this side. So I went back and removed sets of two links along the chain and replaced them at various intervals with a wire wrapped Swarovski crystal in my very favorite color (I think it is called gray tabac and it is incredibly hard to find!) for a subtle flash of  color and sparkle. I like that the woven seed beads and chain remind me of seaweed washing up on the shores.

For the clasp I painstakingly wired tiny turquoise seed beads on a Vintaj hook clasp and ring. And I found a cute tiny starfish charm that ties it all together.

{'simple wisdom' - click to view larger}

For her friend, Susan told me that she loves nature in all its forms and is an outdoor person who walks every day and is an 'air' sign. She is also a mixed media artist and loves color, art and design. I hope that this friend appreciates my mixed media attempts and my color and design choices!

I call this piece 'find joy in nature' and it features a 'simple truths' pendant with those words on the back of a bird soaring high into a blue sky. In keeping with the bird theme, I found this special shibuichi bird toggle from Green Girl Studios. I have been saving that one for a very long time.

I started with two copper branches holding up a copper wire nest with a granite egg. That wire nest gave me all sorts of trouble. I think I ripped it apart three times before I figured out what I wanted to do. Specifically, I wanted to be sure that the necklace could be reversible on each so that the wearer can choose the image or the words to face front. That is a challenge in and of itself!

To represent the air that these two birds are soaring high in, I used gray opal Swarovski crystals and some amazing faceted labradorite heishi (which I have also been hoarding for about 6 years!). Labradorite is one of my very favorite stones. I love the subtle sheen of these beads and how substantial they look when they are all together. And the flash of blue is electric, like the hint of sky between the clouds.

Finishing off the back are two different copper chains and some sweet czech glass flowers dangling here and there.

Would you like to know a little bit about my process? I use a few tricks to make sure that the asymmetry works in a piece. I don't just launch into my stash and start throwing things together. There is a lot of trial and error in order to make it look cohesive and not random. Here are my favorite tricks:

• Similar shapes: The toggle, the branches and the egg all mimic the same oval shape and these pieces give your eye a place to travel through the necklace. 
• Repeated elements: Often I will repeat an element on opposite sides of the necklace, like the little czech glass flowers to tie it together. Sometimes I use color, like the silver seed beads and the silver twisted rings to tie both sides together. And both of these pieces are pretty monochromatic, but if I were to throw in an accent color,  I would balance it by repeating it elsewhere.
• Mix pattern with random: While these designs are asymmetrical, there is a distinct pattern to the beaded part in both designs. That helps ground the standalone elements.
• Pay attention to weight: Balancing the visual weight is key. When I started with the first necklace and only had two strands of seed beads, it felt a little lopsided. Now it has weight but also texture with the weaving.
• Numbers matter: Whether working with patterns or asymmetry, I like the numbers 1-3-5-7. I will use items in odd numbers to create a pattern, or to balance design elements, either repeating or solo.

I love to make custom pieces for people. It is like opening a puzzle and seeing all the pieces laid out before you. You have to find the corners and the outer edges to start to see the puzzle take shape. Then you start to fill in the gaps, focusing on color and shadow, as well as shape to find the perfect fit. And when you are all done, when you have found that last perfect piece, you have a beautiful image that you have brought into focus.

I am grateful for the chance to work with clients, whether they are around the corner or across the country from me. I hope that Susan is happy that she chose to trust me with interpreting her love for these special women in her life. Thank you, Susan, for putting your trust in me!


Have you ever put your trust in a custom order with a person that you have never met? 
What was that experience like for you? 
Do you like to have custom things made for you? Have you always been pleased with the outcome? Do you put your whole trust in someone creating a custom order for you? Or are you one who likes to manage every detail?
If you make something, do you like to accept custom orders? 
What challenges have you faced with custom orders? 
What triumphs have you had? 
Do tell!

Enjoy the day!