By Christine Gierer, The Jewelry Sweet Spot, http://www.thejewelrysweetspot.com
Nectar Jewelry Designs, owned by jewelry designer Sharon Fiorini, instantly caught my eye when I was surfing on the Etsy website.
Sharon’s jewelry is a really interesting mix of elements. Some of her pieces have a really modern feel with clean, clean lines, while others sort of feel fragmented and post-industrial. These remind me of post-apocalyptic movies for some reason like Blade Runner.
Christine: Hi Sharon, tell me a little bit about yourself and your work.
Sharon: Well, I live in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA, and I’m married with one son and two dogs. I started making jewelry in 2003 when I was pregnant with my son. I started with stringing beads, graduated to wire-wrapping, and from there I moved on to forming metal and polymer clay. Since I’m completely self-taught, I always want to learn more. There’s so much out there that I have yet to learn! I discovered that designing and creating jewelry is my passion – it’s what I love to do. I’m always thinking about new jewelry designs. I have post-its all over my work area with designs I have sketched out while I was at work.
Christine: Your work is so wonderful! You obviously love sterling silver and polymer clay. Is that generally your focus?
Sharon: I usually use sterling silver, copper, polymer, and sometimes some gemstones. I really love metalwork but it’s more mixed media. I like to combine things that haven’t really been combined before – like sterling & polymer.
Christine: Your work is very “shape” oriented if you know what I mean. Do you have an arts background?
Sharon: You know Christine, I have always been creative. As a little girl, I was always drawing and painting with watercolors. In college as an Art Major, I took every art class that I could – sculpture, printmaking, painting, drawing, papermaking. After college, I became a Graphic Designer. I have been a designer for 16 years now.
Christine: Your graphic design background is really evident your work. Do you make jewelry for a living now, or is your graphic design still your bread and butter?
Sharon: I’m still a full-time Graphic Designer.
Christine: With your family and your job you must be a busy lady. When do you find the time to make jewelry?
Sharon: I find time to create jewelry mostly on the weekends and wherever I can fit it in – usually later at night.
Christine: Do you have any other hobbies?
Sharon: Ha! After family, work, Etsy, jewelry, there’s just no time left for other hobbies.
Christine: I hear you there. So is the jewelry business a new thing? How long have you been selling your jewelry?
Sharon: I have been selling my jewelry since about 2005 doing jewelry parties, and selling to friends and family.
I have some really good friends that buy my jewelry and wear it all the time. People will constantly ask them where they got their jewelry from. I have to keep them stocked with business cards at all times. Etsy was a real online breakthrough for me. It’s a great opportunity to expand my jewelry business and reach people that never would have known about my jewelry otherwise.
Christine: I understand you have your work in a few shops well.
Sharon: Yes, I do have my work in a few stores and boutiques in my area and I’m currently getting stock ready for a few more. (I’m always open to wholesale inquiries and custom orders.)
Christine: A lot of budding jewelry designers will be reading this article. Do you have any tips for artists starting out?
Sharon: That’s a tough one. I guess I would say to keep working to reach individuality in your designs. I think every artist works through the times to get to the point where they can say, “That’s my design. It’s me through and through.” That’s the hardest thing to develop as an artist. Then grow from that point. Don’t stop learning.
Christine: Thanks so much Sharon! Is there anything else you’d like to say or to promote?
Sharon: There are a few things I would like to mention. First, I really hope everyone enjoys my jewelry as much as I enjoy making it!
And of course visit my shop…nectarjewelry.etsy.com.
I’ll give a little plug for Etsy as well: it’s a great site with tons of great artists and tons of great products. Without Etsy, I never would have had the opportunity to get my work out there to such a vast audience.
Photographs by Nectar Jewelry Designs. from the top: Copper Moon, Branch, Petalo Ring, Orbit Necklace.
Resources listed in this article:
Nectar Jewelry Designs: nectarjewelry.etsy.com
Etsy: www.etsy.com
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Great feature and beautiful pieces!