Meia Geddes is a writer, artist, and public librarian. She grew up in California but came to the East Coast for college to attend Brown University. She is the author of The Little Queen and Love Letters to the World, and is working on a third called Little World Forms: Experiments in Sentence-Level Utopias. Her small business, Make-A-Crane, spreads the love through paper crane items and free peace projects.
Rimma is an artist and designer based out of Boston. Her vibrant, contemporary and one-of-a-kind garments and jewelry are intricately crafted. Her jewelry is mainly bold necklaces and earrings. Her knit-wear includes head warmers, shawls, scarves, as well as sweaters, coats, blouses, skirts and dresses.
Each piece has a whimsical charm that invokes the frolicsome spirit of boho chic, interlacing it with the opulence of the traditional garb of Russian royalty and Ukrainian colorful folk dress. They are reminiscent of fairy tales and flowers- full of history, playfulness and uniquely alive.
She strives to combine fashion with practicality. Creating unique, yet wearable, pieces to add to any woman’s wardrobe. She works with natural stones & fibers and, recycled materials because she likes to combine different colors, materials and techniques to fabricate each piece.
After many years of artistic endeavors ranging from art school to teaching children’s art I began to dabble in jewelry making. First for myself and then for friends. One particular friend recommended I visit a local store to see if they were interested in carrying my jewelry. They were immediately on board and I was very excited about the possibility of supplying them and experimenting further with supplies. The business grew to include ten stores, several on Cape Cod but others extended to Boston, Canada and Michigan with recommendations from friends. Ten stores are the maximum I will supply because all the work is done by myself and that is the number of stores I can comfortably supply. Some are small boutiques and some are large jewelry stores or gift shops. I never supply more than one store in any given area so the items remain unique. I work mostly in wire of copper, silver and gold filled and create both traditional and contemporary pieces. I use a lot of Swarovski and Czechoslovakian crystals and chain. I supply many stores with bracelets with very strong magnetic clasps and design with a modern take with beads.
To add to my artistic enthusiasm I decided at one point to use all the money from the sales of jewelry to start a college fund for my grandson. The supplies I purchase are my personal contribution and all proceeds go into a special bank account marked Jack’s college fund. I have been able to pay for half of his first years tuition and am most of the way through the second year due in September. This means I will be very hard at work for at least the next three years. Since I love creating items of all types, this is no hardship. I will also design and make pieces for individuals and have made jewelry for complete wedding parties, both wedding jewelry and gifts for the wedding party and guests. I truly love what I am doing; It is so rewarding.
Debbie lives in Turo, MA.
The Bead Lady, Andover MA
I started making jewelry over 15 years ago after I saw beaded bracelets at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I thought, “I could make that”…and so it began. After a few attempts on my own, I took classes so they would look more professional. I took classes in stringing, finishing, bead weaving and bead making. I keep looking for better quality gems and stones and my style keeps evolving over the years. There is something for everyone’s taste.
Ever since a very early age, I have liked to create and discover the wonders of playing with materials. Being an artist became a way of life while every little mundane thing was absorbed and an inspiration. The change of seasons, the shape of a slice of bread, and the rhythm of a cat’s stealthy crawl; these are just a handful of things that inspire me. My many travels have had a big impact on my work and the urge to use plenty of colors. Humor in my art is often used as a reminder of our temporary place in the universe. Trained as a painter, the color sense can be seen in my mixed media and sterling jewelry. Having studied both art and silver smithing, I combine my metal smith techniques with paint and recycled objects to make jewelry.
The jewelry I create is crafted from a bezel made from silver, while inside, a little collage tells a story. A layer of clear resin is poured on top and smoothed to enhance and protect the piece.
I specialize in unique handmade silver jewelry using traditional precious metal smith techniques. Many of my original jewelry designs are one-of-a-kind.
Through the eyes of a graphic designer, I see a balanced design by color, symmetry and proportion. As a jewelry artist, I use these skills to transform precious metals, pearls and gemstones by forming elegant curves, angles and textures into lightweight, wearable art.
Jennifer lives in Needham, MA.
Drawing inspiration from Matisse and her many world travels, Paula Gaete jewelry is an expression of her joy and zest for life.
Paula Gaete graduated from University of Massachusetts with a degree in Anthropology/Sociology. Paula Gaete studied Art History, Jewelry Making and Weaving. She worked as a silversmith in Cambridge, Massachusetts shortly after college.
Working a full-time job and raising a son, Paula Gaete worked in many aspects of the jewelry business, from sales at Bloomingdale’s to production work, finally establishing her own jewelry company 12 years ago.
“I have been very fortunate to travel to many parts of the world and have been greatly influenced by what I absorbed in the wonderful museums and the different cultures I have visited. I have a great love for ethnic jewelry and find much of my inspiration comes from the designs from Africa, Egypt, China and the American Southwest.”
Paula lives in Watertown, Massachusetts. Her 21-year-old son is currently living and studying in Vina del Mar, Chile. She is an avid salsa dancer and also enjoys the ocean and outdoors, sports and photography.
I grew up in a small suburb outside Boston, Massachusetts. My interest in Jewelry making started in High School where I spent a lot of time in the art department making jewelry out of copper and nickel silver. I enjoyed working with my hands designing and constructing wearable Art.
In the early 1990s I attended North Bennett Street School for jewelry construction and repair after graduating I worked as a bench jeweler in a “mom and Pop” shop. My next job was at a flute company polishing, assembling, silver and gold flutes.
In my spare time I made jewelry out of sterling silver, copper, brass, found objects, beads. I purchased scrape silver flute parts and created earrings from them. In my apartment I had a shop set up where I could solder and polish. I had a few shops where my jewelry was sold; Toucan in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA and Hoolamoola on Newbury Street in Boston. Later a small gift store and I participated in craft fairs.
Before the birth of my first daughter I moved to another town and packed my jewelry equipment away in boxes. I started creating jewelry using beads wire appliques and epoxy. As time went by I had another daughter and was not creating much jewelry.
In the last few years I have gotten out my boxes of beads and findings and have started designing earrings, necklaces. My passion is to create beautiful color combinations and unique pieces. What inspires me is nature, fashion trends, interior design. Some time in the future I would love to set up my equipment and continue creating with silver and other metals.
I grew up in Michigan, graduated college from University of Massachusetts with double majors in Biology and Psychology. After graduation I worked as a marine ecologist sampling inter-tidal zones and writing environmental impact statements for the EPA.Part of the job involved SCUBA diving in shallow marine environments. I’ve become an avid diver and spend as many vacations as possible exploring coral reefs. In addition, traveling in our western States, I discovered the awesome beauty of desert landscapes, and have spent many months camping in the wilds of Utah.
I’ve been interested in crafts since childhood, although I have no formal training. While in school, I sold gemstone and macramé bracelets of my designs in Harvard Square. Now a recent retiree, I work mainly with seed beads and stained glass. I try to capture nature’s beauty by weaving intricate patterns with these miniature glass beads, a time consuming process. A simple bracelet may take 4 to 6 hours to complete. A recent miniature took 40 hours!
The inspiration for my jewelry comes from nature; an orange, apple, and mango in a fruit bowl; the tail of a parrot fish off the coast of Bonaire; the woven leaves of a climbing vine! The purple, green, blue, and turquoise of shallow seas and the red, rust, and orange of desert canyons are colors I am most drawn to. You’ll see these colors repeated in my work as I try to imitate the splendor of this beautiful planet.
