From Friendship Bracelets to Gemstones

Where My Jewelry Journey Began

I’ve always loved making things.

Some of my earliest memories of creativity are tied up in little tangles of embroidery floss, carefully woven into friendship bracelets for the people I loved most. Later, it was beads! Stringing together colorful beads, learning secure knots to keep everything together and experimenting different weaving techniques making shapes and unusual patterns. I liked when my hands were busy, and I found so much joy seeing something come together from a pile of raw materials. Especially because most of the time I was teaching myself!

Over the years I tried many different crafts and hobbies: painting, weaving, polymer clay, different fiber arts, and so much mixed media art! Each new medium gave me something, but I always circled back to jewelry. There was something grounding and satisfying about it! I loved the way a finished piece wasn’t just decorative, but wearable. I adored that jewelry can go with you, become part of your story, and carry meaning every time you clasp it around your neck or slip it onto your wrist. If someone complimented me while wearing a piece I made, then I got to tell a story about it and share my creativity with a stranger! There was something so unique about that keeps me a devoted jewelry fan to this day.

As my skills improved, I began seeking out higher-quality materials. While I had learned using  plastic beads and stretchy cord, I was now collecting and using precious gemstones, sterling silver, and creating designs that reflected not only my growth as a maker, but my growth as a person. Jewelry was no longer just about crafting something pretty. It was about creating something lasting, something that carried intention!

Looking back, I can see the path so clearly! No matter what else I was doing, I always returned to jewelry. It felt like my anchor and a creative constant. I didn’t know then that this lifelong love would one day grow into Bloom and Glow, but I can see now that the seeds were always there!

Follow this blog series to learn more and learn what’s next!