FWM: You learned metalsmith while living and teaching English in Istanbul/Laos/India/Nepal/Thailand. Share your experience.
In my early 20’s I moved to Thailand to teach English….I began speaking Thai, I adored my students, and then A MILITARY COUP happened. I was told that my current teaching job would only be able to pay 250$ per month. Not enough to live on, but not willing to abandon my students, I had to find a way to supplement my income. I traded English lessons to a shoe cobbler in town ( with an agreement to teach me how to make leather & wire wrap in sterling silver)…Being fluent in the Thai language, I was able to buy/learn about gemstones and how to ‘wholesale buy’ in Thai markets… I then began to sell my items to tourists, and eventually I opened up shops (in both Koh Phangan & Koh Lanta) while simultaneously teaching English! During the summer breaks, I would travel/teach in various countries…. I always arranged a deal to teach for free accommodation, and then immediately found a silversmith/or artisan in town to teach me about their artistic style. In Nepal, I taught 10miles from the Tibetan border. I would hop on the back of one of my student’s parent’s motorbikes (a gemstone trader) who would meet Tibetan ladies selling turquoise and red coral at the Nepali/Tibetan border (so I learned to identify qualities of gemstones, proper price points, how to spot a fake gem, etc). In Istanbul, I taught Syrian refugee children, (wherein a parent collected ancient Arabic & Urdu coins…. She inspired me to research antiquities)….I slept in tents, on crappy blowup mattresses on crappy floors of one-bedroom apartments (with no hot water & squat toilets) but I feel so blessed and lucky that these ‘sacrifices in comfort’ gave me the ability to teach children/travel & be ‘artistically adopted’ by these talented artisans’ that became my mentors.
FWM: What do you enjoy most about making custom jewelry?
Making connections with my clients in CREATING custom pieces together, is my absolute favorite part of this process. Finding out about their backstory, I immediately start searching for coins/or artifacts that speak to their heritage/or interests. I suggested for my customers to choose the birthstones of the ones they love most! I AM THE HAPPIEST when my customers want to create something with me, so I draw up some rough drafts’ of design options, showing them the combinations of gemstones… (oftentimes the clients will alter my suggestions, and show me a lovely alternative that I had never even considered, SO I GET TO LEARN FROM THE PROCESS TOO!!!
FWM: You had taught at an all-girls school in Nepal. What did you learn about yourself at that time?
You live in these highly impoverished areas, and see a reality of life that you never had to confront (Their first source of education was in 2004, they can rarely afford to buy meat, they have no sense of looking too ‘far into the future’ to plan their lives) And yet, they don’t mope & complain (I get frustrated at the most illogical things in life, being in that environment puts your idea of ‘self-entitled sadness’ and ‘ego’ in absolute check! I think Nepalese people are so notorious for really LIVING FOR THE DAY, and finding the silver-lining of each and every moment.
FWM: As you slept on floors in dilapidated apartments, what was going through your mind?
In my 20s, all I wanted to do was save all my money to travel and learn about how to become an artisan! ALSO, I think in most countries all over the world the term ‘starving artist’ is applicable. Meaning that MOST artists are always broke, so i think when I first approached my ‘future mentors’ begging to learn a skill set, they didn’t see me as some rich tourist who was like, “wanting to partake in a tourism-weekend workshop” ….. I think (hope) they saw me as their equal (I taught in their country, I worked my ass off for a small salary, because I loved their county’s children….). So their mentoring was less ‘polite, and more about an honest trade (English classes for their knowledge of metalsmithing) Also, I only really felt like my living circumstances were outrageous when friends would lovingly refer to my apartment as a ‘shack’. Ha.
FMW: Do you believe creativity is sparked during challenging times?
OH ABSOLUTELY! And I actually have an odd perspective on that! I think that in most third world countries (that are Buddhist), children are brought up knowing that ‘WE AS HUMANS ARE ALL ARTISTIC’ (we just have to find the right outlet)…But, in Southeast Asia, they also HAVE TO ‘hustle’ to make money for their families, so I think the motivation to create art is more imperative. They don’t have time to have those ‘artist blocks’ or ‘wait until they feel inspired’, THEY NEED TO JUST CREATE IMMEDIATELY, and I think that urgency actually relieves some of the ‘creative pressure’ most artists feel. I quite love that I learned this way.
FWM: Describe your jewelry. Do you have a favorite piece?
I love blending antiquities with gemstones and revamping them w. modern/romantic shapes! My favorite item is the 17th-century Indian coin (issued by this queen named Nur Jahan/only woman in Indian’s entire history who was ever permitted to issue her currency…She was the ultimate feminist! After she died, Nur Jahan’s stepson (the man who built the Taj Mahal) issued rewards to people who would help gather his stepmother’s coins, and he tried to burn them all! Her lively coin is quite rare, in Urdu calligraphy and is sterling silver! That said, I made a very cool necklace with Sri Lankan sapphires and I wear the necklace everyday!
FWM: What have you learned in the past year about being a small business?
All ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA!!!! It is wonderful how much exposure you can garner for your brand! But it is a lot of work, to creatively showcase your product, to hope that it is received and represented well to a proper audience! I’ve also learned how to RELENTLESSLY approach celebrities in the hopes that they will wear and love your jewelry! I’ve also had to learn to graciously accept SO MUCh REJECTION! (I am proud to say that Annabelle Wallis, Leven Rambin, Rebekah Graf, and Mena Suvari all have selected our hand-carved Lovebirds, and they are hopefully sitting prettily in their jewelry boxes)!
Instagram.com/LadyDazeFineJewelry
Etsy shop link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/760060587/lovebird-ring-handcarved-in-195-karat
