Featured Etsy Shop: Lavajewelry

Recently, I have been featured on a couple of blogs by other Etsy sellers, so I decided to return the favor by featuring one of those sellers here in my blog. I would love to do this more, so if you are interested in doing a blog feature swap of sorts, let me know. My idea is that I will feature you on my blog if you feature me on your blog. I don't have tons of time so I plan on doing this maybe once a week.

My first featured shop is http://lavajewelry.etsy.com

You can see her feature about my shop on her blog at http://www.cheldodge.net/blog/?p=50

Describe what you sell.

Handcrafted Sterling silver jewelry featuring genuine gemstones, freshwater pearls, and Swarovski crystals. (And handpoured candles.)

Where is your work available for sale?

Local craft shows, my web site http://lava-jewelry.com/, and my Etsy shop http://lavajewelry.etsy.com/

What inspires you in your work?

My friends and family member provide the primary inspiration for my work. Most of my pieces are made with someone I care about in mind. Sometimes I'm just inspired by a color or by a color combination that really strikes me. Sometimes I see a gorgeous gemstone at a trade show, and I know within a split second of seeing it what it needs to be made into.

What other jobs have you worked?

I'm a geologist by training. Although I'm not currently employed as a geologist, I hope to get back into it when my health allows it. I plan to keep both geology and jewelry design in my life. In addition to working as a geologist, I've worked many different jobs, including research assistant, teaching assistant, telemarketer for the Republican National Committee, retail manager, nanny, seamstress, consultant, library technician, tutor, and I even unloaded trucks at Walmart on the nightshift for a time.

How did you name your shop?

I chose the name Lava Jewelry because of my background in geology. There's not much that I love more than molten rock. I went to college in Hawaii, where I'd spend every possible spare moment at the active lava fields on Kilauea, helping various people with their research or just exploring. I love the flow and curves of hot lava, and I think some of those same curves can be seen in my designs. I like the word "lava" itself too - it's two pretty syllables. And I do incorporate lava into my jewelry; I make designs using basalt, rhyolite, and obsidian.