This week we welcome jewelry artist Stefanie Adams to our blog. Stefanie was selected for Open Studios of Clark County last year and that is how I became familiar with her work. I love that she uses deconstructed items to create one of a kind jewelry pieces. And…it all started with a Craigslist find! Read what Stefanie had to say about her process!
Timely Design & Décor began in 2017 with a very lucky Craigslist Free score! Someone was looking to unload a lot of broken pocket and wrist watches. Some of these pieces were well used, and some had never been used at all.
This gift also included unused jewelry findings, some I recognized and some that I didn’t. After sitting with these amazing pieces for a while, just looking and marveling, I realized something: If the universe was looking to tell me to get in the old-watch-turned-jewelry business, this was a phenomenally clear sign!
It took a long time to begin to come up with styles that work for me. Every artist, in their bones, is looking to create something that feels right, that feels good. Something that makes you glad down in your soul.
On a good day, this happens maybe once or twice…but it feels important, and it drives me to keep trying. And yes, these feel like my babies, and yes…it is hard to let them go. But I hear feedback from some of my clientele, and it’s clear that they have the same reverence and feel for the materials that I do…and it makes letting them go easier.
Each necklace, or set of earrings, or haircomb that I make begins with a piece of old watch parts. Might be a watch face, or it might be the mainspring, or perhaps a few tiny screws or gears. I’m not an illustrator at all (I do make a decent stickman, however…), so I don’t design before assembling.
I spend lots of time dismantling pocket watches and wristwatches, freeing the internal components that I then reassemble with other elements of used jewelry and secure findings, to create long-lasting new pieces that will hopefully find another happy home.
You can find more of Stefanie’s work here and here.
