Ten Minutes with Jewelry Designer Hannah Blount

Inspired by the natural world, Hannah Blount Jewelry is elegantly minimalist. Whether riffing off native seed pods, fallen leaves, or the pebbled beaches of Cape Cod, the Nantucket Island native works each piece of her delicate line of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings by hand.  Add a little organic edge to your everyday with a pair of Hannah’s faceted button posts. Or layer on a couple of the charming—pun intended—fruit necklaces. You’ll have to practice your patience, as it takes two to three weeks for Hannah to handcraft each piece, but the admiring, and envious looks that’ll come your way will be proof positive that patience is indeed a virtue. Read on to learn more about Hannah Blount’s hands-on approach.

Oligoville:  In five words or less, Hannah Blount Jewelry is . . .

Hannah: Organic sophistication for the artistic soul.

Oligoville: How would you describe the ideal Hannah Blount Jewelry customer?

Hannah: I feel that my work applies to a number of ages, as well as a number of styles, and I believe my work supports an empowered image. I think anyone that is interested in a more organic, hand-made, and classic style would be drawn to my work.

Oligoville: How’d you end up a designer?

Hannah: I was introduced into jewelry-making when I was six years old. For my birthday, I received a little craft book with some simple beading instructions and a few funky glass beads. It was love at first sight! My family never had any television, etc., so my six siblings and I found other ways to entertain ourselves. I spent my days hunched over my beads, wielding my pliers and scissors, and I never stopped. Eventually, I went on to major in Jewelry/Metals at UMass Dartmouth, where I learned most of the techniques I use now.

Oligoville: How/when did you launch your brand?

Hannah: Although I have been selling little beaded objects since I was a little girl, I only launched Hannah Blount Jewelry in 2008. It started slow—with my Branch and Egg line—but has been evolving into a more varied ensemble of work.

Oligoville: Why the emphasis on making each piece by hand?

Hannah: I love a hand-finished surface. I can pay attention to every detail when I have it in my hand. It is important for me to maintain that relationship with my work. While it is a dirty process, it is a beautiful feeling to see the clean, finished product.  Also, I feel it is important for the designer to understand and work with the piece that is being produced. It is an important process for the artist to understand.

Oligoville: Who and/or what inspires you?

Hannah: I am from an island that celebrates natural beauty. There are many jewelers and artists there that have influenced me, from Ted Muehling and Gabriella Kiss to Jessica Hicks. But everything around me is an influence—the barren trees along the highway during a “dull” time in winter, the enticing allure of a local candy shop, or the dirt and grunge of my own father’s fishing vessel. If I see something beautiful or interesting, I think of how I can translate that into my work. Also, I have been fortunate to grow up in a family that embraces an artistic lifestyle. My mother, a seamstress, and my father, a fisherman, are only concerned with the fulfillment and happiness a good life brings. This makes them both supportive and proud of all success the Blount children accomplish. It also helps to have a mother, four sisters, and a couple of sisters-in-law that love to wear your work!!

Oligoville:  What’s 24 hours like in your life?

Hannah: Studio studio studio! I like to spend as much time there as I can. When I am not sleeping or eating (these do happen occasionally), I am either brainstorming new ideas or, like I said, studioing!

Oligoville: What’s in your closet?

Hannah: As for my closet, I have collected a number of nice in-between clothes. I try to be practical! I have a lot of nice denim and basic tees that I can grunge up in my studio, but also pair up with a nice sweater or heels/boots and head out of my apartment without cringing. Dresses are a great key to feeling lovely in any situation. And a lot of boots. I love boots. Right now, it is snowing like any great, white Christmas could dream of, so I am wearing my Frye boots with Citizens of Humanity denim. Great for the weather!

Oligoville: What’s in your bag right now?

Hannah: Ha—glad you asked! My bag (I just love) is Linnea Pelle, in which I have my FAVORITE orange Cleobella Mexicana wallet, a great number of chapsticks, a measuring tape (surprisingly handy), my sketchbook, a scarf, business cards, pliers, sunglasses, Tylenol, gloves, stamps… my life… like I said, I try to be practical!

Oligoville:  Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned.

Hannah: Finding the right vendor/niche for my work. It is so important to find the right fit for my jewelry, whether that means finding the right store, show, the right beads to go with my work, understanding what my customers want. It takes some time to understand what your work means to both yourself and other people.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Hannah: There are certain friends/customers that become very attached to your work. When you find those people who are that supportive, it is so rewarding to see them wearing the jewelry and feeling beautiful in it. I think, as well, it is incredibly rewarding to see an idea go from a drawing on a piece of paper to a finished product. It can take weeks, months, or years, to perfect a piece. When it is finally finished, I feel very accomplished.

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years.

Hannah: Expanding! I need to go both up and out. I hope to spend a large amount of my time creating new designs, as well as finding my work in some new places, and on some new people.

Oligoville: Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Hannah: I’m still there! I guess, what I have learned so far, is not to compromise your own perspective. If your work isn’t going where you want it, keep working. There will be many “no’s” before there will be a “yes.” Don’t let it get you down; use it to push yourself farther, and let it make you greater.

Oligoville: What’s on your playlist right now?

Hannah: On my playlist is every Christmas song you could imagine. I happen to love Christmas! Among other music is Sia, Regina Spektor, Jason Mraz, Fever Ray, MGMT, Jem, Brett Dennen, Coldplay, Fiona Apple, Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Joni Mitchell, Lady Gaga, the Killers, Santigold, Sara Bareilles, Silversun Pickups, U2— I could go on!

Oligoville: Any last words?

Oligoville: Thank you! And Happy Holidays.

Ten Minutes with Jewelry Designer Teresa Robinson

Earthy  yet ethereal. Rough yet fluid.  Organic yet geologic. Teresa Robinsons’s stone&honey line is a study in the beauty of opposites. The year-old collection features thin slices of variegated agate—oceanic blues, woodland greens, desert umbers– -overlaid with geometric tracings in silver or gold. The pendants are bold enough to take center stage, yet airy enough to be just right for summer’s bare necklines. Robinson also offers pendants of unadorned (but not plain!) slivers of agate,  delicate slices of amethyst, and her handcrafted honeycombs and pinwheels . If flora and fauna are more your thing, then check out smallthings, Robinson’s premiere line, offering charming cameos,  earrings, and other adornments in a variety of wonderfully wee shapes inspired—according to the designer— by “stuff that I think is cute.” Read on to find out what else is on Teresa Robinson’s mind these days.

Oligoville: I know you have two brands–how are they different from each other, and what do you think sets them apart from your competition?

Teresa Robinson: smallthings was my first line, which i started about seven years ago.  All of the smallthings work is much more delicate than stone&honey, and very image based.  Most of the the work in the smallthings line consists of hand cut images layered over stained glass, with a major focus on natural imagery: birds, flowers, and insects.

I started stone&honey as a side project about a year ago really. I got a little bored in the studio one day and started fooling around with agates and abstract images.  It was sort of one of those things that was just weird enough to work!  So the stone&honey work is much more modern and organic, and I have a lot more freedom to take it in new directions.

Oligoville: How did your career or interest in design begin?

Teresa: While i was getting my art degree in college, I took six months off to study in Mexico.  The plan was to live there, learn Spanish, and paint.  I took a jewelry design class on a whim, and I was hooked.  For the next six months I spent far more time in the jewelry studio than painting, and worked with a great group of people down there.  When I returned to school we didn’t have a jewelry program, so I finished up my studio art degree and went on my merry way to Portland, Oregon.  After a couple years though, I was still thinking about jewelry, so i got myself a torch, pulled out my silver scraps from Mexico, and got to work!  I started selling work at a couple of local shops on consignment, and quickly realized that I would much rather be making jewelry than schlepping through my day job. So I threw caution to the wind, got a proper studio, quit my job, and that was that!

Oligoville: What’s your design inspiration?

Teresa: smallthings  is really inspired by the natural world around us every day and–to be honest–stuff that i think is cute! stone&honey is much more ethereal, I think.  The stones and imagery still feel really nature-based, but with a more modern bent.  I like the idea of repeating patterns, and the contrast between crisp linear metal and the more rough natural stones.

Oligoville: Describe a typical day for you.

Lately, my days are getting less and less typical.  I have two people who work with me part time: Becca does production work on the smallthings line, and Shelley does all of our final assembly, shipping, and keeping me on track!

Most days find me getting to the studio just a little later than I should, spending the morning dealing with the administrative end of things, emails, etc., and then afternoons are devoted to design and production.  All of our work is still made by hand. All the metal is hand cut, so it’s pretty labor intensive. I tend to focus more on the stone&honey work these days, unless I’m doing a new collection for smallthings.

Oligoville: Describe your fashion style.

Teresa: Pretty laid back I suppose.  The sad fact is that making jewelry is rather dirty work, so my weekday wardrobe is pretty basic–jeans,
t-shirts, cardigans, and flats.  And the truth of it is, I don’t wear a ton of jewelry!  I tend to get stuck on certain pieces and then wear them to death.  I’m of the mind that it’s best to have on one really great bold piece of jewelry than a whole bunch of little stuff.

When I do get to actually play dress up a little more, I’ve been really into jumpsuits these days!  I have this amazing hooded denim wide-leg 1970′s number that’s pretty fantastic, but that requires a rather special occasion.

Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you’ve learned from the experience.

Teresa: Well, the most recent setback has been the economy.  Things have definitely slowed down for us this year.  I’ve been really fortunate in that I’ve never had to do much marketing.  We were always so busy with referrals and word of mouth (and one or two well placed ads)  that I never even had time for it.  So the big lesson this year is marketing, marketing, marketing.  It’s actually a little hard for me to actively promote myself, because I’m a pretty shy person, so I’m learning to put myself out there a little more these days.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Teresa: Working for myself is amazing.  I feel really lucky that I managed to make something that people like enough that it supports me financially.  I will always always make things, whether it’s jewelry, other art, even little projects around the house.  Being able to make a living from the things that I make is immensely rewarding.

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years.

Teresa: Hmmm, this is a tough one!  These days, it’s hard to know where I’ll be next week!  I would just really like to continue making new work, and evolving both lines.  I’ve always wanted to do a higher end collection, so hopefully I’ll be able to make that happen a little bit down the road.

Oligoville:  What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Teresa: This is totally cliche, but if you want to start a design business, or start making a living off of what you do, just go for it!  I think that one of the factors that made things click for me at first was that I just decided that this would be my job, and even in the very beginning, when I had hardly any orders, I was at the studio making things every day.  If you stick to it, and you’ve got a good eye for things, something great will happen eventually.

The other thing i would say is, if you really want to make a living of this, pricing, pricing, pricing!  Make sure you are being realistic about how much time goes into your work, and are paying yourself accordingly.  Your time and design skills are worth something!  Don’t be afraid to price your work accordingly.

Oligoville: What song never fails to make you happy?

Teresa: These days:  “Scenic World” by Beirut.And um, Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”  I can’t help it!  It’s just so gooood!

Ten Minutes with Jewelry Designer Jessica Hicks

What happens when you add one-part organic minimalism to one-part rock-n-roll attitude? You get Jessica Hicks’s eponymous handmade jewelry line. I’m not one to name drop, but if I were, I’d mention that Jessica’s earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings have been sported by “It” girls of all ages–from Jessica Alba to Sarah Jessica Parker to Eva Longoria. But don’t take my word for it, visit Jessica’s Web site to browse her collections, including Cosmos (a clean-lined reimagining of the star motif that makes it hip again), Nature (Matisse-like etchings of flora and fauna like nautilus shells and peacock feathers), and–my personal fave–Champagne (an elegantly pointillistic take on ovals and spheres). Read on for more from the Nantucket-based, Bay State native.

Oligoville: Tell us about your brand and how it is different from your competition.

Jessica Hicks: All of my jewelry is handmade by me in my studio. I have always designed my jewelry from what I see every day or dream of at night. Sometimes I will sit at my bench without an idea or sketch and just start working with the metal. I let my hands just take on its own designs. Some of my best pieces have happened that way. I am always thinking up new ideas for my work. I love patterns and shapes in nature.

Oligoville: How did your career or interest in design begin?

Jessica: I was always artistic as a child, but the idea of creating something with my hands is where my passion is. I didn’t have a job one summer when I was a teenager and made jewelry to keep busy. I actually made money doing it! It is awesome to make art that can be worn.

Oligoville: Whom or what inspires your designs?

Jessica: My children have been a huge influence on my work. Seeing the world through their eyes has been a whole new experience.

Oligoville: Describe a typical day for you.

Jessica: Kids, kids, kids! I have a store and a studio and a family, and my whole day is a whirlwind of balancing those things!

Oligoville: Describe your fashion style.

Jessica: I just buy what I like! It doesn’t matter if it is a trend or not. If it looks good, it’s for me.

Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned from the situation.

Jessica: When I notice a certain trend that is similar to mine. Although it can be disheartening, I have learned to look at it differently–it now inspires me to move on to a new design.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Jessica: The most rewarding part of my career is seeing how a simple pair of earrings can transform an entire person’s look. Seeing someone love and wear your jewelry–and feel all the more beautiful for it–is incredible.

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next five years. What are some goals that you have for your brand?

Jessica: In five years I would like to have my debt paid off! But I wouldn’t want to change how my business is run. I love the fact that I am very much behind the process of creating my work, and everything that leaves my studio has been personally done by me. I never want my jewelry to be mass-produced; it would take away that special touch that goes into each piece.

Oligoville: What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Jessica: Keep working! Success takes time, and a lot of work.

Oligoville: What song never fails to make you happy?

Jessica: Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”! And any song by Bryan Ferry’s Roxy music.

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