The artist to catch my eye at Etsy this week was Sandi Carrico, of Sassy Glass. Sandi makes her own lampwork beads, and has a collection of stunning focal jewelry which uses large, natural stones set in chunky silver settings.  Her designs are a nice juxtaposition of geometry and geology, combining structured shapes with the raw natural colours and patterns of the stones.  Here she tells us a bit more about her work... Can you tell us a bit about your jewelry history? I have been making jewelry for about 10 years.  I started with beads of all kinds and sterling silver until I discovered lampwork beads; I had never seen beads so pretty.  I started buying them from bead artists on eBay but after a couple years of doing this, I decided I wanted to make them which I have now been doing for the last 4 years.  My husband is a machinist with a full-service machine shop and we had been toying with the idea of collaborating on some jewelry designs but he wanted to work more with different types of metals instead of glass beads.  We found a local silversmith, started taking lessons from her and the rest is history...I am hooked!  As for the collaboration, we have made a few pieces together and are working on some new designs. Where do you find inspiration? Usually my designs begin with a cabochon I see that is begging to be used in a piece of jewelry. I also love color. What is your favorite design, and is this your best seller? I most enjoy making rings and they do seem to sell the best. I love the way that your designs revolve around the shape of a natural stone.  Do you immediately think of a design when you see a piece, or do you buy randomly and then work a design around the shape? I love the natural stones and I pretty much buy at random.  It's not until I pick the stone up to work with it that a design comes to mind.  I rarely draw my designs before hand...the design progresses as I work. What keeps you motivated? I have always been driven to succeed whether I was working a day job, making lampwork beads or metalsmithing.  I want to be good at what I do. Can you name another jewelry designer whose work you admire? There are too many to single out just one. Do you find the process of experimentation frustrating or inspiring? Both; I don't experiment very much but maybe if I did more of that, I wouldn't be so frustrating when I melt a bezel or my soldering doesn't hold. Your work is quite geometric.  Is this the style you are drawn to? Yes, but I am not quite sure why.  I am a huge fan of asymmetry and maybe the 2 just go together. If you could have any jewelry super-power to help you with your jewelry what would it be? Definitely extra hands; they would really come in handy when trying to solder all the tiny pieces together. You can buy Sassy Glass designs at her Etsy jewelry shop , or her glass beads at her components Etsy shop .  Visit her website or blog for more information.