Having earned a strong reputation within the industry for her innovative "gemstones" fabricated out of faceted metals, Stephanie Maslow of Metalicious talks to Jewelry Report about her work...


What are your favorite materials to work with?

METAL!  Also I love carving wax (or lathing it) and of course tiny colorful gemstones!

 

What is your favorite design, and is this your best seller?

Ooh, that's like asking me to pick my favorite child.  I'd say one of my favorites is my St. Valentine necklace, I own it in rose gold and it's a piece that is really meaningful for me.  But no, it's not one of my best sellers.

 

How did you first get into jewelry art in general?

12 years ago I was in a boring job and was desperate for some creative challenges where I could use my hands.  I took myself to the local art school but the pottery class I was interested in was closed.  Hmm.  The only thing left was a metalsmithing class.  So I hammered my heart out and have never looked back.  I still have what looks like a tin-can I forged from copper sitting on my jewelry bench.  It reminds me how close I came to missing out on my true calling as a jeweler.

 

Can you tell us more about the themes that run through your jewelry?

Modern, clean designs with an organic twist.  And definitely a sense of humor.  I love for people to enjoy wearing my work and personally I enjoy playing with the jewelry I wear so I try to translate that into my pieces.

 

What do you have planned for future collections?

Adding gemstones to my Modern Rock collection.  Expanding my bubbles even more.  I enjoy pushing my limits in my collections and am always thinking about new pieces that I can add to them.

 

Do you get more excited about the design or technical aspects of jewelry art?  

Definitely the design.  It keeps me up at night and the best dreams I have are of new jewelry design ideas.  The challenge is figuring out how to make my dream jewelry real.

 

Can you name another jewelry designer whose work you admire?

Ooh, that's a tough one.  I am a part of a whole group of jewelers on Etsy (the JETS), each one of us is unique and we all support each other.  It's great to be a part of such a diverse and talented group of jewelers.  I'm thankful for them every day!

 

Do you find the process of experimentation frustrating or inspiring?

Great question.  Both.  I think when it's going well and I'm not losing solder joints I'd say it's very inspiring.  But when things aren't going well and Murphy's law is against me—then it can really be frustrating.  I try to step away from the bench and take a quick walk when that happens so I can come back with a fresh set of eyes/hands/mindset.

 

Do you prefer doing retail or trade events?

Both.  I love getting customer feedback and since I work with both retailers and direct to customers their feedback and support is invaluable to me.  Some of my best sellers came from my customers!

 

If you could have any jewelry super-power to help you with your jewelry what would it be? 

I would love to have the power to replicate myself.  So I could have a few 'clones' around to do my bidding.  Mwaa haaa haa!

 

Find out more about Stephanie Maslow at her website, http://www.metalicious.com

 

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