Are you new to making jewelry and/or crystal shopping? Anita is in the same boat! Here’s an inside look at a young beader’s mind...
Many of you probably don’t know me, so hi, my name is Anita! I’m one of the employees at Crystal Castle Beads.
Some things about me…
I began working at Crystal last spring (2024) 🔮
I’m currently a student attending school for graphic design and photography in the Denver area. 🎨
My favorite thing about art is being able to create work for other people! Whether that’s illustration/drawing, simple crafts for friends, client work, or doing photoshoots, I absolutely adore being able to make individuals day through my creative process 🫶
My favorite stone is Labradorite. I really enjoy how light reflects off of it. It’s a shiny rainbow! 🌈
I really like spirals and stars. ⭐ Spirals have kind of become my artist symbol
Artist Background:
Even though I’ve been working at Crystal for some time now, my knowledge on stones and experience with creating traditional jewelry is very limited compared to my coworkers. This is my first time dabbling in crystals and jewelry making ever, so I’m still pretty nervous attempting pieces even after nearly half a year of working here.
I come from a background as more of a digital artist, which I know is a little unbelievable, but let me explain. When I was younger I did a lot of traditional illustration using minimal materials such as pencils, colored pencils, and sharpies. When I first got an Ipad in middle school it was very easy to transfer my typical art process to digital art. What I mean by that is my process in traditional work would begin with a simple sketch that was almost final lines, then I would trace my piece with a sharpie as an outline, and finally I would use markers and colored pencils to color in my work. My art was almost like a coloring book now that I think about it! Becoming a digital illustrator felt so natural!
The only downside to this entry into the digital world of art so young was I never really understood fundamentals to art such as color theory, how light works to create dimension of subjects, trying other art mediums, etc. That’s why when I first started getting back into traditional art mediums (like painting) it was a struggle.
My background in making jewelry:
Prior to Crystal Castle Beads, my only experience creating beaded jewelry was simple stretch bracelets and necklaces. I’ve always enjoyed making elastic bracelets with plastic beads. As an artist, I absolutely LOVE funky, bright colors, so bracelet making was a fun hobby for me.
I enjoyed making pieces for me and my friends! I often would craft bracelets with inside jokes or matching pairs with my friends. One of my favorite matching bracelets I had made to this day was one themed around Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse. It was blue, yellow, and red beads along with letter beads that spelled out “Pavi” while my friends’ bracelet spelled out “Hobie,” two characters who are close friends in the movie.
Learning to Make jewelry
At Crystal I’ve made five finished pieces so far: three necklaces, one bracelet, and one mini mala. With the help of my coworkers I’ve begun to learn some basic jewelry techniques such as crimping, closing beads, clasping the end of necklaces, and making a mala. While I’m still a beginner, I think already having been someone creative has helped a lot.
Like any other skill, learning how to make jewelry is something that takes time! As a perfectionist at heart, it can be really difficult to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. I’ve had plenty of trial-and-error moments while making jewelry…especially wire wrapping. Though those moments have taught me it’s okay to not know how to do something “right” the first time. That’s the joy of trying something new! You never know if you’ll end up really enjoying something or not until you do it a couple times. Have fun with the process instead of getting hung up on things being “perfect” all the time.
Creating jewelry has also surprisingly been a very grounding practice. As someone who spends a lot of time on their phone, being able to move my hands in ways I'm not used to has been very refreshing! Allowing my hands to feel each new bead, wire, clasp and grow used to textures I’m not accustomed to has been very cool. Also having another outlet with less pressure and more creative freedom as an artist has been so nice. I love being able to match and do fun combinations with colors! On top of creative freedom, I’m glad I get to share my work with those in the jewelry world. It reminds me that there are other forms of creativity out there, and we all connect with the love for creativity!
Finally, on top of bead making, I’m not a very spiritual person, but being in the space and community where there’s always talk on symbolism and properties surrounding gems it’s been not only interesting, but insightful on myself! Labradorite for example was a gem I was drawn to without knowing its meaning and later I found out it enhanced self-discovery, intuition, and helps you connect with your inner strengths. I’ve been trying to focus on self discovery and identity in the last year as a young adult starting to make sense of the world, so this crystal was very fitting for me!
If you’re new to jewelry making too, come stop by our bead shop! We’d love to welcome you into our community! Whether that’s helping you pick out materials, participate in beading classes, or just to browse and learn different crystals to start you are welcome! It’s okay to not have it all figured out. I’m learning right alongside you :)
