{"id":33369,"date":"2014-11-04T16:25:48","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T21:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.pro\/?p=33369"},"modified":"2018-01-04T14:49:09","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T19:49:09","slug":"kristin-schwartz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/2014\/kristin-schwartz\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewelry Winner Kristin Schwartz Stops To Mold The Roses"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Design<\/a><\/p>\n

As you may have learned\u00a0in our recent Uncommon Book Club Picks<\/a>,\u00a0I\u2019m currently\u00a0reading\u00a0Elizabeth Gilbert\u2019s \u201cThe Signature of All Things<\/a>,\u201d a novel about a female botanist who seeks to\u00a0discover and\u00a0explain\u00a0the inner workings of the world during Darwin\u2019s era. Alma, the story\u2019s protagonist, is raised in her father\u2019s renowned botanical estate, and spends much of her adulthood studying and admiring the estate\u2019s plant collection. After further examination of\u00a0the Buds Necklace<\/a>, Kristin Schwartz\u2019s winning Jewelry Design Challenge entry, I’m\u00a0convinced\u00a0that Kristin and Alma are kindred spirits. Like a trained taxonomist, Kristin appears to have studied every curve of the Lapsana flower before delicately molding it to metal clay. I can imagine Kristin with Alma\u2019s microscope, calculating precisely how to add\u00a0a subtle blue-green patina to her winning pendant.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Here at UncommonGoods, our buyers love anything that has an exciting story. When Kristin\u2019s story entered our radar, we didn\u2019t hesitate to introduce her handmade collection<\/a> into our assortment.\u00a0Kristin’s\u00a0fascination with her natural surroundings is beautifully illustrated\u00a0in both her designs\u00a0and her workspace.\u00a0<\/em>Meet Jewelry\u00a0Design Challenge Winner Kristin Schwartz, and learn about her transition from the corporate world, why she keeps Champagne in her fridge, and how nature inspires her tiny pieces of art.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Design<\/a><\/p>\n

How did you come up with the concept for your winning\u00a0design?<\/strong>
\nI take molds of plants for a lot of my work, so I am always on the\u00a0hunt for tiny plants and flowers that might translate well to jewelry.\u00a0I knew as soon as I saw this tiny yellow flower it was going to be\u00a0good. Most of my plant-based pieces have an organic (random)\u00a0shape, but I thought a round pendant would appeal to more\u00a0people.<\/p>\n

How did you celebrate when you found out that you won the\u00a0first Jewelry Design Challenge of 2014?<\/strong>
\nI was inspired by a friend a couple years ago to keep a bottle of\u00a0champagne in the refrigerator in the event of an unexpected\u00a0victory or celebration, big or small. Of course I popped it open!\u00a0And then got back to work.<\/p>\n

How did you discover our Jewelry Design Challenge?<\/strong>
\nI have received the UncommonGoods catalog for a very long time\u00a0and one day I received an email from the people at Jewelry\u00a0Design Manager<\/a> (Bejeweled Software) that said UG was looking\u00a0for entries for the challenge.<\/p>\n

\"Design<\/a><\/p>\n

Can you tell us 3 fun, random facts about yourself?<\/strong>
\n1. I\u02bcm in my 40s and I love that my Dad still calls me Kiddo.<\/p>\n

2. I am not athletically inclined, but I did play soccer when I was six\u00a0years old. The only goal I ever made was for the other team. It\u00a0did happen right after half time, so I have to give my kid-self a\u00a0break.<\/p>\n

3. I love collecting shoes, but would rather be barefoot.<\/p>\n

What different techniques do you use when creating your\u00a0designs?<\/strong>
\nMy designs usually start with one question: is it plant-based or is it\u00a0done completely by hand? Sometimes I have a very specific\u00a0piece in mind and I just have to figure out how to make it happen.\u00a0For the most recent series, the image was in my head for YEARS\u00a0while I mentally worked out the details. It actually turned out\u00a0better than I had imagined with a combination of hand work and a\u00a0plant mold.\u00a0Other times, I see a plant that just needs to be featured on a piece\u00a0of jewelry. It usually turns out pretty well, but I do have a pile of\u00a0molds that have never turned into anything. I rarely draw ideas out on paper unless there are multiple\u00a0elements that require serious problem solving and test runs.<\/p>\n

\"Design<\/a><\/p>\n

Describe your workspace.<\/strong>
\nI love my workspace! It was the number one reason for buying\u00a0my house. It\u02bcs in my basement, but full of natural light. Through\u00a0all the windows I am surrounded by trees. And I have a ringside\u00a0seat to the wrestling matches between my two boxers,\u00a0Lumen and Kisa (pictured below).<\/p>\n

\"Design<\/a><\/p>\n

Who or what are your design influences?<\/strong>
\nAll my work is about growth, change and connection. It may not\u00a0be totally obvious in all my work, but those are the seeds of my\u00a0ideas. So, of course, nature plays a huge influential role, as do\u00a0relationships.<\/p>\n

Describe your first jewelry designing experience.<\/strong>
\nIt was definitely unintentional. When I was still in the corporate\u00a0world, I took a four hour metal clay class only because I had never\u00a0heard of it. I made several pieces of unrelated…somethings, just\u00a0to get a feel for the process. Jewelry eventually became my focus\u00a0when I got great feedback on experimental pieces.<\/p>\n

\"Design<\/a><\/p>\n

Can you walk us through the step by step process of creating\u00a0the Buds Necklace?<\/strong>
\nI work solely in Precious Metal Clay<\/a> (PMC). For those who are\u00a0not familiar, metal clay is made up of microscopic particles of\u00a0recycled silver [or bronze or copper]. All those particles are held\u00a0together with an organic binder. It looks and acts much like\u00a0modeling clay.<\/p>\n

For this piece I took a mold of the tiny Lapsana flowers. Once the mold has cured, I roll a piece of metal clay onto it. I remove the piece of clay and turn it over onto a flat surface. While the clay is still wet I cut out individual pieces (in this case, circles) and let them dry overnight. I then try to get them as perfect as possible by sanding edges and smoothing surfaces that need it. It is much easier and less time consuming to do this with dry clay than it is with metal. When the pieces are ready, they get fired in a kiln. When the temperature reaches 1,650 [degrees Fahrenheit], the binder has burned out and all the silver particles melt together. There is an 8 to 12 percent shrink rate and the result is a fully metallic, pure silver piece. I drill a hole in it for the jump ring. When it comes out of the kiln, there is some fire scale on the surface. That is scratched or sanded off before I put the whole piece into a patina to get the green color. It is then sanded again, leaving minimal color behind. I think the color brings out the texture and design a little more. I wire-wrap a clasp onto a piece of hand-painted silk cord and add the pendant. Tah-da!<\/p>\n

\"Design<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u02bcs your favorite thing that someone has said about\u00a0something you made?<\/strong>
\nThere was a woman who recently came to my table while I was\u00a0selling at Pike Place Market<\/a> in Seattle. I asked how the day had\u00a0been treating her so far. She sighed and said, \u201cI am so happy to\u00a0be on front of such a peaceful space with pieces of art I relate to.\u201d\u00a0She didn\u02bct buy anything but the compliment was worth so much\u00a0more.<\/p>\n

How do you keep yourself inspired?<\/strong>
\nLiving in the Northwest is great for natural inspiration. I am still\u00a0amazed at all the different plants that bloom in the spring. I sell\u00a0my work where 10 million people visit every year. I get to hear a\u00a0lot of stories. Talking and connecting with people is also great inspiration for me.<\/p>\n

\"Design<\/a><\/p>\n

What are your hobbies outside of jewelry design and running\u00a0your own business?<\/strong>
\nI don\u02bct really have much time for a whole lot, but I love to cook\u00a0and work on my house and in my yard. Essentially, my hands are\u00a0always dirty.<\/p>\n

(Photos by Lauren Williams)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet Design Challenge winner Kristin (and her dogs), and learn about her career transition, why she keeps Champagne in her fridge, and how nature inspires her tiny pieces of art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":33398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[743],"tags":[37,1337,223,80,663,1144],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33369"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64736,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33369\/revisions\/64736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}