Welcome Sarah Crooks- metalworker and acid etcher behind CrookedThorne.
And YES to the gemstone rings! We need to see more in your shop.
CrookedThorne blog
CrookedThorne Facebook
"I love making jewelry and that is the one thing that always remains constant for me, I may stop drawing or painting for awhile, but I am always making jewelry!"
Tell us about yourself
"I graduated from Laguna College of Art & Design with a BFA in Illustration/Fine Art and a minor in Graphic Design. I am also a Certified Bench Jeweler from American Jeweler's Institute. By day I am the head Graphic Artist for L*Space Swimwear, and I love my job! I am constantly being inspired by the prints we use in our suits and the color combinations that are used. "
"Metal-smithing is something that is relaxing and challenging at the same time. I feel like I'm constantly problem solving so it's challenging but then there are those times where I will spend two hours filing a piece of metal to perfection."
I enjoy the act of creating, so I melt, pour, and roll out my own metal. I set my own stones, and I design all my marketing materials, logos, web site, ect. I'm not a control freak, but I look at Crooked Thorne as my
ultimate art project and so I like to do as much of it myself as I possibly can. My line has a dark gypsy theme and I specialize in acid etching tarot cards onto sterling silver. It's a challenge because each one turns out differently but that is part of the fun!
Do you offer anything besides product?
I love doing custom design work, so if someone has a special request I love to work with them and create something unique and special.
What have you learned as a seller?
I think that
as organized as possible is the best tip I could recommend. And having a system for keeping all your paperwork in order makes dealing with the year-end duties much easier and manageable.
Also, just networking with other artists and picking their brains never hurts either ;)
Any plans for the coming year?
This year I would like to work on a
new line of rings which will have precious and semi-precious stones. I would also like to grow my shop and focus on getting Crooked Thorne out there a little more with my website www.crookedthorne.com!
What is inspiring you right now?
Right now I'm being inspired by a lot of patterns that I'm seeing in the swim industry. I've always had a love for Native American and Mexican jewelry so seeing all these Aztec inspired patterns is pretty exciting. As for a song...I'm going to have to go with anything from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as they are constantly playing in my studio.
*I'm running out of people to blog about! I hunt them down as fast as possible but can't always find the best matches for this site. If you have someone in mind, a favorite shop, or you yourself want to be featured send me a line on Facebook or Etsy.
