Times What I Said Below By 100!

OMG I just found the best jewellery ever! OK maybe that was an overstatement but I never buy other people's jewellery and I just purchased (since yesterday) six of Tessa Rickard's pieces. This feels significant!

Before children, in a time when I had the time to think about fashion and pulling together a coordinated look, I bought heaps of jewellery. I always thought accessories really made an outfit and helped to pull it all together. The only real criteria I had then was that I liked a piece, and I was just as happy to buy a $2 string of beads at a charity shop as I was to pay significantly more for an artist piece at a gallery store.

I won't blame the fact that I no longer bought jewellery, except for vintage plastic, all on the children. The main reason really was more the fact that I only wear my own jewellery, or vintage plastic. I just don't wear other jewellers work. This situation came about when I first started making my own jewellery. I just thought that the first and easiest way I had of promoting myself was to wear my pieces. My reasoning was that if someone commented on a piece I was wearing and it wasn't my own that became a wasted opportunity to promote myself. The other reason I wore new designs was of course the more practical one of testing and making sure a piece really worked.

I think the fact that I just purchased another jeweller's work marks some sort of turning point for me. Maybe I will start wearing others (plastic) work too because it is true that I don't feel now like I have to grab every opportunity for myself. It feels like I have made some strides in promoting myself and maybe I can relax a little, (although not too much!) at least in that regard.

Enough about me. Let's talk about Tessa. This is what she says about herself on her profile page:

I am a part time professor at a community college. I have taught jewelry classes for 9 years. I maintain my own studio where I create all my work for myself, Etsy, commissions, and shows. I have a BFA in drawing and also in metalsmithing. I received my masters in metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Everything I make is unique and one of a kind handmade by me. I love making things!

The most I paid for my six pieces was $45 US (bunny neckpiece) and the least was $10 US for a red plastic doll face brooch with crystal eyes and sterling silver features! As I said below this work deserves to sell for so much more and mark my words - it soon will. If you want to see more I suggest you run to dolldisasterdesign.