Name: Barbara Lee
Company name: Gemella Contemporary Jewelry
Website Link: www.gemellajewelry.etsy.com
Where are you located? Bergen County, NJ – right outside Manhattan
Tell us a bit about yourself: I am an autodidact, a Gemini, a musician, and an artist. In that order.
When did you begin designing jewelry/art? Well, technically I began in 1973 when I was a hippie. I loved beads but couldn’t afford to buy any. So I made my own out of clay. I etched designs into the wet clay with a safety pin. After the clay was dry, I painted the beads with watercolor paints and a makeup brush, “shellacked” them with clear nailpolish, then strung them on embroidery floss. I sold one of them to a woman who worked at my parents’ drugstore. She came in the next day wailing because she wore the necklace in the shower, and the clay melted into a gray goo around her neck. That’s when I learned that you have to FIRE the clay first. But really, I began to be serious about making jewelry after I left my job as an art director in 2000. That summer, I visited my aunt who wore what was then the trendy style of stretch beaded bracelets; a whole stack of them going up her arm. They were just glass beads, but the effect looked like an armful of garnets. I saw it and knew I could make the same thing.
What made you choose this type of art? I love shiny things, especially colored gemstones. I wanted to find a way to incorporate my graphic sensibility with that medium.
What do you make? Well, my tag line reads “heirloom quality jewelry from 18k gold and gemstones.” I make necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
What materials and methods do you use? I use my heart, my brain, my hands, my torch, and my pliers to fashion gold wire with gems. There are certain gems I predominately work with: tourmaline, chrysoberyl, sapphire, and kyanite. And pearls. I’m experimenting now with making wire flourishes which reflect my background in typography and design. I spend most of my design time making sure that my jewelry has drama, contrast, and a unique color sensibility.
Where do your design inspirations come from? I think from the stones themselves. Infrequently will I sketch out a design. More often, I arrange stones on my desk and let color palettes and shapes drive the final piece. It’s hard to describe, but I enter a kind of “zone” where I know that what I’m making will work. If I’m not in the zone, then I’m not happy with the finished piece. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve destroyed a project and remade it. It’s a good thing that metal refiners will take back scrap!
What is your best working environment/where is your studio? It’s in a small loft off my bedroom, which is under a steeply pitched roof. I tucked my bench against the one flat wall and ran some shelves up the exposed chimney on the other side. It’s cluttered, but perfect. I keep my guitars in the adjacent bedroom, so I can always take a break and get to them really quickly.
Where can your products be seen? At the moment, at: www.gemellajewelry.etsy.com
www.seekingdesigners.com/gemella www.tresjolie.us
Magazine articles or press: Magazine: One of my bracelets was featured in the Valentine’s Day issue of Polished, a style and fashion magazine out of Las Vegas. Blog: GrandiaRoad.blogspot.com
Are you a fan of any jewelry artisans? Of course! I love Mallary Marks’ work. Also Danielle Miller – I think she is a true original. And I’m inspired all the time by Magdalena Borejko (of Magdalena’s Atelier) and Jennifer Hallsey (of JleeOhio Designs).
Price range: $200 - $2,100
