In looking back at how I got started with crafting jewelry I remember early vacation trips to Cape Cod. I have been going to Provincetown, Cape Cod for many years. I don’t go to the Cape just for the beaches, though I do collect specific types of rocks and small stones at the Marconi Beach for my rock stack necklaces. One main attraction is my love for the incredible beauty of the humpback whales that migrate to the area during the summer months. My kids tease me a lot about this... "Mom, how many Whale Watches have you been on? " "Do we have to go on another one?" I know that I am in the high double digits now (my kids say that it’s in the thousands....).
Photography has been a hobby which I inherited from my father. I grew up watching him with camera in hand and spending man nights in his dark room developing his negatives. When I have my camera with me, whether its whale watching on one of the many Dolphin Fleet boats off Provincetown Pier (I remember when I took the boar called the Portuguese Princess) or in the jungles of Costa Rica, I am always dreaming of getting that perfect shot. I have to be honest that when I'm focusing my camera on an animal subject, whether it is a giant whale rolling on their back, feeding or breaching in the waters of Stellwagen Bank, or a Howler monkey in the jungles of Costa Rica, I envision that my purpose is to preserve the natural wonder of seeing animals in their natural environments because it will not be long before they're gone. We are destroying our habitats, forests, seas and land at an alarming rate. In the early 1980’s right whales were still seen in the waters off Stellwagen Bank but today they are becoming extinct because of human impact and increased boating, fishing nets in the waters and garbage that is causing early deaths or marine life.
My post whale watch is always spent pursuing the artsy stores found in the center of Provincetown with the hope of finding some “cool” bracelet or silver ring. Jewelry has been my addiction, like shoes and pocketbooks are to other women. Now that I make jewelry, I prefer to wear my own pieces. I've always been crafty since I was young. My grandmother, Clara Sibley, an artisan in her own life, taught me to sew using her sewing machine, at the early age of 7. These early sewing lessons resulted in a lifelong pursuit of making quilts, baby blankets, saving the earth T-shirts, and stuffed teddy bears. It seems that my dining room table has always been covered with some type of craft.
In the past five or six years I started to experiment with making simple beaded bracelet designs. As time went on, my designs became more complex. People started to notice what I was wearing and asked me to make the design for them, I thought, well, maybe I can sell my jewelry. Today, I spend my "free" time designing bracelets, and necklaces, with earrings often to match using quality sterling silver, gemstones and knotting and wiring techniques that result in jewelry pieces that will last.
This past year I started to do craft shows which helped influence me further to get my website up and running as people were asking to view my work and order from an online store. As I think about my early start, I can say I've come a long way. I still look forward to perusing the stores in Provincetown because it is a center of such beautiful artistry.
Two weeks ago, I was at the Cape and a young woman who was preparing my coffee and bagel in the coffee shop across from the Whale Watch store, commented on the Wire Wrapped Aurora Quartz pendant I was wearing. She said, “Did you buy that here in Provincetown?” I smiled and told, her, “I made this.” She then said, “you should sell that in the stores here in P-Town.” I thanked her and thought to myself, well, that would be a dream!!
Sandra
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