Thursday, August 3, 2017

Making animal-themed dichroic glass jewelry for Vegan Fest!


Bushwick Vendors Market may have not gone as well as I'd hoped, but we're on to a new month -- and my friend Christopher has given me a unique opportunity to sell my jewelry.

On August 26, he's hosting the Long Island Vegan Food and Information Extravaganza. So far, he's lined up an incredible lineup of speakers and vendors, including doctors, nutritionists and self-made businesspeople... and he's asked me to have a booth at his event.

I wondered why he'd want a jewelry vendor at a vegan fest, but he explained that he wants his attendees to have a full experience, where they can get information, try new foods ... and shop. I was planning to go just to support him, so I was definitely on board.

Still, I don't just want to show up with my jewelry; I want to have a purpose for being there. So I'm making a line of animal-inspired glass pieces. All of the proceeds will benefit an as-yet-to-be-named charity of Christopher's choice:

I'm also making a point to learn EXACTLY what goes into every bit of my jewelry making and how I can make my pieces as eco-friendly as possible. I realized I didn't really know how the glass decals are made and did some research. The high quality ones are made of crushed glass, or enamel. They're "silk screened" onto the transfer material, though these days, the screen is almost always made of a polyester blend instead of actual silk.

I want to know as much as possible so I can answer any questions my customers might have. As Christopher told me, "Vegans tend to be a very inquisitive bunch." I do work small scale by keeping my studio in my apartment and by mostly using my hands instead of machines to do the work. I do use a microwave and will be honest about that. Ultimately, jewelry is a luxury and not a necessity. so one can debate whether we really need it. But I hope my work can raise some money for whatever organization Christopher chooses.

Check out the rest of my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

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