When I ask how she got into jewelry making she said,"I came to jewelery via rock-hounding, and originally wire working did not appeal to me. I was walking on the beach near my home one day in 1995 when I spied what looked like a really interesting rock, which turned out to be a piece of beach glass. Disappointed, I was about to throw it back into the lake when I had the thought that it would make a really neat piece of jewelery. I decided to set it using the only thing I could quickly lay my hands on, wire. After I finished it, I had all sorts of other ideas for different pieces, and I was off....but,I have since gone through the Jewelery Techniques Program at George Brown College in Toronto. My primary reason for going back to school was to learn the language of jewelers,so I could talk to them in their terms about what I do". She was originally trained as an interior designer,she graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Interior Design) from Ryerson University.She also has a background in art and graphic design.

She has won quite a few awards for her work like:                                                                                          

Third Place – Wire work, Beaded Inspirations, Puget Sound Bead Festival,
Tacoma, WA, USA - 2006 ("The Blush", Bonsai Ring Series)
Best Advanced Tutorial, and Favorite Piece Awards, International Guild of Wire Jewelry Artists, Ring Tutorial Contest 2007 ("Two Tone Prong Ring")
Best Advanced Tutorial, and Favorite Piece Awards, International Guild of Wire Jewelry Artists, Earring Tutorial Contest 2007 ("Undercurrents Earrings")

Let me introduce you to this wonderful lady to the left of the screen.She is Mrs.Bonnie Lee of The Familee Jewels.Along with her husband Fred,who does wood turning for the shop,daughter Becky and her mother Ella,The Familee Jewels is truly a family business.Even her other daughter Melissa gets to be in on this act(as the computer guru),she is a very expensive computer consultant(she is paid off in jewelry).The big question right now is if the 3 grandsons,Freddy J.(21 mths)and the twins,Liam and Rory(3 mths) are going to join the team as,the quality control experts(hey Mim lets see if this chain can hold Liam and Rory without breaking).Bonnie's family is from Malta,New York,a small town near Albany.She is a Registered Nurse as well as a Jewelry Designer.She worked for 34 years as a Nurse and says it taught her to be patient,inventive and flexible.Bonnie says these 3 traits are valuable in jewelry design.

Bonnie got started in jewelry design and making when she decided to get out of the house one cold January day.She went down to the local community center and took a class where she learned to make a necklace and earrings. I enjoyed it so much I signed up for another class to make chandelier earrings and talked my Mom and daughter and sister in law into going with me,Bonnie stated.Everything else she has learned has come from online sources,books,tapes and tutorials.Bonnie does beautiful bead stringing but,I think her wire wrapping is just awesome,just have a look at the gorgeous piece to your right.She uses cold connection,like riveting,weaving,and stapling to hold her pieces together.Most of her creation are made from either,sterling silver,brass,or copper.Bonnie is a a pro at mixing gemstones with gorgeous found objects to create some very edgy and creative wearable art.This is what she had to say about where she gets her inspiration,Everywhere.  It's funny but once you start to design things you look at the world differently.  The fold of a drape, the color combinations in a painting, the way a branch moves or the patina of an old coin can stimulate an idea.  I have learned to keep a notebook with me always to write things down or sketch them out before the fleeting germ of an idea is gone.When i ask her about her style her comment was, My style is still evolving but it seems to be settling into a not quite Steampunk Victorian-Industrial direction.   I use vintage jewelry and pieces of hardware salvage and machine parts and combine them with the gemstones and wires.And what a beautiful combination she can make with these simple things.

Making jewelry is more than a hobby for me, it is a passion.  I think about it constantly, and make it for the joy of creating it.  I thoroughly enjoy using found objects and up-cycling them in unexpected ways.The bracelet-ring combination to the left,shows her passion and joy when it comes to jewelry design and making.This piece looks  100 years old but has the modern feel of a piece that a movie star,of today, might wear or maybe it is a magical talisman that one of the  Lady from Avalon wore for a 1000 years and then passed on to her love child.This awesome piece has the look of timeless quality.Bonnie says she has learned a great deal from some of the more than generous great jewelry artists of today like:Preston Reuther the master wire sculptor himself whose detailed videos and down to earth manner made me believe that I could master his techniques,Eni Oken whose inspiring website and incredible tutorials took my work in a more delicate direction, and Sharilyn Miller whose book Bead on a Wire Taught me how to do it right the first time.This statement says it all when it comes to the way Bonnie feels about learning new things:"When you come to the edge of all you've known and are about to step into darkness, one of two things will happen. Either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or you will be taught to fly."
- Unknown

Bonnie enjoys wearing her jewelry.She says she meets very interesting folks when she does,like a lady and her mother she meet while on a recent trip.She meet them during a layover in Washington at Dulles International Airport.While waiting for their connecting flights they struck up a conversation about the necklace Bonnie was wearing,it was one of Bonnie's own creations.Bonnie gave the lady her card and the lady has since bought a few things from her.I believe there is no better way to advertise than to wear your own jewelry.This is what Bonnie said about giving her jewelry as gifts: I make jewelry for my girls all the time.  My favorite has to be the vintage style necklace that I made for our daughter Becky's beach wedding.  It is an Eni Oken inspired choker made of sterling silver wrapped mother of pearl beads with ocean related charms woven into the intricate design.  I almost cried when the photographer thought it was a family heirloom.What a great feeling it must be to know her daughter chose one of her designs to wear on such a special day.Bonnie says she sells mostly to women or to their husband after the wife has told them just where to shop.If you want a custom piece,in Bonnie's great timeless style just contact Bonnie at one of the links below and i know she will do her best to help you out.

 The Familee Jewels can be found at:We have our own website, www.thefamileejewels.com which hosts a blog and links to our etsy store, www.thefamileejewels.etsy.com .  We do home parties and 5 craft shows a year.   The FamiLee jewels also has a  storefront At The Warehouse 20 Learned St. Albany, NY  weekends 10-3.  For anyone living or visiting in or near  the capital district of new York state At The Warehouse is worth the trip.  It is a 10,000 square foot architectural salvage and antiques warehouse that sells it's own line of home decor items made from salvage of course.  On the weekends artisan vendors like myself join them.  It is a fun and welcoming environment that attracts an amazing array of people.Please go and have a look at the GORGEOUS work this family does.You will no be wasting your time.

Hello Everyone,

I want to  give some credit where some is due.I thought it was time some of the Great Artist from SJA got some well deserved PR.This is Ms. Gill Pottle of Aeris Designs and she is from the great United Kingdom.She was born in Essex in the South East and now resides in Northamptonshire in the East Midlands.She is a single MUM with 2 teen-aged boys.In her non jewelry life she is a Teaching Assistant in a children's home.

When I ask her to tell me a little about herself this is what she said," I'm a bit of a social recluse - I prefer my own company most of the time. I've always been quite creative,but single parenthood stifled that for many years,as there was never time to do whatever I wanted to do. I love reading, watching rubbish chick flicks, knitting and crochet. I'm musical (I played the recorder,clarinet,cello and saxophone when younger,and in recent years taught myself to play the piano), sarcastic, a little grumpy when pushed to the limit. I worry about the planet and my kids' futures, I try to recycle as much as possible, and I hate people being mean to each other.

She has not had any  formal jewelry making training and is mostly self taught.Her sister started all this for her,by buying her a small box of beads and a jewelry making book,for Christmas of 2007.She says ever since then it has been an obsession.She has learned a lot from the web and all the great folks on there.The forums are another great source of information,for her.She now takes a class once a week,to learn new techniques and to see what others are out there doing,in the jewelry world.Jewelry making is not her only creative outlet,she also knits,crochet,and does sugar craft."I am extremely Stubborn and tend not to give up on something until I know I can do it as well as I possibly can",is one of her mottoes.I think that statement says it all.She first started with wire wrapping in April of 2008 and went on to wire crochet and to metal fabrication from there.She says,"metal fabrication fascinates me".She uses Sterling Silver and some Copper in most of   her jewelry but she is thinking about getting into the non-precious metals like steel,in the future.She also uses gemstones and crystals along with glass beads to pretty up her jewelry from time to time.When I ask her what her Philosophy was,in her jewelry making ,she said,"Since I have not been making jewelry for long I am not sure I have a philosophy but if pushed I would say,To keep creating,learning and improving for as long as it takes until I am completely happy with my skills.Even if she is self taught her skills are exceptional and her work beautiful.

When I ask her where she got her inspiration I was expecting the usual answers you know like,nature,my family,my surroundings,but I did not get those answers."I find myself inspired more by techniques than by visual stimuli",was her answer.This was something very different.She went on to explain,"If I find a new technique I want to try I will get seriously obsessed about learning all I can about it.I will then take that fresh knowledge and go off and design new pieces.I usually know what I am looking to create,but the small details tend to make themselves known along the way.She has a really great lineup for designers she calls some of her favorites,like Eni Oken whose unique design flare and great eye for color is a wonderful inspiration for Gill.Laurel of LA VALLEY GIRL is another designer Gill calls a favorite along with Mei From WIRE BLISS.She meet these 2 great artist on the Starving Jewelry Artist Forums."Actually there a oodles of great artist on the SJA that inspire me.They are all so very talented and make me feel very inept",she says.Her style is very unique in its own right.She has a very intricate and colorful style when it comes to her crocheted and wire wrapped pieces,while her fabricated work is more simple and straight forward.She explains that this is due to the fact that she has way more experience with wire wrap and crochet and has not been fabricating metal for very long."Since I have many more years experience with crochet and wire wrapping,I tend to take more chances and be more bold,while I seem to hold to the simple lines with the metal fabrication due to not having years of experience behind me",she states.

Most of Gills jewelry is sold to friends and work colleagues.She also sells quite a few of her pieces on her web site and on Etsy.As for her family she states,"I could never sell to my family,it would just be too weird".She gives lots of her jewelry away to others.Gill does her best to make each of the young ladies she helps teach a special gift for their birthdays, made just for them.She enjoys it when other asks her"YOU MADE THAT ?".She,like so many others,finds this a great ego boost.She dose not normally wear a lot of jewelry,but she does make the sacrifice to check for comfort of fit and durability when it comes to her designs."More days than not I can be found wandering around with a different earing in each ear and about 15 rings on, all in the name of quality assurance",she said.This is Gills Etsy shop web address:www.aerisjewellerydesign.etsy.com and this is the address to her direct web site:www.aerisdesigns.co.uk.She is considering a few shows shows this summer and will know more at a later date about which ones and when..With 2 teen-aged boys I am sure it is hard to get all the prep work done in order to get to summer shows.Remember to jump on the computer and check out her selling sites,I promise you will not be sorry.