Designer Spotlight: Beth Crowell
I work with sea glass because I absolutely love the beach. Having grown up in MA I have wonderful memories of combing the beaches looking for shells, pretty stones and sea glass. I wanted to create a line that brought the beauty of the shore inside and allows my customers to connect with the beach wearing classic designs.
How did you get into jewelry design?
I've always been “crafty” having tried pottery, glass work and of course jewelry design. For years I've taken classes and jewelry designing just felt right.
What makes your collection unique?
I think what makes my collection unique is that in addition to using natural, unaltered sea glass, I also try to use recycled silver whenever possible. Every bit of the process is as organic and green as possible. My goal is to create pieces that can be worn everyday and have a story behind them. I try to share with my customers which beach each piece of sea glass comes from and the story of where the sea glass probably originated. For example cobalt blue sea glass most likely comes from a medicine bottle.
What are your inspirations?
Creating new designs that make people feel connected to the beach whenever they wear a piece of Wilton Artisans' jewelry.
How are you making a difference in your life?
I am making a difference in my life by really trying to learn from experts in various fields so that I can improve myself and my skills. I've learned that if I don't know the answer someone out there likely will. I like to surround myself with knowledgeable people and appreciate their skills.
What's something unusual about you that makes you “you”?
A lot of people don't know that I actually have an MBA and worked at the New York Stock Exchange for almost 10 years. I went from living and working in New York City to living in the country and designing jewelry. I wouldn't change any of the experiences I've had.
What's the biggest struggle in running your jewelry business like a business? OR What is your biggest success in running your business like a business?
My biggest struggle in running a jewelry business like a business is that I'm required to wear so many hats at once. It can be very challenging at times. It's only been recently as my kids have gotten older that I've been able to allot more time to focus on growing my brand.
My biggest success in running my jewelry business like a business is that from networking, constantly educating myself whenever possible, and taking risks I've taken my business from very small (local crafts shows) to growing my wholesale business, outsourcing a lot of the production work and participating in wholesale shows.
After working on Wall Street for 10 years, I left to focus on my true passion which is designing jewelry. After playing around with PMC, bead embroidery and gemstones I decided to focus on creating a line using authentic sea glass or pieces that were coastal inspired.
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