While I’m no expert when it comes to jewelry (although my wife said I did a great job picking her ring), I know cool looking jewelry when I see it! From necklaces, earrings, and rings Unexpected Expectancy offers a wide range of vintage and handmade jewelry all for some very fair prices.

Everything in the store runs from $18 to $8 making it extremely affordable to pick up some great looking jewelry. While I realize the vast majority of IATT readers are indeed men, think of how much of a stud you will be surprising your significant other with some very unique and cool jewelry!

Check out the entire product range at: uejewelry.storenvy.com

Every once in a blue moon I have to make sure I make a post geared towards the female IATT readers. Yes there a few of them! Anyways I came across Snapshots a very cool and unique jewelry line and thought it was definitely post worthy.

Amy offers a few different jewelry options based around a “minimized” version of a Polaroid picture including pins, necklaces and earrings. Each piece basically acts as a frame in which you can insert your own pictures further customizing your jewelry to fit you. Aside from the Polaroid jewelry she also has some pretty cool word bubble art that she has made into pins.

Pieces range from $15 to $25 and can be picked up here: www.etsy.com/shop/amybsjewelry

I love how she uses simple styles and charms to create cute and affordable wearable art! A few of my favorite pieces would be anything with a key or an owl on it! Who doesn’t love owls?!? All of her pieces are super affordable ranging from about 6 dollars for a pair of earrings to 9-15 dollars for a necklace. I recently did an interview with Michel to get to know her and her Gypsy Warrior jewelry line a little bit better!

When did you start your business and how did it come about?

Gypsy Warrior started in the Fall of 2008. Ever since I can remember, I had little boxes and bins filled with beads/crafts and for hours I would sit in my room as a young girl and make treasures for everyone. As I got older, I would host little craft parties with my sisters, friends and family, teaching them about fun new things they could do with beads, charms, wire and string. I joke now how I am doing the same thing today (at 25) that I was doing at 10 years old, just with a more cultured influence.

Where did the name Gypsy Warrior come from?

I love traveling, collecting things wherever I go; thrift stores and vintage shops, sea glass at the beach, small knickknacks in random cities, that the idea of the a ‘Gypsy’ really surrounded the bases of a lot of my designs. Warrior has such a strong, independent, travel savvy connotation that the two words seem to embody my creations and the women that should wear it.

What got you interested in making jewelry?

I was always wearing fun jewelry, finding different charms and putting it together for myself; it was natural for me to make jewelry because I just started making things I would love to wear.

What are your favorite materials to work with?

My materials are always evolving and growing because I am constantly learning new things. Right now, I am enjoying mixing different metals, silver with gold, brass with bronze. I love long necklaces and creating the flow of the right colored metals with fun charms and vintage lockets (love, love, love lockets!).

What inspires you to come up with new designs/pieces?

I’ve being making art and studying art forever. Living in the NYC area makes it really easy to be inspired by my environment; there is so much culture everywhere. Museums or galleries, music, other artists
or adventures to near by cities and towns, thrift and vintage stores… I really am constantly inspired by everything; I think it will be a long time before I have any creative roadblocks.

I saw that you do a lot of business, how do you keep up with making new pieces and getting all of your orders out?

I am super fortunate that my creations have been so well accepted and that I have an amazing sister who is my right hand. She comes into my studio every day at 9 and she does the packaging and shipping. We send out about 100+ items a week, and have a great system together. The 30+ hours a week she puts in packaging the items, is the additional time I have to work on new designs, stock old designs, take
pictures, update my websites, etc.

How do you feel that your educational background has influenced or enhanced, if at all, the work that you do?

I value my education so much! I have a Bachelors in Painting and a Bachelors in Art History. I learned so much through both those majors. They both have been the basis of my inspiration.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to open up his or her own online shop/store?

Start small. Don’t overwhelm yourself. I started with 5 items, then 10 items… and so on.

What do you love the most about your life/career right now?

Love the most? I love what I do. I love making and creating things. I feel so lucky that I can wake up each day and go into my studio and spend the day making fun treasures for people all over the world. I have such great customers that have been so supportive.

Lastly, what album/artist are you listening to the most lately?

I listen to tons of music, but recently my go to music: The World we Knew, Minus the Bear, and Gaslight Anthem

Check out the full line at their Etsy Shop!

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Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> http://iamthetrend.com/2010/03/05/we-interview-gypsy-warrior-jewelry/feed/ 0 http://iamthetrend.com/2010/01/25/fetty-jewelry/ http://iamthetrend.com/2010/01/25/fetty-jewelry/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:52:36 +0000 Sarah Seemiller http://iatt.bluetideproductionsdevelopment.com/?p=2304 Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> Fetty was created by glam-rocker Justin Tranter of the band Semi-Precious Weapons.

Tranter studied music at the Berklee School of Music before becoming the front man of Semi Precious Weapons and launching his jewelry line. It all started when he made the jewelry to sell as merchandise to fans
at shows. It eventually grew to the point where he was able to use the money made from the jewelry sales to fund their first album and to allow fans to download it for free.

There are various jewelry lines to Fetty, such as Fetty of Brooklyn, which showcases various designs of weapons. One of the styles is ‘Royalty’ in which the jewelry is made of materials like diamonds, and
14k gold, these pieces retail in the range of a few hundred dollars. The ‘Boutique’ line has the same designs as the ‘Royalty’ line but are a lot more price friendly at the range of $35-$50 per piece. They are gold and platinum plated. The third line is the most affordable and is called the ‘Urban’ line with the same designs, but made out of brass and nickel…and these are a steal at $10 dollars each!

I really love the Lizzie Loves necklace with the axe and cut heart. I also enjoy the fact that they cater to every different customer as far as price range goes. Most designers only work with one or two materials, and you either can afford to buy it or you can’t. Fetty allows you to be both flexible with your cash and stylish!

Along with the Fetty of Brooklyn lines, there is also a Semi Precious Weapons line and another upscale line called Fame. Fetty jewelry is sold in many stores from Barneys to Urban Outfitters and Fred Segal.
There is also no shortage of celebrities who love Fetty, everyone from Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Kate Moss and Rhianna are big fans of the jewelry.

I definitely suggest checking out Fetty of Brooklyn and picking up a weapon or two!

www.thefetty.com

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Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> http://iamthetrend.com/2010/01/25/fetty-jewelry/feed/ 2 http://iamthetrend.com/2009/09/30/dynomighty-design/ http://iamthetrend.com/2009/09/30/dynomighty-design/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:50:29 +0000 Sarah Seemiller http://iatt.bluetideproductionsdevelopment.com/?p=816 Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> Website: dynomighty.com

“Dynomighty Design established in 2002 seeks to create a vibrant array of products to complement and accentuate the modern urban lifestyle with the designs of Terrance Kelleman. Dynomighty seeks to educate and impact people with products that influence their lives and perceptions. We want you to reach out and touch the products, play, learn and discover. We want to achieve this with simplicity of materials and economy of design. The best product ideas are often the simplest ones. Products that have a simple use of materials and an elegant solution of form and function stand out in the marketplace, spark consumer interest and create demand.”

Dynomighty Design carries a wide array of awesome products, one of these being link-less magnetic jewelry. You can purchase everything from rings, to bracelets and chokers that are beautifully designed and hold themselves together simply by the force of magnets! They also have exclusive patent rights to this type of jewelry, which I think is uniquely awesome as well. Prices for the jewelry range from twelve dollars for a simple ring, to sixty-five dollars for a necklace.

You can also find some very cool totes, luggage tags and wallets that are all very eco- friendly and made from Tyvek material. You know like the express mailers you get at the post office that are impossible to break into or tear? Each wallet, tote, and luggage tag has a unique design or print on it and I especially love the wallets with the subway maps printed on them! They are also very reasonably priced at just ten dollars for the luggage tags, fifteen dollars for a snazzy wallet and only twenty dollars for a tote bag! You seriously can’t beat that!

Check out all of the awesome wares that Terrance Kelleman has to offer
at dynomighty.com

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Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> http://iamthetrend.com/2009/09/30/dynomighty-design/feed/ 0 http://iamthetrend.com/2009/09/29/melanie-favreau-jeweller-extradordinaire/ http://iamthetrend.com/2009/09/29/melanie-favreau-jeweller-extradordinaire/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:20:17 +0000 Sarah Seemiller http://iatt.bluetideproductionsdevelopment.com/?p=827 Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> Melanie Favreau is an artist and jeweller extraordinaire! Working with both sterling silver and brightly colored resins, she creates wearable
art, whether it’s a pair of simple geometric earrings or a stylish owl or mustache pendant!

I personally LOVE the ‘Milk and Bread’ pendant! Who would have thought you could make a stylish piece of jewelry from what looks to be a shiny bread bag tag! Love it! Here is a little interview I did with Melanie!

Website: www.melaniefavreau.etsy.com!

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Mélanie Favreau and I’m a jeweler for more then 8 years now. I live with my hubby in the city of Montréal, in the province of Québec, Canada. I’m also a crazy cat lady (I have 5 cats) and I love cheese and eyeglasses I only sell my jewelry online on a few websites: Etsy, Supermarket, Dawanda and Artefaks.

When did you start and what got you interested in jewelry making?

In 1998, I moved in Montreal and found out that university was definitely not what I expected! So, I drop out of my philosophy class and started a class of jewelry making for 3 years at the École de Joaillerie de Montréal and finished in 2001. Then I started to work for other jewelers for 5 years. I always knew that someday I would be my own boss but, I wanted to get some experience first. I started
selling on Etsy the day of my 30th birthday, November 29th 2007 and got my first order a week later!

Why do you work with sterling silver and resin as opposed to other materials?

When you learn to make jewelry, you start to work with copper and sterling because it’s an inexpensive material. I love to work with sterling now for the same reason! Would you buy a 300$ moustache ring? I don’t think so! Seriously, I really love working with sterling and resin because I can turn it into any crazy idea I may have and I know it will still be affordable for most of my customers. It’s really
important to me to be able to make nice custom made pieces of jewelry that will really mean something to you or to the one you love but at a reasonable price.

What inspires you and how do you come up with new designs?

Recently, I found out that I get my best ideas when…I’m angry! Crazy, isn’t it? Is there a psychotherapist in the room? But when I’m happy (99.99% of the time!) I like to get a pen and some paper and start to draw shapes, words and ideas. I got tons of small papers all around my computer with little sketches that will turn into a piece of jewelry…or not! My husband loves it!

Any advice for someone trying to open their own online business/shop?

Do it now! It is the best way to express yourself and make your creations available to the whole world! Don’t censure yourself, do what you love and only what you love. Take your passion and try to turn it into a profitable business but, don’t try to do it JUST to make money. Always keep the faith! Try not to get discourage if it
doesn’t work as well as you thought. Give it some time, be patient. For me, Etsy is the best way to start your own little business. So, now your Etsy shop is full of nice stuff and now what? Get out there! My favorite thing now is Twitter but I also like Flickr. I know, I should have a Facebook page and a blog but, I got to make jewelry too, you know?

What’s the best part about living in Canada?

Maple syrup…it’s just the best! lol!

Check out Melanie’s jewelry at www.melaniefavreau.etsy.com!

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Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> http://iamthetrend.com/2009/09/29/melanie-favreau-jeweller-extradordinaire/feed/ 0 http://iamthetrend.com/2009/09/28/who-thought-molecules-could-be-this-cool/ http://iamthetrend.com/2009/09/28/who-thought-molecules-could-be-this-cool/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:45:14 +0000 Sarah Seemiller http://iatt.bluetideproductionsdevelopment.com/?p=810 Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> Website: www.madewithmolecules.com

We all know what a molecule is right? This is something you learn in junior high and high school. Molecules that you might recognize by name could be serotonin, dopamine, caffeine and estrogen just to name
a few. How creative can you get with molecules though? Science is just science right?

In Raven Hanna’s world, molecules are just the gateway to making beautiful pieces of art. She graduated from Yale with a PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (impressive), and then completed her post doctorate at UC Berkeley (even more impressive). Although she loves science, she also had a creative side that needed to be satisfied as well!

Raven Hanna makes unique pieces of art for the science lover, or appreciator in all of us. She makes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and more, all while using handmade charms that take the shape of
molecules! A few of my favorites are the serotonin necklace, which is the molecule that induces happiness, and also, the caffeine necklace and earrings are pretty awesome as well. Who doesn’t love a little
caffeine?

The majority of the jewelry is made out of sterling silver and ranging in price from around 40-260 dollars depending on the size and complexity of the piece. She also makes some of her molecular jewelry
in 14K gold as well. Also make sure to check out the other wares on the website as well, not just jewelry has been inspired by these molecular wonders! You can also find, molecular inspired holiday
cards, shirts, glassware and even baby onesies!

www.madewithmolecules.com

www.molecularmuse.etsy.com

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