A Personal Expression in Designing Jewelry

Every day Etsy attracts many new sellers who look for an opportunity to introduce original work and designs to a broader audience. In an army of new shops who joined our team in March one caught my attention. Popular objects such as pendants and ring were fused with wit and style.

I would like to introduce a young yet experienced jeweler and designer Olga Tkhor and her Etsy shop OlgaTkhorJewellery

In these charming pendants I see the inspiration by Beardsley’s humorous drawings and fantastic style.

This ring beautifully combines baroque patterns and canons of taste and will make a perfect and unique birthday or anniversary gift:

I like her approach to a very delicate subject as a religious theme. Tradition to design religious jewelry has been going through several centuries and fast became the most popular way for one to show one’s faith.

This sword cross on a shield designed with a modern twist adds glamorous sparkle and sophistication to any outfit.

How versatile is Olga’s design shows another men's shield pendant in solid sterling silver and features a Fleur De Lis design

Any piece of jewelry tells us something or not. When it does tell something, we buy it.

I would recommend to check Olga’s other designs and work on her website. Beautiful work!

By Lyudmila (Woolsolution)

Interview with a Star, Svetlana from nesluxury

Please, welcome Svetlana who runs Nesluxury shop on Etsy. Today, she is sharing her inspirational story with us.



Please tell us a little bit about yourself
My name is Svetlana, I was born in Kazakhstan and moved to Siberia after high school. I moved to Israel after graduation. Now I live in Haifa in Northern Israel and work at the Haifa University. My day-to-day work involves lots of numbers, statistics, programming and different really boring scientific related things. After that, all I really want to do (except spending time with my baby son Tom) is to create, create, create.


How long have you been creating? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?
As far as I can remember, I loved to create by hand. I draw, cut, glued, sculpted and built. I used paper, clay, metal wires, cones, sticks and stones from my father’s work room and the yard or the forest. When I grew up, I learned how to sew, knit and weave from my mom and grannies. My mother told that me that I was 12 month old when I took a pencil for the very first time… but she does not say, what I drew! When I was a teenager I studied in an art school for 5 years before moving to more “earthly” matters.


What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?
Once it was a five-o'clock tea party at my friend's place in the Technion campus. A few young women gathered to chat and to look at my first flower creations. I made a jewelry set with large peachy pink flowers and some mint green seed beads among them. When I took it out of the box, three girls wanted to buy it immediately and they began to argue. At the end, the girl who had cash, got the set and I got two custom orders.


Do you take custom orders?
I love to do custom orders. This way I know in advance that this will be an item the customer will love and cherish. My favorite customer is a woman, who works with me in my institute and who I see every day. She orders something from me every season when she buys new clothes. I really like to see that she wears my jewelry with pleasure. Recently I was really honored to see a few of our friends wearing my items to one of our mutual friend's wedding. I made this jewelry especially for them!


What items in your shop do you enjoy making most and why?
It is definitely small roses because I really like the feel of the thin layers of polymer clay between my fingers. I see their birth petal by petal and it soothes me.


What are your main sources of inspiration?
I really don't know. It just comes to me! Sometimes I see a dully dressed girl and I am getting ideas how to improve her appearance. Sometime I find interesting and inspiring stuff on the Internet or I look at my materials (polymer clay, beads, silk or metal findings) and just begin to create.


Do you have a Favorite quote you'd like to share with us?
"You never know when you'll luck out." It is the very first phrase in the "The stranger" by Max Frei and I totally agree with him!

Interview with a Star, Yelena at LenaMer

We all love jewelry! Every person has their own style and preferences but we all like to have one of a kind pieces which will suit our taste. It's always interesting to know a story behind your favorite item so today we are introducing Yelena from the LenaMer shop on Etsy to you with her story on her inspiration.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself

Hi, my name is Yelena and I am 34 years old. I was born in Baku in the Soviet Union and  immigrated with my family to Israel in 1990. Today I live in Rishon le Zion with my amazing family: my husband, my 3-year-old son, a cat and new members of our tribe - three clown fish. 

How long have you been creating? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?

I am creating since I remember myself, I always was a technical type of person: when I was 4 I fixed my grandma’s old watch (don’t ask me how, I was never able to repeat that magic :))  When I was nine, my neighbor Sioma and I tried to create a sandwich-making robot. But jewels came later, much later.

I was always a crafts lover and since 2005 have been taking jewelry-making classes at various schools with different teachers.  I tried myself on design studies, and applied to study Jewelry Design at Shenkar in 2005. The first year was crazy and amazing and I discovered new horizons. Art, design, different trends, use of material - since then I can't stop from searching for new ways to create. For me jewelry is structure and combining that with stone beads brings the color and light into each design, and the jewel is always a story for me!  

 How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc influenced your style?

I can't define my own style as of yet, because I’m still searching, my favorite styles are Art Nouveau and Primitive. I think today`s art cannot be defined by one style, because it is a combination of yesterday and tomorrow.

What inspires you and what is the day in your studio look like?

Oh, "your studio" sounds so perfect! For me the most important thing is to write down the ideas and to hope that I will have an opportunity to implement them someday. Because right now most of the time I spend with my son, and sometimes we "work" together, he just loves beading and hammering. The first pendant we made together is now my good-luck charm and amulet :)))

What are your main sources of inspiration?

Life, nature, people, a random spot on paper - everything. Color combinations, shapes, materials, everything I see around me.

Do you use any special techniques or tools?

I like to learn new techniques all the time, now I’m learning to work with wire:

Where would you like to go with your business?

I hope one day to make this my full-time job. I would like to have a big sunny studio, where I could host different artists to exchange ideas, experience and knowledge

Why will people love your items?

Maybe because I myself love my creations with all my heart. Gem stones are beautiful, I only put them into a setting.

Interview with a Star - Anastasia (Lovisetto)

Please, welcome our team mate Anastasia who runs Lovisetto shop on Etsy.



- First of all, would you like to introduce yourself, tell us about your life, where you live, a little about your background?
My name is Anastasia and I am a jewelry designer. I’ve lived in the UK since 2006. My family moved here from Moscow, Russia where I was born and lived for the first thirty years of my life. I have always had a passion for art and as a child attended Children’s School of Art, but my desire to become an artist was not to be fulfilled till I turned 27. After finishing a high school I got a degree at Moscow State University and made a successful office career. By the age of 27 I worked as an HR Director for an international company operating out of Russia. Nevertheless, I decided to leave the corporate world and pursue my dream of becoming an artist. I graduated from Academic School of Design in Moscow in 2005 and have being designing and making jewelry ever since.

- You're originally from Russia. Has the move to the UK impacted your view of things, your way of seeing and living art, or, if you'd like, has it changed you in any way?
Yes, I changed a lot. I must say that London is a capital of art and modern art and most importantly the art in London and in the UK is accessible. What I am trying to say is that there are lots of museums and exhibitions to choose from, some of them offer a free entrance to the visitors. For me it is very important as I live in an industrial city of Peterborough, which is situated 90 miles north of London and usually I spend two weekend a month in London. Every time I am in London I visit two or three art exhibitions. During the winter time it is just a way of spending the day, walking from one gallery to another with friends.


- What inspires you?
My ”Dreaming of Butterflies” collection is inspired by natural beauty of butterflies, Gustav Klimt paintings, and gorgeous vintage brooches.

- When did you first begin creating jewelry?
In 2005 after graduating from Academic School of Design in Moscow


- Why butterflies, in particular?
I love creating wearable art. My goal is to make women feel beautiful and happy when they put on one of my jewelry pieces. I want them to experience that same dream-like state of being that I envision when creating my jewelry. Creating and designing my Butterfly necklaces is like living in a dream, in an enchanted forest. It feels like I am bringing beauty, happiness and peace to this world, by inhabiting it with such gentle and gorgeous creations as butterflies.

- Have you tried other crafts or arts before jewelry?
I like drawing and am most fascinated by the life drawing.


- Any tips on selling handmade items and art in particular?
I think that the key factor is to create something unique, but still practical. Quality photos and good product description are vitally important as well.

- Why should people buy handmade?
Handmade items are unique and original. Buying and using handmade goods allow you to look different. Also, by buying handmade goods you support the artists who are making our life more beautiful. Before the industrialization in the 19th century all the goods people were wearing or using, including furniture, dresses, hats, shoes, cosmetics, etc. were handmade and in a way unique. Now we are living in an era of mass production, we are wearing clothes which look alike; we all follow the fashion trends, basically buying what is sold in a High street shop, so the only way to stand out is to have some handmade fashion items in your wardrobe.


- Do you have any other interests apart from creating wonderful jewelry?
I like reading books and a year ago my passion for reading has grown into something more. I finished writing my first book, which is written in Russian and now three chapters of the book has been published in Russian Mind Magazine.

- Now, something a little less craft-related... What books have you read lately, and what movies have you watched?
I like Russian modern literature. Talking about the cinema, I recently watched two very interesting films which I think I can recommend to your blog readers Marry and Max, it is the most beautiful and honest cartoon I have seen in my entire life. Another film is Battle Royal with the great actor Takeshi Kiatno playing the main character. Talking about this year's films I would like to recommend to watch Angels Of Evil by Michele Placido. Even though it is not actually my favorite genre it is beautifully made.


- Would you like to add something else, links, thoughts, anything?
I just had my first exhibition at the Newashgate gallery. They were showing two of my four jewellery collections: Dreaming of Butterflies and Web (www.newashgate.org.uk).

- Would you like to offer some kind of promotion to our readers ?
The readers of this blog are very welcome to buy from my Etsy shop with 10% discount using the code “ANASTASIA5”


- Another thing, people love to relate in some ways to the seller, or so it seems, would you like me to include a photograph of you in the interview?
The photo is attached. On the photo I am wearing one of my necklaces while sitting in an restaurant in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

-Thanks again a lot for taking the time to answer the questions, have a good afternoon.

Stylish things, Anastasia lightkeeping

Have you ever taken a walk in a birch grove during the summer? Bright sunshine pierces the lacy birch foliage. Small white and blue wildflowers are flirting with each other. Ripe berries of wild strawberry are playing hide-and-seek with sunrays. A light breeze brings with it the aroma of wild grasses and flowers. You get the same wonderful feeling when you visit the 'lightkeeping'.


The owner of the store is a charming lady named Anastasia. You can definitely tell a lot about a person from looking at her works. Looking at Anastasia's creations, you can immediately see that she is kind cheerful, and her store radiates happiness.


Anastasia is a talented jewelry designer. Most of her pieces are made with lamp-work beads, which she complements with Swarovski crystals, genuine precious and semi-precious gemstones, pearls, etc. Earrings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces, hair clips – everything made by Anastasia - immediately attracts your attention. All her creations are simple, elegant and original.


Anastasia keeps her relationships with her customers very personal. She respects her customers' taste and does her best in listening to their wishes. She says: «Custom orders are always welcome; if you see an item in my store that you like, but would like it better if it were put together in a somewhat different way, I'll be happy to accommodate! And if you like my "style" but don't see a particular color you'd like, I may be able and will be glad to put something together for you.»





Tomorrow is Anastasia's birthday. Rusteam would like to congratulate Anastasia and wish her to always remain her charming self and keep amazing us and her customers with her wonderful works.



Happy Birthday, Anastasia!


Story by Lana (FineEmbroidery)

Translated by Alla (FleetingStillness)


The story is also available in Russian there.