Introducing the New Beadshop Design Team Member, Danielle Wickes

I recently had a pleasant experience meeting Danielle in person and can truly say she is a treasure.  So full of energy and with a generous heart, our Design Team is very fortunate to have her. Danielle brings a young spirit to our beading community and her designs give us just the right amount of beading diversity.  To help us get to know her better, I asked Danielle some beading related questions. Check out her answers below and be sure to visit her jewelry focused website.

https://linktr.ee/daniellewickesjewelry

-Alley

Give us a little background on why you chose to venture down the jewelry-making path.

“My original venture down the design path started in 2005 when I was asked to make something for my mom using some gemstones my dad had found on a trip. I hadn’t done any serious jewelry design. Up until then, I had mainly been a crochet artist and really into sewing bags and clothes. Tasked with the assignment to create this jewelry for my mom, I walked into my local brick and mortar store and asked for ideas. I didn’t realize at the time, but I met a future best friend that day and my journey with jewelry design started there. I learned most of what I know from the store manager, Amy, and the rest on the internet, during a week at Pratt Fine Arts Center and also at home, just playing with beads and wire. Amy also taught me metalsmithing and metal clay. I had an incredibly fun time all those wonderful years; all the learning and friendships made are some of the best memories of my life."

Did you ever have an “ah-ha moment" during your jewelry making journey?

“I think I have had a few 'ah-ha moments' in jewelry making. They’ve come up in different places in my journey. One recent one was photography lighting - really getting educated on that and making it my focus for a while has helped motivate me to create more. For a long time, I didn’t have a way to share my work because my pictures were not really showing my pieces. The other ah-ha piece is having a community to share with.”

What’s a fun fact that our web audience would love to know about you?  

“Let’s see, a fun fact about me, I love distance running and I am into sci-fi shows and movies.”

What is your favorite piece and what made it special?

“My favorite jewelry piece was made during one of the Beadshop LIVE shows. We (my then 4 year-old Patrick and I) created this necklace for my mom. He chose everything: the pendant, every bead, every charm, and the button. The project was a free-form necklace with Kate and Janice (The Zen of Stringing). We spent about an hour before the broadcast filling a bead tray with everything as he dug around and chose treasures and strands, holding up seed bead tubes and shaking them. He asked questions about all the beads and was very selective. He chose shells and honeybees, and man this boy can colorway! He did this earth tones balance with rose and turquoise and some wooden beads. He was not afraid to mix up metal finishes, and then he topped it all with the aurora borealis Full Moon button. When we gave this to my mom she literally cried. It was pretty much the best jewelry I’ve ever made. He also chose the clover charm as his signature: from Patrick.”