Jessica Greschner

Jessica Greschner

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Jewelry-Making Contest 2010 featuring Pearls, Organic Beads or Kato Polyclay™

Finalist

Meet the Designer-Artist


Where do you live?
I currently live in Toronto.

Describe your artistic style.
I love colour! I really enjoy creating pieces using interesting colour combinations. When I create beads using polymer clays I like to use many techniques in one bead, to make them more interesting and unique.

What inspires you as a designer-artist?
I am inspired by the ever changing colours in nature as well as fashion.

What materials do you most enjoy working with?
I love to make my own beads using polymer clay and add glitters, crystals and powders to them to give the beads more dimension.

What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
Blue-Raspberry

What inspired this design?
My favorite colour is purple and I wanted to design a piece using my favorite bead.

How did it come together? For example, did you plan it out or did it define itself once you began working?
It wasn't a planned out piece. I knew that I wanted to use my favorite bead in the design and the whole piece created itself around that.

Share Your Background


When and how did you begin making jewelry/beading?
I have always had a love of art and jewelry. I started working with polymer clay when I was about 9 and started making my own beads then as well. I slowly learned how to string them together, make patterns and start designing. I have progressed over the years and now work for a very well known jewelry designer named Gay Isber. I also sell my polymer clay beads at shows in the area for fun.

Who introduced you to beading?
I grew up in a very artsy household. My mom was a folk art painter, among many other things, and my dad was a woodworker. I was always given some type of artsy thing to do and I think I just really liked making jewelry because it was wearable art.

Do you have an artistic background?
Yes both my parents were artistic and I think that definitely rubbed off on me! I enjoyed taking art in school and liked to learn more about it in my spare time.

How did you discover Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®?
I'm not sure when the very first time that I heard of this company was, but I know it very well for work because we order a large amount of supplies from Fire Mountain Gems.

What other hobbies do you have?
I love fashion, so I love to read up on other designers and be inspired. I think my greatest passion is working with polymer clay, it is my main hobby.

Do you belong to any beading societies or beading groups?
I currently don't but would love to join the Toronto Beading Society.

Beading Success


What role does jewelry-making play in your life?
Right now making jewelry is the thing I do every day! It is my full time job. I love to create new pieces that haven't been created before. I work for Gay Isber Designs and am lucky enough to make jewelry for some very high end clients, museums and fashion shows.

If you used jewelry-making as a way to bring in income, how are you selling yourself and your jewelry?
My boss, Gay, has a website where you can view the many pieces that I make for her. Gayisber.com. To sell my own beads, I do attend art and bead shows.

Do you participate in any charity fundraisers?
We give away many pieces to many different organizations to auction.

Any advice for aspiring jewelry-artists?
Have fun and don't over think a design, pieces will just come together as you work on it.