Nome May first started selling her homemade jewelry at the Grateful Dead concerts she frequented. Since then, her clientele has changed.
These days, slightly more conservative crowds flock to her booth at Eugene’s Saturday Market.
May has been selling her bead and silver work at the market for the past 13 years. She is one of many local jewelers making wearable art.
“It’s one of the original arts,” May said “It’s one of the primary things people have done to adorn themselves. It’s a primal need.”
It only takes a glance at the ears, necks and wrists of University students to notice the popularity of handcrafted jewelry.
According to Felice Carter, another local jewelry maker, there is a good reason people prefer handmade goods to machine-made ones.
“People like to know the person they’re buying stuff from — that they thought about what they were making, instead of it being cranked out in a factory,” Carter said. “They like that the jewelry is one-of-a-kind.”
Carter described her pieces as integrating a lot of stones and wire work — inexpensive, but nice.
She said price is a major factor for many of her customers.
“Kids come wanting to buy stuff for their mom, like $5 earrings,” Carter said. She said the $5 glass and stone earrings are probably her most popular items. She also sells wire and glass anklets and necklaces at her booth at Saturday Market.
Carter first delved into jewelry-making while working as a salesperson for a jeweler in Key West, Fla.
“He started showing me a few things and let me make a few things,” she said. “I also taught myself and took some classes.”
From there, Carter’s hobby blossomed into a career that she said she really enjoys.
“I like being self-employed and making my own hours,” Carter said. “I like making things with my hands, and I’m able to support myself.”
May said her love of the material is the highlight of the job.
“I got a thing for beads. I love their history, their look, their feel,” May said. “I like having all those beautiful beads go through my hands.”
However, May said there are some drawbacks to making jewelry.
“I really like making expensive, time-consuming stuff and using expensive stones,” May said. “But it’s hard to find people to sell it to.”
Many local jewelers said stiff competition is another downside to the art.
Becca Clark, who makes jewelry for her business, Firebird Silverworks, said it’s hard to earn a living making jewelry.
“You have to stay one step ahead of everyone else and be able to do different designs,” Clark said. “It’s not enough to just be a good silversmith.” She added, “In this country, artists aren’t appreciated.”
Although jewelry makers may lament these hardships, it does lead to a lot of different styles of work — to the advantage of customers who, as a result, are able to find creative, high-quality pieces at cheaper prices easily. During a walk through the booths at Saturday Market, browsers are likely to find silver, stones and beads being used in different ways to create a wide array of styles.
Clark, who described her work as organic and inspired by nature, said people like artisan-crafted jewelry because a handmade creation is more than just an accessory.
“It has soul,” she said.
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