Day 274:Beth Barker Hamlin

About me: I have always been an artsy craftsy person but approx. 2009, I had a pretty drastic surgery on my leg and ankle from a hiking injury and had a few months off work to recover. I started taking metalsmith/jewelry fabrication classes through Mesa Art Center and was immediately hooked on making stone and sterling jewelry! I have slowly built a very compact studio in our home office. Basic metalsmithing tools for now and still learning new tricks every day. I have become friends with some super talented lapidary folks, some here in Arizona, and love creating jewelry pieces with unique material like turquoise, agates, jasper, even Fordite ( which is basically a cabochon made from remnants of layers upon layers of auto paint!)

I work part-time for the City of Mesa Parks and Rec in their Aquatic Dept. and try to fit in quality jewelry bench hours in between work and raising two active teenagers.

I sell online at through two different web based shops. My artisan sterling silver jewelry from My Gypsy Store https://www.mygypsystore.com/store/heldhighjewelry/ and my vintage upcycle assemblage pieces from Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/HeldHighVintage

Instagram account @heldhighjewelry

I have also found such a great community of support and new customers from my Instagram account @heldhighjewelry It is so fun to post new items I'm working on and get instant feedback and to see what others are working on or share about challenges we all face in life.

My brand name became what it is because I wish every person to remember to hold their dreams and aspirations high.

I am heavily influenced by nature and the southwest vibe that I'm lucky to live in.

Fordite necklace with stamped sterling leaf accents

Pendant is carved carnelian flower above red creek jasper stone, back side is stamped with words "trust nature" with tall flower cut outs

Natural Royston turquoise sterling silver rose and leaf ring

Works in Progress