Jewelry
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What I blew my paycheck on this week.
by Jennifer Johnson
Aug 07, 2008
The Wallace and Crump show
Being environmental educators as well as jewelry design partners, it is no surprise that Michele Wallace and Jennifer Crump are inspired by nature, plants and water and colors. Yet, nature flows through them in very different ways. Crump thinks about the person the item is for and what the wearer would like and let’s these thoughts lead her to a specific design. Wallace mixes and matches colors for the most pleasing results, laying out her beads and letting the colors tell her what design to make.
Crump began dabbling in jewelry making, mainly with small seed beads, in college as a way to relax and discovered wire about two years ago.
“I love working with wire along with beads, especially stone and glass. I think the different materials add such depth and sparkle,” explains Crump.
Coincidently, Wallace gave in to her love of jewelry around the same time. Using the words quirky, colorful and big to describe their jewelry designs, both Wallace and Crump use glass beads, semiprecious stones and metals. Crump’s work utilizes mainly sterling silver-coated wire. She has a special love of turquoise, too.
These two self-taught designers prefer the hands-on method of acquiring the materials they use to create earrings, bracelets and necklaces, evidenced by their trips to local bead stores, where Wallace can be found holding beads up to the light admiring their inner color. Using seashells, beach glass and natural stones appeals to them more than ordering from catalogues.
“I have to look at the real thing and even feel them” shares Wallace.
Crump adds, “I have one piece made from some bleached bone I found, and it’s one of my favorites.”
Wallace began thinking about how women like to indulge themselves and her company name was born, Indulgences by Michele. “My motto has always been ‘Personal luxuries at an affordable price.’”
Tacoma resident Crump sells jewelry at a shared booth at the Puyallup Farmers’ Market and at some craft fairs. Stressing the uniqueness of their jewelry designs, Wallace explains that they do have a Web site — www.indulgencesbymichele.com — but that there isn’t any jewelry on it. Instead it is used to sell their other items. Aside from jewelry, Graham resident Wallace makes organic therapeutic teas, spices and culinary mixes in addition to aromatherapy supplies using essential oils from the distilled essence of plants and fragrance oils.
