Artist Inspirations - MAB Jewelry

Join me in welcoming Laura from MABjewelry , as she shares what inspires her to create her modern vintage-inspired jewelry. Thanks Laura for being a guest blogger!

When I started making jewelry, I discovered my calling. I studied English in school, and wrote poetry, plays, fiction and a billion research papers. A couple of years after graduating college, I fell out of the habit of writing, and had no creative outlet. One weekend, I was at my mom’s, and she was stringing a bracelet. I took some of her unwanted, unloved beads, and made a bracelet for myself. That was seven years, and miles and miles of beading wire, ago. Making jewelry is like a form of meditation for me—a calming, beautiful way of easing my mind and expressing myself.

I tend to be a very structured, organized person, except when creating jewelry. When I buy supplies or even sit down to make jewelry, I usually have no plans for what I might put together until I start poking around in my beads. Usually, I change designs right up until the time when I crimp the final crimp bead and a piece is finished. What I end up with is always a surprise.

Most of my inspiration comes from vintage or antique pieces. I’ll run across an old skeleton key with a great patina and a feel of mystery and design a necklace from there.


I’ll find some odd piece of hardware or ephemera, and see the potential for a necklace.

Or take a pile of vintage wind watch guts and bits, and see a unique collage pendant.

Characters from old movies and books inspire me, too, like this necklace inspired by a character from The Great Gatsby.

And sometimes all it takes is some shiny colorful beads that I picked up randomly in a store the day before.

I can't think of anything I'd rather do than sit down at my bead board and see what conjures itself up. The true joy of this is making a one-of-a-kind piece that forms a connection with another person, sometimes as far away as France or Sweden. I know that rush when I buy a piece of jewelry that seems like it was made just for me. Knowing that a stranger feels that way when they look at a piece of my jewelry is the strongest inspiration of all.

Make sure you stop by and see all the amazing items in Laura 's shop and check out her blog too.