Interview with... Crafted Gems
I owe my first magazine article to Caroline, she gave me the contacts, knowledge and confidence to give it a go and now I have had 2 articles, and I would say it really helped me kick start my book writing too! Not only is she a talented writer, but she makes amazing lampwork!
Who are you and where do you come from?I'm Caroline Cash and I live in Cheshire with my husband and son.What do you do in your spare time other than craft?I'm a full time mum so I don't get a lot of spare time. I do like watching american crime shows like NCIS and CIS:NY when the little one is in bed and having a girly natter over a coffee while the little one is at Nursery School.Please tell us a little bit about what you make.I mainly make lampwork beads. Each one is made by hand at a bench torch. You melt a glass rod in the flame and wind the melted glass round a mandrel dipped in bead release and once made it need to be put in a kiln to be annealled to remove stresses from the glass. I also make a bit of Jewellery out of wire and beads.What do you enjoy making most?I like making both. Beads need to be made around my little one so when he is at Nursery or when he's in bed as I need to pay attention to what I'm doing. Jewellery on the other hand I can make while he's painting or playing with his toys. I quite like making jewellery while watching TV in the evening with my Hubby.What part do you dislike the most?Cleaning beads. Once the beads have been annealled in a kiln, the mandrels need to be soaked in water and the beads removed. Then you clean them with a diamond coated bead reamer to remove all traces of bead release. I use a dremel but cause it needs to be done in water- it ends up everywhere and I've knocked the bowl over myself countless times, lol.What are your main inspirations for making a piece?I use seasonal colours a lot. My mood can also effect the colours I use and I can get inspiration from anywhere, clothes in the shops to pictures to places I have been.Do you plan out your designs or do you get stuck in straight away when inspiration strikes?I have an 'ideas' book that has pages and pages of bead ideas, but everytime I sit at my torch, I end up just making what comes to me, I get a lot of my bead ideas while I'm sat there. It's a case of 'I wonder what this, this and this will look like'. Jewellery-wise it's a mixture really. I try to sketch out ideas but most of the time I just end up going with the flow. I've had a few of my jewellery designs published as tutorials, so I make lots of notes while I'm making in case I write it up as a tutorial.What are you currently making?I can make up to 4 sets of beads in a 2 hour session so they are not really long term projects. I do have 2 unfinished chainmaille projects next to my laptop. One needs a clasp (i've not found the right one) and one because I didn't make enough jumprings to finish it. There is also 3 wire coils ready for cutting to finish the chainmaille so i need to get my Koil Kutter out and cut them.Do you make custom orders?Yes, as long as it's one I feel comfortable doing and it's a style I know I can do. For example, I wouldn't take on a commission to do floral beads as they are not my thing so as long as it's my style I will. The same for jewellery.Where can we buy your work?I have a website, www.craftedgems.co.uk, an Etsy shop, www.CraftedGems.etsy.com and a Folksy shop www.folksy.com/shops/CraftedGems