Indie jewelry designer Jo Hollingsworth creates some pretty cool handmade jewelry, including body jewelry like 14k gold nose rings and sterling silver cartilage hoops. I love the fact that her perfectly wearable, every-day jewelry provides a great affordable alternative to shopping at the mall. (Tell me that a handmade sterling silver nose stud for only $11 isn’t better than fighting the mall crowds!) I recently chatted with Jo to find out a little more about how she got started making her jewelry and what influences her work.
Tell me a little about yourself and your work. I make simple, sophisticated jewelry out of sterling silver and solid 14k yellow, white, and rose gold. I’m pretty lazy about my earrings – if I have to take them out at night I end up not wearing any for several days. So most of my earrings are designed so that you can easily sleep in them. I’ve worn some of them for months! I also do a great business in body jewelry – nose rings and studs, cartilage hoops, you name it. And my personal love is necklaces, so you’ll find a variety of those in my shop as well.
How did you get started as a designer? I started taking art classes when I moved to California after attending the Vancouver Film School. Out of all the classes I took in Vancouver, it was the art that really drew me in, and I’ve been at it ever since. I started with life drawing, and I feel that understanding of the female form influences all of my work. I moved from there into ceramic sculpture, which I still dabble in, and then on into jewelry a few years ago. I started by making pieces for myself, but when I put them online, they started selling! These days I make jewelry full time.
What inspires your work? I’m inspired by line, and form, and comfort, and fashion! My most successful pieces have come from wearing some fantastic outfit, looking in the mirror, and thinking “what piece of jewelry would really *make* this outfit?”
Who are your favorite designers? I love fashion, but when it comes down to shopping I buy pieces that make me look great. So my closet is a mish mash of pieces by known designers, pieces by indie designers, and things that grabbed me while I was walking through the mall. For big name designers, I really love the way Diane von Furstenberg understands and flatters the female form, and I have one of her fabulous wrap dresses hanging in my closet. I also have a fantastic little black dress by Tadashi, which looks incredible on me. And I adore my Cole Hahn leather jacket.
What are your fashion & beauty must-haves? My number one must-have is a good tailor – as a curvy girl, very little fits me right off the rack. A good tailor is indispensable! I suppose great jewelry goes without saying. I never feel dressed without earrings and a statement necklace. Most days find me in a t-shirt, and great pair of jeans, and a funky jacket if the weather is chilly. And I adore boots!
What advice would you give to aspiring designers? Be true to your own vision. If your vision is clear enough, other like-minded people will find your work and love it as much as you do.
Where can people find your work? www.idreamicanfly.com
Anything else? What you wear defines you to the world, so go forth and indulge your own personal sense of style!
