What I’m Focusing On Now – A Jewelry Collection

What I’m Focusing On Now – A Jewelry Collection

I’ve often wondered what would have happened if I had gone into fine arts instead of fashion design.

I’ve always been drawn to colour and texture. At the same time, I love strong shapes — surface contained within clean, graphic edges. I also have a deep love of textiles, especially natural linen. Subtle texture. Tone on tone. Fabric that reveals itself slowly.

If you look around my home, it’s layered with quiet surfaces. Nothing chaotic. Pops of colour, yes — but grounded.
My eye has always preferred depth over noise.

While studying fashion design in college, I made leather jewelry from scraps and sold it as a side line.
After that came art dolls — a time when I could combine personal expression with fabric and form.

Over the decades, I’ve created jewelry in many forms. After developing my CaBezel molds to share with other creatives, and while running Shades of Clay, I was constantly experimenting — new products, new techniques, new ideas. I made pieces. I tested things. I explored. I shared what I learned.

But I never built a focused collection.

Years ago, I brought wood bases into Shades of Clay and began using them as small canvases — wall pieces, coasters, surface experiments. I didn’t realize then that they would slowly shift my direction.

But they have.

I love what happens when the outer structure is already defined — a wood blank, a frame, a bezel, a contained shape.

Decision fatigue disappears.

The size is set.
The proportions are handled.
The edge is established.

Only then can all of my attention go to surface. Colour. Marks. Composition.

That’s where I feel most alive creatively — somewhere between painting and texture, but scaled to jewelry (usually)

For the first time, I’m intentionally building a cohesive jewelry collection. Wood foundations. Layered paint. Scratched and sanded surfaces. Bold, lightweight pieces designed for confident women who know their style.

Polymer clay is still part of my language. Teaching is still part of what I do. But right now, I’m carving out space to focus on my own line.

It feels right.
Wendy