Jewelry by Szarka : Big Mama

I have been twisting wire and fondling gems for almost three decades. My jewelry is for sale on szarkas.com.

I was born in Calgary and grew up in Southern Alberta. I spent summers in the Rocky Mountains with my family hunting and fell in love. It is one of the most inspiring, intense, and beautiful places in the world.

I went into geology in College but ended up taking Social Work. Soon my love for rocks won out and now I am back at it as a gems dealer and wire wrapper. My name is Szarka but I am also known as Dianne Carter and Dianne Molnar, my maiden name.

Who am I, good question.

Is who I am what I've done, where I have been, what I wear, what I think, how I act?

I never know what to say.`I can give you a run down of my past and then you can make your own judgments on who I am and maybe then you can share it with me so I know too?`

I was born in Alberta, went to school ........ a lot. Wanted to save the world and tried hard for 13 years. I soon realized I needed to save myself or there would be nothing left for the world.

I burnt out mediating between families, teens, Social Services, the Court System, Mental Health and society at large and gave away everything to move into a flaming pink school bus all tricked out with solar panels and a hand built interior with a wonderful man I met on the Internet.

We traveled the Western States while I crocheted cotton halter tops for middle aged drunk women at music festivals. I made jewelry, custom made hats, clothing, and worked the gem trade. We traveled Barter Fairs, Flea Markets, Art Shows, Festivals, Powwow's, Pig Roasts. We did every venue I can think of.

I worked with Galleries and coffee shops, high-end restaurants, and little old men in motor homes who then resold my pieces to galleries.

It was a lot of work but it was a blast.

I traded wire wrap for truck batteries, essential oils for amber, beads for brain tanned deer hides. I met so many humans and all preconceived notions of any kind were turned upside down.

I stayed in Palm Springs to spots on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I stayed in Vegas to Niland California at the slabs.

Now I sell on the Internet as Magpie Gemstones and on eBay as Turquoise Magpie. Once the nomadic life was over what to do was open and along came eBay. Friends I had in the trade wanted me to buy for them so I started supplying beads stores.

I had many contacts in the gem trade and they wanted me to sell for them, or get involved in this partnership or that. I decided against it all and wanted to sell beads, make some jewelry, and home school my daughter.

I am grateful this is what I am able to do. I know that working for myself is more like a 16 hour day than a regular 9 to 5 but being able to be home makes it all worth while.

A lot of people ask me how I learnt to make jewelry. I had a crystal and some wire and just kept twisting for years until now. I am not a master yet, I do not believe, and it has been well over 2 decades.

Wire is the ultimate way to discover humility. If I approach it with a feeling of smugness or surety it teaches me quickly that it is in charge. If I cajole, beg and hope it will do what I want it to most times now it will listen. Not always though.

It is kind of like life.

Well now that I have bored you to tears, thanks for reading this far and I hope your life is simple, sweet, and filled with the small things that give your heart joy.

Jewelry by Szarka

January 7, 2008

Big Mama

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