Jewelry by Szarka : Ask Szarka?

May 16, 2008

Ask Szarka?

I am starting a new feature on my blog answering questions people send me that are jewelry related. Well no one really asks me my opinion on anything else so I guess it is kind of pointless to point out the fact that the questions are jewelry related.

Why anyone would ask me is beyond me. I am definitely not the ultimate authority by any means. I do not have a business degree, nor have I been trained in an art school. I have never even taken a jewelry making class. Basically it appears I know very little. The good thing is I appear to be very opinionated for no known reason so I do have lots to write about.

So if you want one little humans take on the questions that other jewelry artists ask stop on in from time to time. Send questions you would like me to answer to ssszarka@gmail.com I will change your wording and your name to keep every one's privacy. If I don't have the answer I bet I know someone who thinks they do. I will ask them what they think and post the answers here. I won't hide their identities though .

I moved these posts to another blog that is just for questions come on over to take a peek.

Szarka

2 comments:

EverythingAG said...: hey it's me 77tera!; Friday, 06 June, 2008
Anonymous said...: Hey Sz, it's Phoenix. How do I tell if turqouise is real or some kind of fake dyed stuff?; Tuesday, 24 June, 2008

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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.