Hi!

New Troll Vendor Here! (couldn't help myself; Warcraft humor)

Hi, my name is Geri Hine, and I am trying to start up a business in jewelry and accessories. All are handmade and designed by me, of course. Right now, my Etsy Shop is where I do business, and where I focus. I'm known as "DreamWeaverKalla" there, and on Twitter and Facebook (on my Fan Page, anyway). The business' name may change, but for now it's "Dream Weaver Jewelry (and more!)", "Weaving dreams of sparkle and shine with elegance."

I don't know too much about the bridal community, other than that I have had comments that my work would be good for a bridal party, or that I should do some bridal work, and a friend actually has declared that she wants certain of my designs for her wedding. I have done Prom jewelry also, which drew stares and comments, so I have been told.

A bit about me:
Let's just cut to the chase. I'm no one "special". I'm just your average gamer-girl who had a dream when she was 15, even though she didn't really KNOW it until she was 29.
Yes, I said gamer. Outside of my jewelry, I play a lot of video games. Since the economy forced me out of my job and for the time being, out of the market until things pick up again, they have been a sincere solace; old favorites on old systems that make my heart warm. World of Warcraft and the friends I've made there have also been a huge comfort... and it was a few of them who said "You're not "employed" right now.... make that dream reality."

So I am.

I started dabbling in jewelry with string, thin wire, and seed-beads when I was 15. Glass beads and natural stone came after that. I found that I could do interesting things with eye pins and head pins. I moved to silver-plated pins. And then I discovered Swarovski Crystal beads... and sterling silver pins, then wire. The world opened up, and I found myself at an anime convention in my hometown in Maryland, selling my jewelry.... which led to another, and another.
A friend of mine suggested Etsy, which is, for me, better than the fees I was paying at Ebay (when I spend $10 to put up an auction in a way it will be seen in the competitive market, and only make $5 on an item, it's not worth it!), and I created my shop. At that time, I was still employed and didn't pay a LOT of attention to it, unless I was preparing for a convention. Now? That hobby is a bit more full-time when I'm not caring for my mother, and until this past July, my father, who lost the battle against lung cancer.

A bit about my jewelry:
MOST of my jewelry is .. well. Not the most initiative or unique, but has its own style and flare - simple designs that can be the perfect accent to your day, adding a little sparkle to an otherwise dull work-suit, or it could be that little flirty twinkle in the evening that calls attention to you and makes someone stop and look again.

It started with just bracelets and earrings, simple and plain. Then, of course, I expanded my supply of crystal, the more I found, the more I tried. The earrings began to get more creative. The bracelets gained a little more personality. The earrings leapt to creatures of their own right. Necklaces sprang up, then anklets. Hand-flowers/Slave-bracelets nudged their way in. Keychains, phone tags/zipper pulls followed. Hair baubles popped up.

And my mind never stops. From the simple bracelets and my World of Warcraft -soaked brain, I came up with jewelry and phone tags/zipper pulls with character classes/talent specializations/spell colors/faction/race colors, for those gamers who like sparklies (I KNOW I'm not the only girl gamer out there, and I know guys who wear my phone tags!) and want to show off their pride.

And then the first request came. A friend asked for an antiqued silver, pearl and opal-crystal creation for her mother. Before it was tarnished, my family and friends said "That looks bridal! You should post that as bridal when you make it again!" After it was tarnished, family and friends STILL said it looked bridal.
I thought about this.
My sister then came to me for jewelry for my niece's prom. I made her a hand-flower in the shape of a butterfly, butterfly earrings and necklace, and we toyed with the idea of hair baubles.
My brain worked further, and the formal/bridal aspect started emerging.

To date, I've made 2-3 pieces that could be considered bridal, and one set made specifically for a bride.

One of the things I would find advantageous about my work for a bride or the bridal party is that it can all go together. My sister's wedding was terrible, jewelry-wise. One of us would find jewelry we loved, but couldn't get it to match the dresses. Or, we would find the dress colors, and not be able to find it in more than one set, or in the wrong size, or it was the wrong metal, or couldn't find sets that offered us our own personality in the right color, or matching colors... it was a MESS. Shame I didn't do the work in jewelry I do now!

With hand-made jewelry, a bride can find her style, and considering the vast color selection now available in Swarovski, I can offer complimenting jewelry for the whole bridal party, even if I can't match the dresses exactly. Better, I can offer the same style as the bride, or different styles for each person with the same color.

Bridal shoppers may also take pride in my work - I'm not offering "Costume" jewelry. It may not be diamonds and rubies or other precious gems, but will have the same shine and glitter. The metal is not flimsy craft-wire, but sterling silver wire. (I do gold only on request.) I use both Swarovski crystal pearls or freshwater pearls for that classic look, and as I said, my brain is always working to come up with new ideas and designs in the hopes that I will make at least a few bride's special day more special without breaking her budget.

With that, I say hello, glad to meet you all. And I hope that someone finds my little corner here or on Facebook, and thinks that I might be able to realize their jewelry dreams, woven of sparkle and shine with elegance.