I love shopping on the internet more than I like going to overcrowded, carbon copied shops in the mall. If Etsy had a brick and mortar store, iDew Designs would HAVE to be a part of it. Erika’s designs are elegant, eco-friendly and absolutely stunning. The idea for iDew designs started out as just a girl looking for jewelry pieces for her own wedding. What bloomed was something for women and girls of all sorts, and not just for weddings.

Brief background:
Erika, 31, Massachusetts, Aries

What does eco-friendly and sustainable materials mean to you?
For me, eco-friendly and sustainable means finding supplies and pieces that come from resources that continue to reproduce and that have minimal impact on the earth. I seek out as many eco-friendly supplies as I can for my jewelry – using beads from sustainable resources such as tagua nuts, coconut, acai seeds, recycled metals, and other sources from nature. I also like to work with linen and other natural fibers that are dyed with vegetable dyes and can make my customers feel good about their purchases and their impact on the earth. I gauge where supplies come from, if they were produced sustainably, and if they natural. It is an imperfect science and nothing has no impact, but I choose pieces that my customers (and myself!) would feel good about wearing them.

Can your pieces be worn in everyday settings, or do you think they should be specific for weddings?
Absolutely, every day and any day!

iDew Designs is a very fitting name, how did you come up with it?
I began making jewelry when I needed a pearl necklace for my own wedding, but I could not find the quality and workmanship that I wanted at a reasonable price. I decided to try to make it on my own, and when I realized how beautiful the results was and how much I enjoyed making jewelry, iDew Designs was born. The name came originally based on the obvious play on “I do” that is used in many wedding ceremonies (or at least some variation of that phrase). I changed “do” to “dew” since a pearl resembles a dew drop of water. In addition, I am an environmentalist. I study the ocean – specifically marine mammals and ocean conservation. Water is fundamental for life, so I liked the reference to water in the title of my shop since it reflects who I am.

Where do you draw inspiration from to create jewelry?
I am usually inspired by nature and its beauty. I love weddings, and I am inspired by the simplicity of what the day means. I like to create pieces that compliment the wearer’s natural beauty. But, sometimes, it is simply colors that I see that I think would really go well together!

How has your work evolved since you started making these pieces?
I have become more confident and tried new things. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I just choose to start from scratch, but that is all part of the process. I make jewelry because it is fun, and I enjoy it. It’s all about the process.

What is your method for creating jewelry? Do you have something in your head and run with it, do you sketch or is it a slower more organic process?
Usually, I have something in my head that I try to recreate. Sometimes the ideas keep me awake at night! As I said before, they do not always work and sometimes I have to start from the beginning, but I am always proud of the finished product.

What is your family background? Are there any other creative types in your family?
There are not really other people in my family who have actually tapped into their creative sides. I was pretty much raised to be a biologist, but I found during graduate school that I needed to tap into a different side of myself and that I really enjoyed being artistic. I am now dabbling in ceramics (pottery) and knitting, and I am really enjoying the balance that having creative arts in my life brings me.