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From Textiles to Jewelry Liberty Worth went from designing carpet
surfaces to shaping classic beaded necklaces, and has since left the
corporate world to work independently. Meet her and see her work at StinkerBelle. by Leah Pietrusiak Born a leap year baby in California to hippie-toy-entrepreneur
parents who named her Liberty, it may not be surprising that Liberty Worth is
now making her living as a jewelry designer in the Chicagoland area at the
age of 27. But up until two years she was the girl who never changed her
earrings. She went to school at But her vibrant upbringing, her side projects of collages and
silk paintings, and the skills she gained doing corporate carpet design all
came together when she happened upon some bead stores in
“What I found was that things that I loved about painting—like
with oils and watercolors and silk—are the same elements that I use in
jewelry design—-color, texture, pattern repeats,” said Liberty, a striking
brunette with a simple diamond stud in her nose, and a quick smile. But what she also found was that her creations, similar to the
classic jade and quartz beads around her neck at Filter that day, was being
noticed by friends. And not only were they being noticed—people wanted to buy
them. This September, she left her position of five years as a textile
designer for a large manufacturer using computer or “surface” design, and has
now devoted her life to making and selling jewelry. “Color is what definitely catches my eye, and what I would say
really makes my pieces stand out,” So in her collection, which will be featured at StinkerBelle on November 22 and 23, you’ll find designs
made with such gems as tourmaline, which gets its name from the ancient
Sinhalese word “Turmali” which means multi-colored
gems. “There’s all this color range in there—pink to green to black—it’s
really cool,” One of her favorite combinations is turquoise and peridot, a translucent gem that ranges in color from a
light yellowish green to a deep olive green. “I get a lot of advice from my artist friends and try to engage
them about things like color trends,” she said.
While the design part of it came naturally to her, the mechanics
took a bit more work—about a year she says to get a good handle on quality
construction. But she has refined her metalworking, strengthening her bold
designs to create classic, tight pieces, and getting to know techniques and
stones. “I’m the kind of person who’s always taking classes and always trying
to learn new techniques,” she said. “It’s just fun—I have a good time doing
it.” If “technique” sounds kind of vague, a couple examples are
making her own clasps, and also making the links herself, so that when you
pull, the wire actually gets tighter. “I have like huge spools of sterling silver sitting around my
house,” she said. “I’m cutting them into little pieces and twisting them
around with pliers and everything.” And And yes, But she doesn’t find her joy in her new line of work from
creating for herself—just the opposite in fact. “I love getting involved with people and their events and what
they’re excited about,” she said. “And that’s what I was missing in the
corporate world. Being a corporate designer, you’re kind of just coughing up
a lot of design and you’re never really interacting with people on a daily
basis.”
That’s what’s been “the most fun” about this new career
move—like designing bridal jewelry for women, knowing how exciting is was
when she herself was going through the process before marrying her husband
Jay. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. “My dad’s a great sounding board, especially because he’s an
entrepreneur who started off in the corporate world like me, and has been on
his own for thirty years,” she said. “So he’s kind of held my hand through
the process.” And her mother, who Her friends and social network, who her
gave her the initial feedback on her work, are what currently drives her
business, in addition to various boutique trunk shows. And although she did not set out to be a jewelry designer, it’s
what’s working, said But like her designs, she is keeping it simple. “One of my goals
has always been—I want my friends to still be able to afford my jewelry, you
know. I want to keep it in a range where my friend can afford to wear it and
be just as involved in this as me.” |
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