Moment 2: The betsy & iya of 2015 is a team of 16 people and 2 dogs, all thanks to 1 woman. That's Betsy, of course, and even though she's grown her jewelry making business to include Will as Director of Development/jack-of-literally-all-trades, a retail team, several full-time makers, and a marketing manager (oh hai!), at the core, our business very much depends on Betsy. She is after all, the only designer we have, and up until she was able to hire steady help (around 2010), she was also the sole maker of betsy & iya jewelry.
Betsy in her first studio in 2009 (L), and at her bench in our current studio in 2014 (R)
Representing the "solo maker" is essential to our story and couldn't be left out of this 7th anniversary project. Without her self-taught prowess on the workbench, we wouldn't have jewelry to make, sell, or promote. And while the photos above represent the solo maker in two very different circumstances, there's one common denominator and that's Betsy. The solo maker represents struggle, wading through processes and prototypes until finally reaching that moment of breakthrough. The "ah-ha" moment when you know you've nailed it. And then realizing you have to keep fanning the flame of creation, of sketching, of designing, of pushing boundaries and trying new techniques. Because no matter how many times you nail it, there's always more to make.
Artist: Vivian Chen
xo Anna
***Song of the Moment: One in a Million by Ne-Yo***