I've worked here long enough to know that no piece of betsy & iya jewelry just happens. Each wonderful ring, bangle, cuff, bracelet, earring, ring, and necklace has a lifecycle that often begins months or even years before our customers see it in our shop or online. Our newest design, the Tilikum Crossing cuff was just released last week, this post will shed some light on how it came into the betsy & iya family.
The Tilikum Crossing opened to the public in September 2015, but the story of our Bridge Collection goes back to 2012 when Betsy released the first cuffs, Brooklyn, St. Johns, & Fremont. Inspired by the architecture, functionality, and beauty of bridges, Betsy channeled her inspiration into creating brass and silver plated cuffs.
A vintage b&i advertisement announcing the release of Bridge. So cool to see this now, 3.5 years later!
The collection was an immediate hit, garnering attention from the press and the public. Since then, Betsy has added the Golden Gate, Steel, and Hernando de Soto bridges to the collection, and - as of last week - the Tilikum Crossing.
Betsy and our production team made a goal to get the Tilikum Crossing out before the holidays, and bravo to them for making it happen. A true team effort!
Here are some behind-the-scenes pictures of the cuff before it was released.
Tech sketches for prototyping are among the preliminary steps in the making of our Tilikum Crossing cuff. Barrie uses an Exacto knife to make those precise cuts!
Before they're hand hammered into cuffs, they look really cool spread out like playing cards. This is what we call a "Full House," Bridge style.
Basket o' cuffs fresh out of the tumbler! The tumbler is a machine in our production studio that adds finishing touches and strength to several of our metal pieces.
It's always exciting to see new designs go from idea to concept to reality, and the Tilikum Crossing is no exception. We are all so happy to have this new addition in-store and online!
-Anna
The Tilikum Crossing opened to the public in September 2015, but the story of our Bridge Collection goes back to 2012 when Betsy released the first cuffs, Brooklyn, St. Johns, & Fremont. Inspired by the architecture, functionality, and beauty of bridges, Betsy channeled her inspiration into creating brass and silver plated cuffs.
A vintage b&i advertisement announcing the release of Bridge. So cool to see this now, 3.5 years later!
The collection was an immediate hit, garnering attention from the press and the public. Since then, Betsy has added the Golden Gate, Steel, and Hernando de Soto bridges to the collection, and - as of last week - the Tilikum Crossing.
Betsy and our production team made a goal to get the Tilikum Crossing out before the holidays, and bravo to them for making it happen. A true team effort!
Here are some behind-the-scenes pictures of the cuff before it was released.
Tech sketches for prototyping are among the preliminary steps in the making of our Tilikum Crossing cuff. Barrie uses an Exacto knife to make those precise cuts!
Before they're hand hammered into cuffs, they look really cool spread out like playing cards. This is what we call a "Full House," Bridge style.
Basket o' cuffs fresh out of the tumbler! The tumbler is a machine in our production studio that adds finishing touches and strength to several of our metal pieces.
It's always exciting to see new designs go from idea to concept to reality, and the Tilikum Crossing is no exception. We are all so happy to have this new addition in-store and online!
-Anna