Name: Beth Cyr
Occupation: Jeweler/Metalsmith
Location: Athens, GA
How did you first become interested in making jewelry?
Oddly enough, in high school I started making beaded and hemp necklaces (it was the 90's), though I didn't really think of making jewelry as a living. I was just making them for fun and selling them to my friends b/c they liked them and want one too! I had planned on being a photography major when I went to college. Life didn't go quite as planned. To make a long story short, in my distraught emotional state, a good friend of mine pointed out how great I had done in the metalsmithing class we took together. So I decided that would be my major! I had loved working with the torches and the hammers. I also have a really practical nature, so it seemed more 'marketable' than being a painting major. I also work much better 3 dimensionally than 2 -so there was really no looking back.
How long have you been making custom pieces?
I've been doing custom metalwork since I was in school, so maybe about 7 years ago? A friend of
mine was a fireman and wanted me to make a piece for a fellow fireman that was retiring. I think that was the first custom sterling piece that I did.
What are your artistic influences?
Sometimes I feel like I am influenced by too much!! Its easy to say nature. Trees and leaves are most dear. I go through different phases though where I am influenced by different things around me. I like going to the library and checking out a bunch of books on a particular subject - usually science related. Bugs, weather, outer space, geology, people and relationships and the human body, but I always come back to trees, leaves, vines, flowers, plants in general!
What have you used/learned from another artist lately?
A good friend of mine, Christine, creates amazing jewelry. She has been going through some
restructuring of her work. She created a mini collection of 3 rings that were all really beautiful and simple. I have been feeling similar in wanting some change and being tired of some things I've been working on. So I created a mini collection of 3 rings, quite different from hers, but I was just really inspired by her drive and the way the three rings went together. Within a week or so I sold one of the rings!
What are you trying to communicate with your art?
I want people to feel something when they either look at or wear my jewelry. Being in nature makes me feel connected and at peace. I hope that people feel something similar to that when they look at my jewelry. I hope that it brings the wearer much happiness, either in the way it makes them feel to wear it or the compliments they receive! What woman doesn't want to be
complimented?!
We have sold several pieces from your ‘Organic Vine’ and it seems people are almost instantly drawn towards the pendants and the earrings. Is there a specific story behind the vine pieces that we could share with your admirers?
I wish I had some really great story behind it. I don't know that I do. Its been sort of an evolution or I guess you could say it has 'grown' in to something all on its own. I try to not come up with an idea and execute it - I much prefer to just having things happen. One of the first similar pieces I created was using regular sterling silver (which doesn't fuse all that great). It had a patina and sold within 30 minutes of listing it. That particular piece reminded me of an old garden gate
that had lots of vines growing up and over it. When I started experimenting with argentium sterling silver - the way the collection is now really came to life. I use a lot of circles and the collection is basically lots of incomplete circles fused together to create a look that reminds me of brambles. It also is similar to laying on the ground and looking up through the branches and leaves. Once I started noticing how popular the collection was, I've continued to experiment and branch out and try new things with it. I'm still working on the cuff bracelets which are gorgeous, but need some tweaking to really be as sturdy as I would like them to be. The rings are fun, especially the wider they get. But the earrings and pendants are by far the most popular, so i continue to make more of them.
The more I grew as an artist and started having interest in perhaps doing wholesale - I wanted to create collections that were never the same twice.I was very resistant to recreating something over and over again. I like the idea of one of a kind pieces for everyone. And with this collection, I feel like I can get that. Depending on the day or the batch of silver I am using, the pieces might look a bit more airy, other days, they are more compact or dense looking. It makes it fun for me and it makes me happy knowing that every customer truly has a one of a kind pieces.
I know nothing about making jewelry so this may sound like a silly question, but how hot is the metal when you work with it? Do you wear a cute little pair of goggles?
Depending on what I am doing the metal ranges any where from around 1000 to 2000 degrees (depends on what metal, if I'm just soldering or fusing or if I'm casting the metal has to be completely molten) Most of what I do, I don't need tinted goggles. But I wear glasses - so most of the time I don't bother putting my contacts in and just wear 'real' glasses as protection. I do have an oxy/acetylene torch and if I'm using that I wear dark tinted glass to protect my eyes, though
I would say they are far from cute! :)
What is your dream metal to use?
I've worked with platinum once and really enjoyed it. Gold is a lot of fun, but there are things i can do with Argentium Sterling silver that I can't do with anything else. So I really suppose it depends on what I am doing. I haven't worked with 24k gold, so maybe I should put that in my 'dream' category. I think it would do some really lovely things when meeting with my torch!
Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry that you wear?
Hm... I have two pairs of earrings I wear a lot. One is a pair of organic vine earrings that have a patina. Most people seem to prefer that collection all shiny, but I particularly love the pair I have with the patina. I also have a little tiny pair of earrings that are kind of hard to describe in words.
I don't make them very often, though i don't know why. They are the one pair I can grab in an instant and throw in. Which is usually what happens most days! I tend to stay pretty simple with what I wear.
One of my favorite pieces here at the shop is ‘Stick Necklace with Handmade Chain’. Could you tell me a little about this piece?
I had a good jewelry customer request one, so I cast about 10 different sticks and made a
couple different necklaces for her to choose from. They are fun to do, but quite time consuming, so I don't make them very often. Each twig is one of a kind so every one turns out a little different.
And our completely RANDOM question to end it all: In honor of our upcoming poetry readings what is your favorite poem of all time?
My favorite poem of all time is Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken. I had to memorize it in 7th grade and have loved it since then. Perhaps the only poem I actually learned and didn't just memorize and forget. I love the imagery AND the content. I think its quite the perfect poem and could write an essay about why its my favorite!
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Beth Cyr Fine Art Jewelry
www.bethcyr.com
706.208.0084
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