New to Epheriell Designs – the weekly Feature and Giveaway! Every Monday, we’ll be featuring a lovely craftsperson, artist, or artisan – and every week you’ll have the chance to win something from their shop!

This week we welcome Aileen from Truly Enchanted. Aileen makes the most gorgeous silver and gemstone jewellery – she is a silversmith after my own heart!

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Where do you live?

Albuquerque, NM—the great Southwest United States where everything is magical.

Where do you do your work?

I have a tiny studio set up in my garage.

What’s your favourite place in the world, and why?

Where my husband is; he is my soulmate.

Tell us a little bit more about yourself! Your ‘day job’ or business, family, hobbies…

I’m in pharmacy school, studying to become a clinical pharmacist, which is a nice balance to the work I do outside of it. I’m able to flex both sides of my brain, in both the science and creative arts fields. Growing up, I always knew that I had diverse interests and I struggled to find a niche. But I am happy to have created a life in which I can satisfy all of my intellectual and creative interests. It is very fulfilling.

What did you want to be ‘when you grew up’?

Ever since I was little girl, I wanted to make a big impact in whatever I ended up doing. I feel that success for can be measured in the number of lives I change. As a pharmacist focused on patient care, I’ll be poised to make a difference in someone’s life. I also always wanted to write a book, since I have a love of language. And I have always wanted to be an adoptive parent.

How did you first get into your craft/art?

I was a teacher on the Zuni reservation, where I was first exposed to jewelry that featured bold cabochons of amber, turquoise, and coral. These were materials and techniques that I was not familiar with and it really piqued my interest. I had a fellow teacher friend who showed me how to string my first beaded necklace. She taught me the basics of bead crimping, attaching clasps and choosing stringing wire. The design aspect came naturally to me. I recall that we sat down for my first beading session on a Friday evening, after a long week of teaching. By Monday morning, I had made at least ten necklaces. I was hooked! After that weekend, most of my disposable income went towards beads at Thunderbird Jewelry Supplies in Gallup, NM.

What do you make?

Nowadays, I am focused on silversmithing. I still love working with beads, but as an artist, I am expanding into new horizons. I make a lot of rings, featured in my Planets collection, and use a lot of PMC, or Precious Metal Clay, in my Botanica Collection.

What are you most proud of making?

I’m just proud to be creating something, anything. I love waking up to a new day, knowing that I have “x amount” of hours to make mysketches from the evening before a reality.

What do you like the most/least about selling your wares online?

I love, love, love, the aspect of meeting such passionate people, but sellers and buyers, through my online business.

I love…

…strong coffee with lots of cream. It keeps me going!

It drives me crazy when…

…people don’t realize the importance of good customer service. I have avoided shopping in stores if I’ve had negative service there before. That’s why I work to exceed my customers’ expectations. It’s the intangible part of selling that can make or break a product.

What’s your favourite word?

Timbre, it’s a musical term.

If you could sum yourself or your work up in one sentence, it would say…

I’m a hodgepodge of creative influences.

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This week, Aileen is very generously offering a $25 gift voucher to spend in her store, Truly Enchanted! Aileen is happy to ship anywhere in the world – so anyone can enter!

To Enter:

1. Visit Truly Enchanted, and come back here leaving a comment about your favourite piece from the store.

2. For additional entries, leave a comment saying that you: followed or subscribed to Epheriell Designs (or already do); have Twittered about the givewaway; have shared the giveaway with friends on Facebook, or; you have written a blog post about it.

3. Entries close next Sunday night, the 5th of July, at 12pm Australian EST. Winners are announced the next day as part of next week’s Feature and Giveaway post.

Remember to leave me a way of contacting you.. and Good Luck!

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