Melissa Williams Netherton of Zedena Designs
May 29, 2009 | By
If Melissa Williams Netherton becomes a star any time after this interview, I am going to take credit for launching the career of this talented singer and designer. I truly believe that all things creative are connected so it makes sense this classically trained singer who sings folk songs would craft jewelry that is also folksy with classical tendencies.
Her jewelry is deceptive. It is sweet and romantic, but it is not light or whimpy. It’s got something to tell you. The other thing I noticed about her shop is how many photos she doesn’t use. Most shops use the maximum number of photos for each of their items, but Melissa rarely uses more than two. It’s almost like she’s saying: “You don’t need to look that hard to see what there is to see. Just look.”
And you should. If you get a moment, listen to her music as well. Her voice is also sweet but those lyrics have something to say. Her creativity is evident in her words and her work. She talks about both in her interview. Get to know her now, so when she hits it big, you can say you knew her when.
Your shop is named after one grandmother and you mention the other in your profile. Obviously they have influenced you - tell me a little more about them.
Both of my grandmothers were extremely influential in my decision to go into jewelry making. My grandmother Zedena and I used to play Home Shopping Network when I was young; where I would describe and sell her pieces back to her from her jewelry box. This little game actually caused me to really figure out what about each piece was special. My grandmother also had an antique shop located in a larger shop with other antique dealers. I used to go with her to her shop to look at all the jewelry that was sold throughout the store, and she would explain to me the era that pieces were from and why they were popular.
My other grandmother Barbara also loved jewelry, and used to wear really bold pendants and interesting pieces that I was fascinated by as a child. When I was about 9 or 10, she would give my cousin and I wire to play with, which we quickly figured out how to wrap into bracelets and rings.
Unfortunately, I lost both of my grandmothers before I was able to start my own company, but I know that they both would have enjoyed my designs very much.
How does your music play a role in your jewelry making?
For me, music and jewelry marking are two complimentary aspects of my art. I do find myself inspired to create one because of the other and then at times they seem to grow independently of each other. I find that writing music is a lot like designing a new piece of jewelry as far as the creative aspect of that goes. I am constantly looking for ways to incorporate one aspect into the other, and recently I designed a line of music inspired pieces which are currently sold in a boutique here in San Diego and will soon be available through my Etsy site.
I've noticed on some of your pieces the design is a little 'off center' as on your pendants. Is there a reason for that?
I love pieces that go against the status quo and are not perfectly aligned. I really dislike items that are mass produced or that all look exactly the same, and so with my pieces I aim to make sure that each piece is an original, even if I am making multiple pieces in the same style. I love things that are a little random, or unpredictable, and so I allow that to be evident in some of my work.
What is the best thing about what you do?
The best part about making jewelry is seeing someone get excited over a piece that I have created, to the point that they have to have it for themselves! I am always excited over my creations, and so it is really refreshing to see someone else feel the same way!
If there was one thing you could get away with not doing, what would it be?
Definitely the business side of things! (Accounting, Marketing, etc…) My dream is of course to be able to
someday hire someone who can do those tasks for me, but for now I am trying to figure out creative ways to handle with them. Often I find myself with just a couple hours to work on something and even though I really want to try out an idea I had for a new piece, I end up having to go through my pricing formulas or tag boxes for an event or print up invoices which is a bummer when you just want to create, but these are very essential to being successful obviously and so I am figuring out ways to effectively get these tasks done and still have time to create!
Tell me about the Kanji symbols? Why those symbols?
These Kanji symbols that are currently for sale on my site are actually just the first edition of a line of Kanji symbols that I will be releasing. The words that I am choosing for these pieces are ones that I feel give hope, or are uplifting and would make a great encouraging gift to a friend or loved one. I think the symbols themselves are absolutely beautiful, and so to be able to combine the beauty of this writing with the beauty of glass and metal has been great.
There's an elegant optimism in your work. Are you a romantic at heart?
Absolutely! I love the idea of love and romance and all of that girly girl stuff! I always find myself leaning towards those themes in both my jewelry and my music.
Your enamel teardrop is beautiful. Tell me about the making of that piece? What goes into creating it - step by step.
This piece is actually a lot of fun to make because not only do I get to work with enameling, but there is a little wirework involved too!
I start out with a copper pendant that I enamel with a nice black basecoat and a clear coat of enamel on the backside. Each layer of enamel is fired individually in my kiln at between 1500-1600 degrees. The next step in making the pendant is fusing some fine silver to the top of the enamel basecoat, which is done by placing it in my kiln at about 1600 degrees. Once the silver is fully embedded into the glass I then layer a transparent color of glass on top of the silver which provides that contrast between the black and silver, and also really brings out the sparkle of the precious metal underneath the glass. After the pendant is created, I like to wire wrap some stones or beads on sterling wire and hang the pendant from that wrapped component. I am always looking for ways to combine my love of enamel with my love of wire and beads, and so this pendant turned out to be a perfect balance of those skills!
What one thing do you still need to learn?
There are so many skills that I would still like to learn! I am constantly looking for classes and workshops to improve my skills. I am definitely one of those people who will always be a student in life, so I look forward to taking on new endeavors that will help with my craft. Some of the skills on my immediate list for learning in the next six months or so would be acid etching of copper and silver, as well as more advanced techniques of metal formation.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to make their craft their occupation?
First, I would say that the most important thing is passion! I love what I am doing, and even though I am not yet in the category of having it be my only occupation, I am loving the process and enjoying getting there. I attended a songwriter’s workshop a few years ago in Hollywood and one comment that stood out to me was “Love the process because that is what you will spend 90% of your time working on.” That is so true, even for crafting! Most of my time is spent making pieces, doing the work and 10% of my time is spent actually selling my work and admiring it. For my music, 90% of my time is spent writing and practicing and 10% is spent actually performing and showcasing. I believe loving the process for both fields has helped me to not give up and to keep moving forward! I would also say that continuing to learn is essential to any artistic field. There is just so much out there to learn and I feel like if I was not constantly moving forward and learning new skills, my art might become stagnant. Even taking classes not directly associated with jewelry or music has opened me up to new ideas and so I think being able to find the value in learning other skills is essential for growth.
You can find Melissa's shop at http://zedenadesigns.etsy.com.
You can find her music at http://www.myspace.com/lissawilliams
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