Baroque crystal drop necklace, $498
While on a cruise in St. Croix, basking in the beauty of the Virgin Islands and taking in the fresh air of the Caribbean, the last thing that would be on our minds would be entrepreneurial endeavors, but not for Beth Church. After visiting the island she decided to create her own line of beaded jewelry when she fell in love with a necklace she purchased. “I started examining it’s construction and thought, ‘Hey, I can do that,’” says the Arizona native.
Having worked in many creative arenas from apparel design to interior decorating, Church credits nature and raw materials as design inspiration. She describes her jewelry — which includes necklaces, earrings, cuffs, and charm bracelets — as collages because of the different materials, textures, and styles that go into creating them.
Peacock Princess necklace, $428
For her inaugural collection, Church selected new and vintage beads that she considered unique and beautifully crafted, then combined them with other materials to create one-of-a-kind pieces. “Usually, a piece starts from some curiosity — a vintage brooch, an antique button, a broken watch or some fanciful critter,” explains the designer about what inspires her when creating a piece. Like the electric blue and pink Peacock Princess choker fashioned from a vintage peacock brooch, crystals, beads, and a 1950s art glass button.
Church uses a wide variety of materials when creating her jewelry, from beads, crystals and gemstones to buttons, chains and buckles. She looks for unusual remnants that tell a story, drawing on diverse influences such as the Art Nouveau movement and the medieval, Victorian, and Renaissance periods. “It’s the history and energy of recycled pieces that create the magic that allows my customers to connect with my jewelry,” she says.
Paris Hilton in necklace from Rock ‘n’ Roll Collection
Her vintage baubles made their way onto the runway during the 2008 Phoenix and Scottsdale Fashion Weeks and on Paris Hilton at 2008 Super Bowl festivities, where she was pictured wearing a necklace from the Rock ‘n’ Roll collection. The piece was adorned with vintage charms including a skull and crossbones, Italian horn and Byzantine cross, 1940’s Czech rhinestones from Prague, Venetian lampwork beads, vintage silver and brass chains, and a black Lucite chain from the 60’s.
“I think every woman should choose and wear jewelry that expresses her — it should make her feel sexy, confident, beautiful, and comfortable,” Church says. “Rather than following trends in fashion, I want my customer to truly adore my pieces for years to come.”
For more information, visit bethchurch.com.
(Photo credits: bethchurch.com)
