Made In Seattle: Orange Box Jewelry
Lots of people make jewelry. Krissy Maier makes jewelry - necklaces, rings, earrings, hairpins - by rescuing discarded and/or broken vintage pieces, folding in fair-trade jewelry hardware and fusing everything together into a ready-to-wear creation. Her, original, one-of-a-kind pieces are the kind of thing that inspire people to march up and demand, “where did you get that?!” Maier’s Orange Box Jewelry business has grown from a part-time venture to a full time job; so much vintage jewelry to be rescued, fed and bathed, and given a proper home! Read on to learn about the process of salvaging once-loved jewelry bits and fashioning them into a modern nod to vintage glamour.
Tell me about yourself. How did you get into making jewelry?
I'm a Seattle transplant by way of Pittsburgh with brief stops in Dallas and Gambier, Ohio. I've been here for almost six years and have finally forgotten what it's like to shovel snow from my driveway for at least four months of the year. Thank goodness!
I started making jewelry in high school because I wanted funky things to wear, but was totally broke. So like any determined teenager, I had to either figure out how to make them or do without. So I started to dissect jewelry that no one in my family wanted to wear so I could figure out how it was made. From there, it was a lot of experimentation with how to put things together. As an adult, I've taken a few classes to tune-up my technique.
How did the name of your company originate?
Before I started Orange Box Jewelry, I used to travel around the country training baristas and educating students about fair trade coffee. Most of the time, I carried all of my paperwork in a thick orange presentation box that unfolded from the middle. I was never in the same location for more than 2 days per year, so people often forgot my name between visits, but they never forgot the orange box that accompanied me - greeting me by saying "Hey - it's the lady with the Orange Boxes!" When I started my business, the name stuck.
Where do you find the discarded jewelry that end up in your pieces? Any favorite/consistently reliable places?
Everywhere, anywhere and all the places in between. My favorite source is a group of older ladies that I started purchasing from last year. I met a 76 year old woman last summer who was selling some pieces left to her by her sister. I told her about my business and she started collecting all the broken bits to sell to me. She told her friends and they were tickled that someone was using single earrings and beads from broken necklaces as the basis for new jewelry. I've purchased from several of those ladies and the calls haven't stopped coming. I love to buy directly from people because I can usually get a little bit of history about a piece or the person who wore it. It's so wonderful to have that connection.
Can you elaborate on the fairly traded hardware you use?
I produce a line of jewelry for sale in my Etsy shop using hardware (ear wires, necklace clasps and other findings) purchased on fair trade terms from Rishashay which is a member of the Fair Trade Federation. They provide employment in Bali, Indonesia for men and women after they have completed their secondary schooling. They are committed to a safe work environment and provide fair wages for their artisans.
What is the process you use to create some of your pieces? How long on average does it take? How made phrases of “readiness” does something go through before you finally decide it is finished?
The process starts with the "Supply Hunt". This can happen online, person to person, in stores, at shows - pretty much everywhere I go. I am on the prowl for vintage costume jewelry (in all conditions) and fun objects all the time. You never know where you are going to find the next treasure chest.
Next comes the "Organized Chaos" phase. I sort new acquisitions into categories that probably only make sense to me. Sometimes I match metal colors, sort by material (like glass, brass or enamel) or lump together all of the objects manufactured around the same time period. Then I fold the new items into my existing supplies.
Finally, I slide into "Frankenstein Mode" where I take objects categorized in the organized chaos phase and use those as supplies to bring new jewelry to life. I use traditional jewelry making techniques like wire wrapping and silver fusing to create one of a kind pieces. (Recycling vintage objects usually means that I only have enough materials to complete one new piece of jewelry and then it's on to something else.) From there, I complete finishing work like filing edges or securing rhinestones and then it's out the door.
This process can take hours or days. Nothing is really for sale until it's something that I want to wear. If I don't get the design right at first, I table the piece until I get the right components to complete it.
Tell me a bit more about your studio.
My studio is full of small dishes of vintage rhinestones, piles of abandoned chains in all sorts of colors and textures, drawers overflowing with broken brooches and puddles of single clip earrings. When I'm building jewelry, I like to see everything at once. It might be messy, but at least it's a sparkily looking mess.
What was the transition to full-time jewelry designer like?
A big bag of wonderful and scary all wrapped up together. When I left my job, I had already been operating Orange Box Jewelry part-time for a year and a half. I knew that I didn't want to keep working 50+ hours a week for someone else and not have any energy left over to grow my own business. So I saved up a tiny cash reserve, stock piled some Ramen noodles and took the plunge. I haven't regretted that for a single day since. I still work 50+ hours, but now I love what I do every day.
What are some of your favorite pieces you currently have in your collection?
I really like the Hummingbird Necklace that's for sale in my Etsy shop - the craftsmanship on the glass humming bird is just outstanding. In my personal collection (the stuff that's not for sale) I created a necklace using a sterling silver brooch featuring a pair of lilies that belonged to my grandmother. I wear it when I sell at a lot of shows - she loved antique jewelry and I think she'd be proud of my business.
Where can people purchase your jewelry?
I am at the Fremont Sunday Market almost every week, year round (my booth is across the street from the information desk). My jewelry is also available on my website www.orangeboxjewelry.com and at 9 stores in the Seattle area including Atlas Clothing on First Hill where you found me. (Complete list of locations here).
