Essem Design

 

Special Thanks to Essem Design for doing this feature for me. I first found out about this company at the Tucson Tattoo Expo and fell in love with a certain necklace that I still intend to get. The products are all custom made and put together with quality and love. Please visit the Essem Design Facebook Page to learn more about this awesome company and where and how to order. https://www.facebook.com/glitterpunkcouture?ref=ts&fref=ts

My first question is, how long have you been in the jewelry business?

About 5 years

 

2. What prompted you to start Essem Design?

Well, I started out making gifts for friends for their birthdays, baby showers, etc, when someone suggested I sell them on Etsy. I have also been a freelance graphic designer for a long time, so I picked the name Essem (phonetics for my initials, SM) so that it could encompass my graphic design, my jewelry design, or anything else I create!

 

3. How long has the company been around?

It has been around for about 5 years, when I started designing jewelry. Even though I have been creative almost my whole life, that is when I really felt the need to start branding myself as an entity.

 

4. What inspires choices for what you make?

Oh man, I find inspiration in so many places… sometimes the jewelry materials speak to me; the pendants, the charms, the crystals all begging me to be put together, LOL. I also love getting inspiration from pop culture, tattoos, music, and even crazy things like Legos and Ouija boards.  

 

5. What is your most popular selling item?

One of my most popular items to date is my  “Love is a Battlefield” resin heart necklace. It has a real bullet inside resin with red glitter. Other than that, it is definitely custom acrylic necklaces. People love seeing their own ideas and words come to life in a necklace!

 

Basically, tell me the story of how Essem Design came to be.

Well, when I was making gifts for friends, I was making a lot of decoupaged frames and wall hangings. They were so fun and whimsical to make. Then I decided to experiment with pouring resin, and boy did I quickly get addicted to that! The possibilities with resin are endless and it was a medium that not too many people were working with on Etsy at the time. So I was loving making things people hadn’t seen in resin yet… like razorblades and bullets. After a few years, I had perfected the art of resin to the point where I am now writing a DIY resin book with my best friend. Always looking to evolve, my most recent venture in jewelry is designing laser cut acrylic pieces, which is also really fun!

 

What can we expect Essem Design in 2013 ?

2013 so far has been a year of expansion beyond Etsy. I now have my own online shop on my website with the help of Big Cartel and have also expanded onto Amazon.com. I am always coming out with new, fresh designs which are posted on my Facebook page weekly. Also, my DIY resin book called Dropping the Resin Bombshell will be out on shelves late this year!

 

Tell me a little about yourself.

I have a Bachelors of Fine Arts from UofA and am currently a work at home Mom just trying to live the dream. I have 2 kids and 2 Pit Bulls that keep me very busy when I’m not working on Essem! I feel very blessed to be doing something that I love while being able to be there for them. I have had great jobs as a Medical Assistant and as a store manager for Charlotte Russe, but nothing compares to being there to pick up my son from Kindergarten and hearing about his day!