Twilight Jewelry: Bella Bejewled

Interview with the Genius Behind Bella Bejeweled, Sarah.
By: Lauren
Her Shop!
Photo credit: Amber Eyes necklace

Twilight has become a huge hit among many, going from the books to a movie (which is out today). Because of the huge fanbase, it’s not hard to find all kinds of Twilight merch these days…but did you know that fans themselves are making their own jewelry based on the series?! The following interview is with Sarah from Bella Bejewled, who makes some lovely items! Please read on to find out more and if like what you read then check out her shop to see if anything catches your eye…if so, these would make an awesome Holiday gift for yourself and family/friends.

Also, be sure to stop on by in the beginning of December for some Holiday contests, where you should have a shot at winning something from this shop and others!

1. When did you start making your own jewelry?

Well, I’ve always been involved in creative things… I love to paint and sculpt. I started learning wire sculpture when I was about 12 years old, and that eventually led to some wire wrapped jewelry. I took a casual jewelry making class in college and have always made it for myself and friends, but never considered selling my jewelry online until about 9 months ago, when my friend Bernadette saw a segment on the Today Show about Etsy. She suggested I try it out, and the rest is history! Now I’m pouring myself heart and soul into this business, and I couldn’t be happier.

2. Why did you decide to make items based around the Twilight series?
My first Twilight item was a black rose necklace on a strand of vintage pearls, that I made for my friend Tiffany (the Alice in my life!). I have always loved making things creatively and when I read the series, it somehow translated into necklaces and earrings in my mind. I decided after reading Eclipse to give it a try in a business sense, and took a few months to plan and produce before opening BellaBejeweled on Etsy. I think part of the reason I enjoy making Twilight-inspired designs is because I admire Stephenie Meyer’s creativity so much. She took a commonly used genre (vampire novels) and approached it from such a fresh perspective. Her story is so powerful to me, and just so beautiful. Why shouldn’t we have beautiful things to celebrate it?

3. How do you come up with the Twilight ideas? Do you get them as you read, or do they come to you afterwards?
My inspiration comes from a million different places! Sometimes the ideas come to me while I’m reading, and other times they hit me randomly – when I’m at the grocery store, or even sometimes when I’m asleep. I’m rereading the series (again!) right now, and I’m in the middle of New Moon. You can probably expect some new Jacob designs in the next few weeks as a result of that. 🙂

4. Do you personally have a favorite piece?

Oh, wow… It’s nearly impossible to choose. I feel a genuine love for the pieces I produce and it’s sort of like having a ton of children – I love them equally, but differently. I really like the “She Said Yes” necklace, and some of the Alice pieces that are coming soon. I have to say that some of my favorites are the pieces involving amber – it’s a cool stone anyway, ancient and beautiful, which is sort of the way I see Edward. Plus, the multitude of descriptions in the Twilight series of Edward’s smoldering gaze are really fun. I like what the amber pieces represent.

5. When you make the items, do you ever make double to keep one for yourself? If not, is there anything you have made to keep?

Absolutely! Each design is thoroughly “tested” by me and my friends and family before ever hitting the shop. 🙂 I did keep one of the swirled vintage hearts from the “Edward’s Heart of Gold” necklaces for myself, and the Amber Eyes set became my uniform for a while! Aside from the one of a kind pieces, you won’t see a design in the shop that hasn’t been worn by me at least once or twice. I love wearing the jewelry just as much as I love making it.

6. What is your favorite thing about the Twilight books and phenomenon in general?

Well, I think the phenomenon makes sense – the world Stephenie Meyer created is just that good! I love how faithful the fans are, and I think that’s something really fun about making jewelry inspired by the series… we all have something in common because we all love Twilight! I think one of my favorite things about the books is just how powerful the story is. It connects to basically every reader, and it raises some powerful questions, too, like what the nature of love is, and how we should handle our lesser impulses. I’ve never met someone to who read the series and didn’t love it!

7. Anything else you want to add?

I just want to say thanks so much for featuring my shop! Thanks, also, to the wonderful fans who have chosen BellaBejeweled over the past few months. It’s been so much fun to work with fans that love the series as much as I do, and I’m touched by the support of the Twilight community!