Moose Spotlight: Turning Brilliant Ideas Into Reality

Do any of you get the feeling of instantly connecting to a piece of jewelry? We get that every time we look at one of our favorite creators in the world of turquoise.

Credit to @bespokenjewelry on Instagram

Here’s Gretchen Baneyx, also known as @bespokenjewelry on Instagram. She’s based in Seattle, Washington, and has been creating jewelry for 14 years now. Since then, it has been her full-time job. 

She first dived into the world of jewelry-making when she was looking for a creative hobby outside of her work as a scientist! With the need to unwind her mind, she started revisiting drawing which was her go-to creative medium back in high school. 

One day, her daughter wanted to make something to hang in the window so they ended up going to a bead store. Gretchen thought, “Hey, I can make my own earrings!” and then she learned all about torch work and became obsessed as she admits she has long-standing pyromaniac tendencies. After that, the rest was history and since then she has been creating phenomenal turquoise pieces! 

We understand that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in the world of jewelry-making, so we asked Gretchen what was the most challenging part for her. When she said it’s the marketing side, we couldn’t agree more! According to her, it is difficult to stand out among all the great artists out there. On top of that, you also have to think about the unpredictably random algorithms of various social media networks. Is anyone else nodding their heads to these sentiments?

For 14 years she has been making different kinds of jewelry, and there is one piece in mind she can’t forget - the first pair of fringe earrings she made! Gretchen said it was so challenging and time-consuming - at that time when she finished that pair she swore to herself she’d never do that again… well, now what do you know, two years later she is officially a fringe fanatic! Just like what she said - never say never!

Gretchen’s designs are mainly inspired by the gemstones themselves - she loves taking inspiration from geometric shapes; the way she designs her pieces is by playing with shapes she keeps on hand just for that purpose. 

We had to ask why she likes working with turquoise stones and she said it’s because they are never identical. She mentioned how she loves all the different colors and landscapes that appear within them. In addition, she feels particularly grounded when she works with turquoise. Essentially, turquoise makes her happy. 

Hey, that’s how we feel about turquoise, too. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! 

Check out how divine her works are! 

by @bespokenjewelry on Instagram

Having been making jewelry for a couple of years now, we asked what advice she can give to fellow creators. Gretchen said to not be afraid to connect with your favorite jewelry artist and ask questions. She urged to connect to the Instagram community as they are particularly supportive and even generous with their expertise. Lastly, she encouraged creators not to feel disheartened when a design doesn’t satisfy them at first - let is sit and someday you might just have an epiphany! 

See more of Gretchen works on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bespokenjewelry/

Her Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/bespokenjewelry | Bespoken Jewelry

What do you love most about Turquoise Moose?

“I love the quality of the stones I receive. The lapidary work is excellent (nice table, even height, beautiful polish). I love the shapes available and the types of turquoise offered.” 

- Gretchen Baneyx