Moose Spotlight: Of Handmade Jewelry and Precious Debris

One of our favorite parts of what we do is discovering jewelry artists who have amazing design style! 

 

MEET THE JEWELRY ARTIST

 

@preciousdebris on Instagram 

 

This is Paige DeCenzo, a jewerly artist based in Western Pennsylvania. Currently, she is on her second year of silversmithing and you can see most of her work on Instagram at @preciousdebris.  

 

THE JOURNEY TO CREATING JEWELRY

 

When she was a teenager, Paige's mother got her hooked on silver and turquoise. "I've been drooling it ever since," she shared. This is what inspired her to create jewelry. 

 

In the beginning, Paige had signed up for a silversmithing class, but it was cancelled. Living in Western Pennsylvania, she shared that there are very few "in person" resources for this sort of work, so Paige was crushed when she couldn't go to that class.

 

Her husband pushed her to move forward anyway. With this, Paige bought as many tools as she could and taught herself. At first, she didn't know anything. She hadn't even lit a torch before that.

 

So, the whole experience was a challenge for Paige, but she thinks that being forced to learn on her own was a blessing in disguise. She really had to learn through trial and error how metal behaves, which she mentioned is half of the battle with silversmithing.

 

Having a unique Instagram handle @preciousdebris, we wanted to know if there was a story behind it! Paige said she wanted a moniker that matched her initials (Paige DeCenzo), so she played with different word combinations for days until she came up with Precious Debris - neat, right? :)

 

ARTIST’S DESIGN STYLE

 

An artist style not only set asides them from others, but also says a lot about their creativity! 

 

Upon asking if she had her first AHA moment when she felt like, Paige said, "A quick look in my jewelry box will tell you that I'm often pleased with my own designs 🤣. Hahaha!"

 

Also, she said there's one ring in particular that comes to mind - her very first cluster ring. Paige ended up selling it (which she shares she's still sad about), but a lot of designs since that specific one have been inspired by that ring.

 

Take a look at some of her amazing designs! 

 

 

 

by Paige DeCenzo of @preciousdebris on Instagram

 

THE DESIGN PROCESS

 

Paige's design process varies. When she's doing custom work, they will choose a stone, and then they will go through her past designs to mix and match different elements until they come up with something unique.

 

If she's creating something new, she lets the stone tell her what it wants. She shares that although it might sound weird and her entire family laughs about it, it's still true!

 

As per her design style, she described it as inspired by Southwestern designs, but she also uses a very wide array of stones that aren't always found in that category. Bright, sometimes unusual, stones seem to be Paige's go-to.

 

More turquoise jewelry by Paige! 

 

 

 

by Paige Decenzo of @preciousdebris on Instagram 

 

JEWELRY DESIGN TIPS, TRICKS, AND HANDY TECHNIQUES

 

When we asked Paige if she could share one design tip to her fellow jewelry artists, she said, "Make what YOU want, not what you think will sell, or it will suck the fun right out of it." In addition, she mentioned that if you like something, there is sure to be a customer base that likes it too, and they will find you. :)

 

For those who are just getting started in the world of jewerly-making, she said that on some days the solder just won't flow. If you happen to experience it, just walk away from the bench, cry if you have to, and come back tomorrow.

 

Lastly, her message to the universe: 

 

 

Follow her work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preciousdebris/

Check out her website: www.preciousdebris.com