We always love to hear about our customers who have discovered the joy of jewelry making and turned their passion into success. Cathy Partan sent us a picture of one of her bracelet designs, and we decided to tell her story.
Cathy Partan got into jewelry as a way to support her family. Her husband was working two jobs to bring in enough income, and Cathy looked for work that would allow her to help out financially while being able to stay home and raise their children. She found her niche in a small jewelry shop making piece work that she could create at home. Her favorite things to work with are silver and various stones. She also loves to work with Czech fire-polished beads to bring an extra shine to designs. Once her kids were in school, Cathy started working full time outside the home and relied less on her craft for income. It was not until her sister showed her some of the jewelry she was making for friends that Cathy revived her interest. Cathy learned from her sister particular techniques of jewelry making and her love for the art flourished. She now runs her own business, C. Partan Designs, and plans to start giving lessons to those interested in learning the craft starting in July.
The piece she submitted to us has its own story, too! Her creation, a bracelet she calls “Nola,” was actually created for a special customer. One of Cathy’s customers named Nola loved a triangle bracelet design she had on her online shop. Nola asked Cathy if she could customize the colors and material to create a special gift for her mother’s birthday. Nola had certain colors in mind she wanted to use and asked for a little more “added bling.” This inspired Cathy to incorporate sparkling Swarovski crystals and use gold instead of silver for the findings. This story demonstrates the dedication Cathy has for her love of jewelry making, going out of her way to bring satisfaction to her customers. If you would like to see Cathy Partan’s jewelry, check out her website, cpartandesigns.blogspot.com . Cathy loves displaying her designs to bring inspiration to others who share her passion for this craft.
If you’re just staring out and looking for a way to sell your designs, check out our Seller’s Secrets page where we share helpful ways to develop your jewelry-making business.
We want to hear your story, too! Do you have a secret to success? Have you turned your love for jewelry making into a great business? Share your stories and inspire others to get creative! Mail them to [email protected].
-Marissa
I know that there are a lot of people that like to make jewelry. The difference with my mom Cathy is that she designs and does a variety of pieces that are customized for the customer. She puts her heart into all of her designs.
Beautiful work!
I always get the most fantastic complements on the jewelry I have gotten from cpartandesigns ! You can tell she loves what she does and it shows in all of her work.