What’s Good? Katie Bartels, Founder of Yellow Socks, LLC (Part Two)

(…Continued from Part One)

It’s a lot of fun, and my mom especially just loves it so much (I make her pieces all the time)! She wears them around to her garden club meetings and things like that to show them off. She even carries my business cards around! [laughs] My dad has formed an appreciation for it. Not as much, obviously. When he came to my launch party, the first time he had really seen everything together on display on the busts and whatnot—when they’re on the table flat, the pieces don’t have the same character— he was really impressed with what I had been able to put together. He said, “You definitely didn’t get this talent from me!” [laughs] But my parents definitely encouraged me a lot, so that’s where the work ethic comes from.

And, you know, in creating jewelry, you have to be in an artistic mood and be passionate about it. It’s not something that allows you to constantly churn out pieces. I mean, if I have a design ready and I need to make 10 pieces, then I can churn it out, but it’s definitely different from college, i.e. when you had to get something done by a certain deadline. For me, my pieces come really whenever I am feeling creative, which does not always happen as frequently as I’d like! [laughs] But it’s definitely something I’ve enjoyed doing.

Besides the pearl pieces, are most of your pieces one-of-a-kind?
Pretty much! Sometimes, I’ll make multiples of a different piece. For example, I’ll have a certain design that I keep, like with the pearls, but I will use different gemstones. Also, if a client wants more than one of something, I’ll do it. Normally, I just like continuously making new pieces, which sometimes I find it gets a bit expensive because I have to keep buying new materials; but that’s just how I work creatively until I find a couple of designs to really do well and I can just say, “OK, I am doing these 10 pieces for the next year, then I’ll introduce new stuff.” I have a couple of designs that I’ve kept, but it always involves using different gemstones.

pieces from Katie's newest collection

Have you ever been told that one of your necklaces was “too funky” by your Connecticut clientele?
Sometimes people will tell me, “Oh, I could never pull that off” in reference to certain pieces or that they don’t have an occasion to wear something.  But in my case, I wear my pieces anywhere and everywhere, and I’ll even wear sweatpants and pearls. I’ll just do it! [laughs]

I recall seeing that on your blog. You note that you “have also been known to wear [your] fancy pieces with yoga pants and a black sweater because [you] think [people] should always sparkle, even when dressed down.”
Yes, seriously! [laughs] I’ll wear this necklace with jeans. I wear it to all different occasions. People always think that you have to have a really fancy occasion for it, but I don’t think so. Why would you buy jewelry that you can’t wear all the time? Granted, if it were a massive diamond necklace, then I will give you that! Or a tiara or something. . . like, ok, there is an occasion for that! [laughs] But I will wear it with anything. I wear yoga pants pretty much every single day, and I’ll just pick a different necklace and a different sweater. I just think there is no point in having jewelry if you can’t wear it wherever. Nor is there ever a point in wearing uncomfortable clothing! [laughs] So that’s why I just keep to the yoga pants and a cardigan.

Do you ever sell the pieces that you’ve made for yourself or do you grow too attached to them to do it?
I have a problem with keeping pieces for myself. [laughs] I have gotten better about that, though. I’ve actually had someone buy a necklace off my neck. It was a little bit difficult at first, and then finally I was like, “Ok, you know what? You’re offering me money for this necklace. Fine. You can take it!”

crystal quartz and cubic zirconia necklace available for purchase at http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatieBartels

When did this happen?
I was visiting my grandmother. She’s in a nursing facility, and she was getting her hair done. Every week, she has to get her hair done! So I had gone to sit with her and chat for the hour, and one of the people who was cutting her hair turned to me and said, “I really really like your necklace. It’s incredibly unique.” It was a necklace of pearls and peridot. So I said, “Thank you. I actually made it myself.” At the time, I happened to be showing my grandmother photos of some of the pieces I had made, so it actually worked out well because she could see other stuff. But even then, she said, “I really like the necklace you have on! My daughter just gave me money for babysitting my grandson. I never buy anything for myself, and all I do is take care of my husband and my grandchild and my daughter!” I just responded, “Well, it would look lovely with your hair color!”

Of course, I gave her a discount, but it was fun because I saw the piece going to someone who really liked it. In that case, I’m willing to part with it. But there are some pieces I will never part with. You could give me a million dollars for this and it will not happen.

". . . there are some pieces I will never part with. You could give me a million dollars for this and it will not happen."

Yeah. I know what you mean. It’s a really cool necklace. I like that you have so many colors and it’s as if you have several pieces in one.

I achieved that effect by working with two strands and twisting the designs. It’s a heavy piece though. Sometimes, I find that my posture has probably worsened since I started wearing jewelry. This necklace (pointing to the purple necklace pictured in the 2nd photo above) is really heavy too. But I definitely love big pieces of jewelry because I like to be minimal with everything else. Accessories are the only things I use to really “dress up” my outfits.

What about when you’re going out?
Yeah, even then, I have been known to wear yoga pants out—with, say, a tunic so you don’t realize they’re yoga pants! [laughs] But normally, I will just focus on the necklace. That’s where I really start my outfit. For example, in the morning, I have pieces all over the place, and I’ll just kind of walk around and look at things . . . then choose based on what color scheme I am in the mood for. And I don’t necessarily pick based on seasons. If I want to wear brown and orange in the summer, I’ll do it. Why not? Or I’ll wear something really colorful in the winter, especially considering that everyone is dressed so drably. That’s when I want to wear pastels, and I’m going to! [laughs] I’ve actually gotten lots of compliments when I’m wearing stuff that’s really colorful. That’s my mission really—just to be a little more colorful!

Now turning our attention a bit to the construction process, I wanted to ask you on the basic level, without divulging too much, what is the process like that goes into making on your pieces?
No worries, I won’t give away any of my secrets! [laughs] Most of my necklaces are about 17 inches long because that’s the “typical” length. I do make them longer or shorter, however, depending on the piece. It’s hard sometimes because everyone likes a different length and everyone wants it to sit differently on their neck . . . but everyone has a different sized neck. So it’s harder if I am just making it for a store and I don’t know whom it’s going to. But I don’t like for things to be too long because it gets REALLY expensive (even every extra inch costs a lot more money) and normally, when I buy strands of stones, it doesn’t facilitate a 19 inch necklace. I have to be careful about that because I don’t want to buy two strands of stones and end up with extra. Though, sometimes, I’ll do a bracelet. Then, if I need to, I can add onto it.

work in progress

So how I start out with each piece is by putting everything on wire. I use platinum or sterling silver titanium wrapped wire, depending on how heavy the materials are. I’ve sort of strayed away from really heavy stones because, first of all, it’s not really that comfortable after a long day and it’s also harder to make it durable. I use sterling silver crimp beads to hold it together, but if the necklace weighs a lot, over time it wears down. It might take two years for it to wear down to the point where it breaks. I’ve experienced that. I test things out on myself. I remember once a necklace I made about 3 years ago was so heavy that finally it just gave in one day. I don’t want customers have things break, so that’s why I try to keep the pieces light. Some necklaces that are heavy I try to make a little longer so there is not as much tension on the clasp. I tend to use the same clasp for everything.

patience and inspiration keep Katie motivated as she works

Yeah I see that. I like that these clasps are fairly big too.
It’s so easy, and then you don’t have to fiddle around with it. The first year I was making jewelry, I used all sorts of clasps, and my mom and I would kind of test things out. It just got difficult to put things on, like if you were trying to hook something, you’d have to have someone help you. With this, you just slip it on. I used to use magnetic clasps for bracelets, but they had to be such a strong magnet that you would just stick to something! I would walk by my fridge and all of a sudden be ON my fridge. [laughs] I realized that as great as it was, it just would not work. It’s been a process. I’m still learning and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. But for the most part, the pieces that I sell are not that heavy.

What about the gems themselves? Where do they typically come from?
A couple of different places. When I first started out, I was actually in China visiting one of my best friends who was studying there. We went to a pearl market and a dirt market. The pearl market was indoors, several levels, and had tons and tons of vendors. It gets hard to tell who is selling you good stuff, who is overcharging you, etc., and I got a little bit intimidated. I did buy some stuff, but I will say that I am glad I had friends with me who were fluent in the language. I am also very hesitant to buy materials abroad because you just never know where they come from and how they are manufactured. Obviously, when I buy stuff in Connecticut, which is primarily where my stones come from, I still don’t know the conditions of the workers where everything came from, but I just grew uncomfortable buying things overseas.

gems galore

In Connecticut, I actually have a store that will occasionally host trunk shows for big vendors, and they will give you a really big discount. I have a tax ID, so I don’t pay sales tax and normally I get a wholesalers fee. I also will get things in the Garment District sometimes, just for convenience, but I prefer buying from people that I completely trust are not selling me stuff that’s fake and with whom I have a good rapport. 

I also noticed that one of the pieces on your Etsy had wooden beads. What’s your source for that type of material?
That’s actually the first time I have used something like wood. I just fell in love with the strand and felt like I just had to make something with it. I got that in Connecticut actually. It’s great because it’s a light necklace, even though it appears otherwise.

wood and carnelian necklace available for purchase at http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatieBartels

For any of your pieces, do you have to cut the beads or do they come pre-formed/ready to go?
Fortunately, they already have the holes in them, because I can only imagine what that’s like! My eyesight has already started to go from staring at small stones, but putting all those tiny holes in them too? No, thank you! [laughs]

It must be a really difficult process, especially for smaller and/or flat beads.
Yeah, I actually don’t know how it’s done. God bless whoever does it because it’s not in the cards for me! [laughs]

check back soon for part 3 as well as Katie’s tracklist!

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