Hi, my name is Yvonne. I am married & live in Nottingham, Robin Hood country. I have dabbled in a few different crafts over the years, watercolour painting, knitting, cross-stitch, but my favourite has to be jewellery making. I guess my love of jewellery started as a little girl. My Grandmother lived with us & she was the one who loved jewellery. She would wear lots of sparkle, which I loved. I can remember playing being a grown up lady, sneaking in her room to borrow a necklace, clip on earrings or broach & then into my Mum's wardrobe, for shoes & handbag. Its so funny when I look back, but l guess that's how my love of Jewellery, beads & all things sparkly began. I have many fond memories of that time, & I can here their laughter at my antics as if it was yesterday. Now as I sit in my workroom designing & making my jewellery with all kinds of beads & sparkle it gives me great joy to remember both of them with each piece of jewellery I make & I thank them both for the inspiration.
Many years later, after redundancy, & early retirement I discovered a TV channel selling beads and tools to make Jewellery, so I thought I would give it a try.
I decided to attend some jewellery making workshops to learn the basics, & made a few pieces for myself & later on, I made pieces as gifts for family & friends. Then a friend asked me if I could make her some jewellery, so I did & she became my first customer. So I decided to turn my hobby into a business. Then a year later I opened my Etsy shop. My middle name is Valentina so I decided to use it as part of my shop name. I'm hoping to bring a wide range of jewellery & accessories to my shop using varied techniques & materials. Also wedding jewellery & tiaras.
All of my jewellery is handmade by myself with love, care & attention to detail & all of the gemstones I use are all ethically sourced from a reputable UK supplier who reinvest money back into the mining villages, helping the miners & their families to have better quality of life. They are also a member of ECO Watch.