As a child of the 70's I reveled in stringing turquoise and bird fetishes onto hooped earrings only to become mesmerized by cutting & molding & casting Sterling Silver into rings and pendants.
In the late 80's when I hung up my shoulder padded power suits and shelved my gold chunky earrings for bohemian casual, I turned to organics.... hemp cord and trade beads; this only lasted as long as my attention span - short -.
One day I dug out an old charm bracelet from my youth and uncovered boxes and boxes of Vintage jewelry from my grandmother - I was inspired to delve into combining Vintage pieces with contemporary components and refashioning charm bracelets into little works of art. I continue to avidly collect Vintage jewelry and charms and frequently incorporate them into my creations.
Having dabbled in so many different mediums where jewelry is concerned, the one thing that has remained a staple in my work is the charm bracelet. My style evolves around unusual combinations of gems and textures; I love all gemstones! The unusual and rare obviously fascinate me but I also enjoy bringing style and new life to more common stones. I love working directly with metal and still do fashion my own hoops, components, head pins and what not, but my real interest lies in the actual combining of components - the thrill of spending hours finding the perfect combinations and assembling them is what keeps me motivated. I have honed my techniques over the years and pride myself on expertly crafted and assembled jewelry.
My inspiration has always been from the beautiful jewelry of years gone by. From antique to 60's vintage I find it all mesmerizing. Studying designs of the past, I am amazed when looking at today's modern jewelry and realizing, it has all been done before. My goal has always been to be unique and stay true to my style. I diligently spend hours striving to offer fresh and cutting edge designs in my quest to drape all women in fabulous jewels.
Pilula Jula is me, Traci Leonard. I started designing handcrafted jewelry in 1977 as a teenager. I have been selling my jewelry online for over 16 years; I love what I do - I truly do - I believe designing jewelry is what I was meant to do. It took me several years of corporate America and then working creatively for someone else before I finally decided to take the big step from part time hobby to a full time business.
I do not mass produce my jewelry nor show it in a multitude of retail venues or street faires/art shows/swap meets etc; I have chosen one gallery in Minnesota to carry my line. By being selective I am able to continue to design high quality jewelry and offer a varied selection to my retail clientele. I try to schedule several Trunk Shows throughout the year where I personally spend a full day promoting my line. I will continue to do this even from out of state. So if you are interested in meeting me, plan to visit at the next Trunk Show! Email me for specifics.
I have cyber-met and worked with some of the most fantastic women (and a few men) over the years - I adore this part of my work and am continually striving to dedicate as much time as possible to my Etsy shop as well as other online venues. Your support and encouragement are so very much appreciated I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me!