Hello there, we're Cherie & Scott of Elksong Jewelry and you're in our second Etsy shop "Rough Soul"!

We decided to open this shop in March of 2013 after having opened our initial shop in June of 2007. Our original style of jewelry art was becoming fused with newer designs working with resin & filigree, so we decided to create two separate shops; one focused on the frilly, Victorian-esque, faery couture earrings & necklaces I delight in making and one for our more earthy, ethnic/tribal-inspired, one of a kind works. You can visit our first-born Etsy shop here...
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ElksongJewelry

I've been a jewelry fan & maker/designer/artist all my life, since at age 10 or so, my mother started buying me beads and supplies so I'd stop pinching jewelry from all the female relatives...I was quite the little clepto! ;)

I became a "show brat" at about 13 accompanying my oil painter great uncle to art shows in Michigan where I was sometimes allowed to set up a little table & sell my own work. I've been doing shows ever since, nearly 40 years. My favorite shows are music festivals, blues, folk, world, jazz and bluegrass/americana...especially ones that have a good selection of local breweries/wineries in the beer tent! ;)

Scott & I both learned basic silver-smithing from the lovely Mimi Haggerty in Tucson, Arizona back in the early '90's...we've been working on expanding on our self-taught abilities with metal since then. Scott also learned the basics of lapidary work around the same time and creates everything from lovely tablet pieces for earrings and necklace focals to stone carvings, handmade beads and cabochons for necklaces.

I learned basic lampwork glass bead making in 2007, worked at it for a few years, had to take about 4 years off...now I'm back at it & loving every minute, it's sooo seductive!

We live off-grid near the Arizona/Mexico border with our "opinionated" Amazon parrot. We've been building our solar-powered homestead very slowly & creatively over the past 14 years...not sure we'll ever be finished, but the process has been empowering & educational! We do some gardening, food & herb growing; also, I'm a huge cactus/succulent fancier & have a pretty extensive collection. Few things delight me more than a cactus flower!

If you're interested in trying to catch me at a show, please check the links at left to either my facebook fan page or my wordpress blog for updates on the show schedule..who know's maybe one will be in a town near you! :)