Lack of Planning Leads to Happiness

Thank you for visiting! All Dava Design items are designed and assembled by me, Dava Ellinger-Linville, in my Vallejo studio. I find daily inspiration in the beautiful California landscape and lively eclectic culture of the San Francisco bay area, as well as historic jewelry and art traditions from around the world. Many of my jewelry items include hardware I created by hand. I use the best practices of the trade in my creations; all of my work comes with a 6 month quality guarantee, if your item breaks under normal daily wear-and-tear simply ship it back to me and I will repair it at no charge. I am happy to create custom items and I ship anywhere in the world.

Jon and I have been together for almost 20 years and I couldn't have made it this far without him. Officially in business full time as of 2008, Dava Design happened gradually by a combination of luck, coincidence, and support from family, friends, coworkers, and store owners from 2004 to today. In April 2004 I started by repairing and restyling purchased jewelry, then in May I moved on to buying broken / clearance items to take apart and combine into new designs. The huge outpouring of compliments and requests to buy my work encouraged me to design from scratch and take classes to improve my skills. The wonderful staff at House of Beads in Walnut Creek, CA broadened my horizons and rekindled my interest in gemology. When I was laid off from my "real job" the owner, Renu, invited me to work there. With help and encouragement from my new coworkers my designs suddenly exploded in quality and quantity, allowing me to branch out into new territory and become a wholesale buyer for the store.

A major stroke of luck occurred one day when I visited one of my favorite import / art gallery stores, Benjamin Fig in Sonora, CA. I've shopped there since I was 5, and the owner, Mark, has helped form my taste and style by his amazing example. When he complimented the jewelry I was wearing and I told him I had made it myself he asked to see the rest. I thought he was just being nice and wanted to encourage my art, but he actually wanted to sell it in his store! Wow, what a compliment! I had never thought to offer my completed work for resale in other stores. With Mark's suggestions and feedback I was able to refine my business into a clear agenda, and tried many new kinds of items with good success.

When I took on another job at San Francisco Arts & Crafts in Sonoma, CA the owner, Kelly, taught me a knowledge of glass materials and vintage beads, more repair skills, and better time and money management. I'm currently expanding into more shows, galleries, and stores. I sell in person at Moschetti Espresso's Saturday morning tasting events in Vallejo, CA and am expanding that side of my business with the help of my artist friends. I now work part time at Beads in Pomegranate Seeds in Vallejo, CA where I'm learning about modernized computerized inventory systems and helping organize the store. Etsy has been a great opportunity to market online and keep in touch with a greater arts community. I can't wait to learn and expand my skills even more.