FivetonineDesign

When I was about 16, a friend heated up a needle at the kitchen stove and pierced my ears. I was a little bit terrified but also humming with the anticipation of finally being able to wear the kinds of earrings I liked, mostly giant hoops at the time. I grew up near the East Village -- it was called Greenwich Village at the time and to us natives, it was just "The Village". I loved all the funky, handmade earrings offered by street vendors and boutiques, never dreaming that one day I'd be making jewelry and selling it at craft shows and online.

Many, many years later I bought a few findings at a craft store one day when I was bored and made my first pair of earrings in about 10 minutes. They weren't all that stylish or unusual, but I couldn't believe how easy it was and how much I enjoyed it. With time, I learned better techniques, bought better materials and opened up my first Etsy shop in 2008.

The rest, as they say, is history...