TheLittlestBigSpoon

Handmade Heartbeat Jewelry

998 Sales

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TheLittlestBigSpoon is taking a short break

Note from shop owner My shop is on a semi-permanent hiatus for an indeterminate amount of time. 2018 brought a lot of changes for TheLittlestBigSpoon including an unexpected move and welcoming a new baby into our family a month before we anticipated!

Since then, my life has come to consist of full-time mommying, being a Nurse Practitioner, and caring for myself through chronic illness. While I still engage in the regular creation of art, selling my creations has taken a back seat and I almost never frequent Etsy anymore.

I have tentative plans to open my shop for a limited time only over the 2019 Holiday Season, but no definite plans have been made as of this time, so no promises.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions, but I may not return your message for several days or weeks. Until then, many thanks to all of you who, for a solid 5 years, helped make my creative dreams a reality before I chose to undertake this next chapter of my life. xoxo

Thank you all and be well. :)
Annie

Note from shop owner

Last updated on Sep 19, 2019

My shop is on a semi-permanent hiatus for an indeterminate amount of time. 2018 brought a lot of changes for TheLittlestBigSpoon including an unexpected move and welcoming a new baby into our family a month before we anticipated!

Since then, my life has come to consist of full-time mommying, being a Nurse Practitioner, and caring for myself through chronic illness. While I still engage in the regular creation of art, selling my creations has taken a back seat and I almost never frequent Etsy anymore.

I have tentative plans to open my shop for a limited time only over the 2019 Holiday Season, but no definite plans have been made as of this time, so no promises.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions, but I may not return your message for several days or weeks. Until then, many thanks to all of you who, for a solid 5 years, helped make my creative dreams a reality before I chose to undertake this next chapter of my life. xoxo

Thank you all and be well. :)
Annie

Annie

Contact shop owner

Annie

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About TheLittlestBigSpoon

Sales 998
On Etsy since 2012
  • Working on a copper multi-heartbeat necklace for a charity event auction.
  • Every jewelry order comes in a brown cardboard box tied with yarn. Gifts get wrapped in hand-stamped spoon paper too.
  • Had my first wholesale order last summer. 15 heartbeat necklaces waiting to go out.
  • Finishing a piece. Yes, I have a Garfield phone. Yes, I collect bottlecaps. Yes I have a cluttered workspace. For now :)
  • Heartbeat Jewelry Display at the Newbury Handmade Market, Boston

"Every real artist is also a scientist." - Louis Agassiz

As featured in:

Boston Magazine:
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/fashion-style/blog/2015/10/19/newbury-handmade-market/#gallery-2-4

Makezine:
http://makezine.com/craft/printer-cable-bracelet/

Feelgood Style:
http://feelgoodstyle.com/2014/08/12/spotted-upcycled-jewelry-old-electronics/

While I love to make button jewelry, beaded jewelry, bird's nests, beach glass jewelry, and knitted items, I derive the most pleasure from my line of scientifically accurate heartbeat jewelry. I've been a nurse for 9 years now and I love medicine, particularly cardiology, but my passion is art. This dual love of medicine and art have since combined to form a unique array of scientifically-accurate heart arrhythmia jewelry. From normal sinus rhythm to heart attacks and everything in between, my heartbeat jewelry is not only very popular among expectant mothers, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals, but is cute for everyone and makes a great gift for lovers of quirky jewelry. :)

What does scientifically accurate mean? Well, scientifically accurate means that as Becky Striepe from "Feelgood Style" puts it "Ann is a nurse...so you know those heartbeats are accurate." A simple zig-zag does not a heartbeat make. And unlike most "heartbeat" jewelry available through etsy or other retail sources, my heartbeats look like real heartbeats as seen on an EKG.

My pieces have been described as, "Conceptually engaging,", "expertly brought to life", "a design [that] can stand on its own", "fabulous...unusual and striking,", "exquisite", "precious", "adorable", "beautiful and delicate", "gorgeous and accurate", "elegant and conversational", and "a unique alternative to the usual gifts for nurses". I hope to only refine my technique as time passes.

Right now I spend my weekdays at my day job as a Nurse Practitioner and my free time either exploring the hiking trails around my house or in my studio where my bookshelves are lined with art books, buttons jars, and jewelry-making supplies. I try to spend as much time as I can on my art - the creation of which I find so therapeutic.

Follow me on Twitter and on Facebook for the latest updates and sales coupon codes. :)

Some FAQ's:

Q: How did you get into making heartbeat necklace?
A: I got into heartbeat necklaces one night in January 2013 when I was studying for a class and missing my days working as a cardiac nurse. I started thinking about how beautiful heartbeats were and how much I loved studying different heart arrhythmias. I then thought it would be interesting to make some necklaces of heartbeats out of wire. I went online to all the major retail sites to see if anyone had already done that (I hate when people steal my ideas and I'm not about to steal anyone else's) and found that all of the heartbeat rhythms already pictured on etsy (and elsewhere) were what we would call "unsustainable rhythms." That is, if a patient really had a rhythm like that, they would die or be not very far from it. Being a little bit of a perfectionist, this drove me a little crazy so I set out to make a series of scientifically-accurate sterling silver heartbeat necklaces: the first ones I've seen on Etsy or anywhere else for that matter. :)

Q: Why are your other pieces so expensive?
A: My pieces are individually hand-crafted by me and only me during my precious spare time. Each bead is chosen carefully, individually strung or wrapped, and each piece of wire is shaped to create the perfect piece of jewelry. The labor time involved in my jewelry pieces ranges from 15 minutes to 10+ hours and the prices reflect that accordingly.

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Shop members

  • Annie

    Owner, Maker, Designer, Curator, The Littlest Big Spoon

    Louis Agassiz said "every real artist is also a scientist." That about sums me up. Art and science are always intermingling in my world.

Shop policies

Last updated on August 13, 2017
Hello and welcome to my shop! I really appreciate your taking the time to look. I opened my store (years ago) in the hopes that the art I make will not only continue to inspire those who seek it, but would also help me earn money towards the cost of living while I attended grad school.

I enjoy making beaded items, beach glass jewelry, button jewelry, and bird's nest jewelry. But I am best known for my scientifically accurate authentic heartbeat necklaces. Check out my about page to find out more!

I also love custom orders and am happy to work with you to create the perfect heartbeat necklace, button necklace, or other piece of jewelry you so desire.

Accepted payment methods

Paypal Mastercard Visa American Express Discover Apple Pay Klarna Giftcard
Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
Returns and exchanges
If you receive a damaged item or the item is not as expected, please let me know as soon as possible. It is my pleasure to repair, exchange, modify, or refund any purchase made* provided you pay shipping to have it returned to me and depending on the nature of the request. For instance, I will gladly exchange one type of sterling heartbeat necklace for another of the same price. If, however, you request I change your copper heartbeat necklace to sterling silver, I will request the difference in cost from you.

*I have 2 exceptions to this rule: 1) Gold-filled bracelets and necklaces. Due to the cost of gold chain, I cannot offer refunds if you feel your gold-filled necklace or bracelet is too small/short. If you feel it is too large/long, I am happy to shorten it; just contact me. 2) Custom-made orders. I can work with you to modify your order within reason, but I cannot accept returns or issue refunds on custom orders. Thank you for your understanding.

I want my buyers to be as happy as possible, so please let me know if you have any questions or concerns or if you feel as though your experience has not been as positive as expected. :)
Payment
Payment by PayPal is my preferred method, but I also accept credit cards, Etsy gift cards, or personal check. Please be aware that if you pay by personal check, your item will not be sent until your check has cleared. I will also consider local COD on a case-by-case basis. Please contact me before purchase if you think you would like to pay by COD.

IF YOU ARE ORDERING OUTSIDE OF THE US, please be aware that you are responsible for all taxes, fees, and duties on merchandise entering your country.

IF YOUR ADDRESS IS IN CONNECTICUT, per state law I am required to tax all purchases. Therefore, please be aware that a sale's tax of 6.25% will be applied to your purchase at time of check-out.
Shipping
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? Most of my orders will take 3-5 days to process and I only ship out on Thursdays. Please keep that in mind when you order. I do the best I can, but if you order something on a Saturday and that item takes 3-5 days to process, I may not have it out by the coming Thursday. I cannot make any exceptions to this. I do apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. I ship my domestic items either First Class USPS or Priority Mail. Every item sent domestically is insured. International orders are usually insured as well. Please contact me if you an international buyer and would like to guarantee insurance and/or confirmed delivery for your item.

It has been my experience that domestic items typically take 2-5 days from date of shipping to arrive to the buyer. International orders take around 2 weeks depending on the country, however this depends greatly on the country of arrival. Some international orders to more remote areas have taken up to 6 weeks in the past. Please also allow extra time during holiday seasons and in the case of inclement weather as these can cause delays.

Cost of shipping goes exclusively to packing materials (envelopes, tapes, boxes, paper, etc), postage, and insurance fees. I do not make any money off of shipping.

ADDRESS INFO: Please make sure that the name and address Etsy has on file for you are the same name and address that you would like the item shipped to. Unless you contact me and request the item be sent to a different address, I will send the item to the address affiliated with your username. If the item has already been sent, I can't send a 2nd item to a different address because the address on file with Etsy was incorrect.

INTERNATIONAL FEES: Please be aware that if you are purchasing outside of the U.S., you will be responsible for any customs fees that your order may incur. I will not mark "gift" on customs forms if I am sending merchandise, so please don't ask me to.

LOST OR STOLEN MAIL: If you have not received your item, although tracking says it has been delivered, please check with any roommates, neighbors, and anyone else living in your home or apartment building. Please also inform your local post office so they may address the issue.
Additional policies and FAQs
DIDN'T I SEE YOU AT...? On occasion I do work local craft fairs and festivals and sometimes will sell pieces that happen to be listed on Etsy too. I try to deactivate items beforehand if I believe I may be taking them off Etsy for this purpose, but if something has been sold before you buy it and I have not had time to update the Etsy listing, I will certainly refund your money and/or try to make you an identical or similar item depending on what it is. Of course I will be in communication with you through the entire process.

If, for some other rare reason I have to cancel an order (such as fire or other unforeseen inventory damage), I will inform the buyer as soon as possible and issue a complete refund. I may be able to replace the piece or create something similar and I will again, of course, notify the buyer as soon as possible.

The rest of my payment and cancellation policies are consistent with those outlined on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/help/article/483#transactions_cancellation

BUT THE COST WAS DIFFERENT...If you are finding me because you have seen my work at craft fairs or other physical sales locations, such as boutiques or gift shops, the prices may differ from those in my online Etsy store. The prices may be slightly higher or lower depending upon the piece and situation itself. This is due to a variety of reasons pertaining to individual circumstances such as the amount of inventory I have in stock for any one item, fees for sales locations, credit card fees, taxes, and - where it applies - commission paid toward sales associates or store owners. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.

Please check out my "About" page for a full list of FAQ's

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All photographs, item names, item descriptions, updates, stories, and text © 2012-2017 Ann Kabza of The Littlest Big Spoon

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