Kate Richbourg
Posted By Craft Corps on April 15, 2010
Kate Richbourg
Name: Kate Richbourg
Age: 43
Location: San Carlos, Ca
Profession: Jewelry Designer
Craft(s) of Choice: Jewelrymaking, Metalworking, knitting, fiber arts, quilting
Blog: http://www.beaducation.com
My earliest crafting memory is rooted in a box of costume jewelry that lived in a hall closet when I was a kid. My grandmother LOVED jewelry and took every opportunity to add to her collection. Some of that jewelry ended up in a “junk box” in our hall closet. It was a potpourri of things… broken chains, odd earrings, and beaded necklaces. It was a jumble of jewelry parts that held endless fascination for me.
That was where I started to hone my jewelry skills. I started making jewelry out of components in that box at the tender age of 8 or 9. I would grab some pliers out of my grandpa’s desk drawer (he kept a couple of good ones in his bottom drawer) and some wire (or dental floss or sewing thread or whatever I could find) and work away. That box kept me occupied for hours. I made up my techniques and learned how to make things look good and stay together by trial and error.
I still tap into that free-flowing creativity when I design. I keep many of my jewelry components in little boxes and I still enjoy pulling them out and seeing what kind of treasures I can create. When I teach my jewelry classes I share my philosophy with my students. I think it’s important to remember what it feels like to just “create.” Remove expectations and just have fun with the process and enjoy the result.
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