Interview with hilarycaroline

HilaryCaroline, a fellow member of EtsyU, is a jewelry artist getting her degree in Finance. With a history of entrepreneurial endeavors it is only naturally that this talented young lady would find her way to the Etsy grounds.

I asked HilaryCaroline if she would answer a few questions so we could all get to know her better…

First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself (you can say as little or as much as you please):

I am a 21 year old student going into my senior year at Lehigh University. I will be graduating next May with a major in Finance and two minors in Psychology and Entrepreneurship. I'm also a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and this past year held the position of Vice President Finance. I'm from a small, historic town right outside of Boston, and have lived in the same house almost my whole life. I have been crafty and entrepreneurial since a very young age and have run a string of small business since age 12. My most recent business venture was buying clothes wholesale online and selling them individually on eBay. I was very successful in this and enjoyed it very much as I have always been extremely interested in fashion. But, I had to end the business this spring in anticipation of living in New York City this summer with an internship, as I knew I wouldn't have the time (or space!) to keep it up. I also love cooking, and have recently become super interested in recreating some of my favorite recipes into healthier alternatives, so I've been doing lots of experimenting, which of course my friends and family are loving (especially my always hungry brother). Beyond that I like to think I'm just a regular college girl, I love hanging out with my friends and of course love a good party. :)

How did you hear about Etsy?

I actually discovered Etsy while at one of my summer internships. As a buying intern, I was helping the small company I was working for research new brands for their retail site, and several times while searching for someone I would end up on their Etsy page. I became pretty fascinated with the site and spent a lot of time I should have been working poking around on Etsy. :) Then one day it clicked that I've loved making jewelry for so long but was losing money just giving items away to friends, and wouldn't it be great if I could try to sell some instead. A week or so later, I opened up shop and started making new jewelry!

Where/When did you learn how to make jewelry?

I've been making jewelry since a very young age, starting off with just plastic beads on string necklaces and bracelets and of course the ever popular colored string "friendship bracelets" with all those different crazy stitches. I started actually doing work with wires and metals probably 5 or so years ago, and I have been completely self taught. I have never taken a class or even read any books, however I would love to do this is in the future to learn some new things that I haven't been able to figure out on my own. But for the most part, I'm very good at recreating pretty much anything that I see, so I started off just trying to recreate some things I had seen and liked while shopping, and my skills have been growing ever since.

What aspect of making jewelry most intrigues you?

Well I love the fact that the possibilities with jewelry are pretty much endless. There are so many different colors and gemstones that can be used, you can never get bored thinking of designs! I love picking out color schemes for my designs and trying to put unusual colors together. I've always been a fan of colorful accessories and have been known at my school for having brightly colored shoes and handbags. I think it makes a really bold statement and can pull together an outfit if you wear just the right bold accessory. I try to create that with my jewelry, something that's going to catch everyone's eye and really make a trendy fashion statement for the wearer.

If you had to choose another medium to express yourself what would it be?

Hmm, there are so many! I used to take pottery classes when I was younger, and I loved the feeling of creating and molding something with your hands that could actually be functional as a vase, bowl, etc. I also really wish I could paint, I've never been that great at drawing/painting but would love to get better. And of course if I could sew or make patterns I would love to create clothes.

HilaryCaroline’s magnificent jewelry can be found in her shop: http://hilarycaroline.etsy.com