Sharlene Czeh - Fernie's Jewelry Junkie

I feel that I have always had a creative side. In High School it was expressed through taking art classes with Mrs. Stead at Fernie Secondary School, which progressed to attending art school in Kelowna, BC. and then, years later, led me to taking Hair Design in Calgary, AB.

I am now a stay-at-home mother of two with a continued passion to be artistic. In December of 2009, a couple of months prior to delivering my son, I decided to take a jewelry class with copper and silver with my mother-in-law Ilona Webster, who has long been my inspiration. After taking the course I knew it was something I had to do. However, my second child was due in December and I thought to myself, “How is this going to work, on top of having a two year old daughter?”. Fortunately, my son was an angel of a baby, as was my daughter, and with both on a good routine I was able to continue pursuing my passion for designing and creating jewelry.

My wonderful husband was very supportive from the beginning, purchasing the equipment necessary to get started. By the New Year of 2010 I took the leap and devoted all of my spare time to doing something I knew I was really going to enjoy. The additional support of Monique Mattersdorfer, owner of ET Hair Salon and a relative and friend, was a big stepping-stone. I had worked in the salon and she allowed me to place my jewelry there for purchase – my first retail location! I received such a great response from ET that I decided to attend the Fernie and Baynes Lake markets in the summer as a retailer. And again, the reaction I received was very encouraging and positive.

My first incentive for making jewelry was to create pieces for friends, family and myself. As it evolved and I realized how much I enjoyed doing it, I allowed myself to put more money into new supplies and start customizing my pieces. I figured, what better place than Fernie to create custom jewelry? There are a lot of young moms (myself being one of them) that would love to wear their kids’ names, birth dates, initials or even pictures around their neck.

Now not only am I creating jewelry in my spare time, I have a lot of custom work as well. My jewelry includes different necklaces, pendants, earrings and bracelets. I work mostly with copper, but also incorporate silver, bronze and leather into much of my work. Customized jewelry varies, and includes pieces such as: necklaces with pictures of children, grandchildren, wedding couples, etc.; dog tag necklaces with kids’ names, birth dates, wedding initials, wedding dates, etc.; and I create charm necklaces and bracelets with names, inspirational quotes, special dates, initials, or whatever the individual decides on. Valentine’s Day is coming up and hearts will be a big theme as they are my favorite and I love making them!

Visit her site to view more of Shar’s designs and to learn more about The Jewelry Junkie!