I have been hand making and selling my line of jewelry since 1990. I started in high school selling to classmates and teachers alike. Growing up near Daytona Beach, I would walk up and down the sand during spring break and throughout the summers selling to beach goers and to surf shops and boutiques throughout the state. When high school ended, I began extensively traveling the United States and soon after, the world. I would sell my jewelry at concerts and festivals all the while collecting new pendants and beads to be used in special pieces. My love for creating, selling and meeting new people has fueled my love for traveling and adventure...and vise versa. I hand make some of the glass and ceramic beads in my studio, I drill and sand bone, seeds and nuts that I also hand dye and collect along with natural shells and oddities. Most all are sought out and found during my world travels in markets, shops and on my many exotic and extreme adventures across the globe. Each piece I make is an original, though certain themes and styles reoccur throughout my work. Thank you for reading this and I can't wait to make you something fun!
If you are reading this, I have probably sold you jewelry at an art show. You may recall I asked you a million questions about who you were buying for...You? Someone else? Male or female? Age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, etc...Asking this specific series of questions leads to me to the most perfect piece for each unique person. This is the only way I have ever sold my jewelry. But after 23 years, I have finally created a website to try and best replicate how I help you find which pieces are best for you or for a gift.
Well, after 23 years I have finally created a website to try and best replicate how I choose which pieces are for you or for a gift, by giving you all the options necessary to determine specifics via the web. If you just want to look at the pictures but don't feel like clicking a million choices, you can ALWAYS just call! I ask you those few simple questions and bam-easy as pie.
I use a soft, yet durable synthetic fiber, that looks natural like a cotten, linen, hemp, or leather. It can withstand years of daily wear even in an ocean, lake, pool or the shower. Since it is synthetic, it does not absorb moisture like a natural fiber, so it does not stretch or shrink, get smelly, itch your skin or tend to fall apart.
The fiber is very soft and stays soft. All of the fiber has beeswax on it to help me get the tiny beads on. The light fiber will get less "yellow or orange" the more you wear it as the beeswax wears off from the oils in your skin or from soaps and shampoos from the shower, so it actually will look a lot prettier on the skin - especially fair skin, the more you wear it.
The black and the brown fiber tend to stay the same tone with everyday wear. When it is time for me to reorder my fiber, each of the three colors can occasionally vary slightly in gauge and tone from one batch to another, which is out of my control, though it is very similar, just remember it is still as durable as ever.
Of course! I can pretty much work anything into what you'd like. If you have a special piece you would like woven into something, just call me. I have worked in artifacts from shipwrecks and archeological digs, shells and things collected from family vacations, animal teeth, people teeth, pet hair, people hair....into things like wearable jewelry, framed art, hat bands, motorcycle tank covers, fan pulls, eyeglass holders...you name it!
Basically just give me a call, and depending on the size, texture, etc. of your special piece, I will give you options what will accentuate it best. We will then come to a price that we agree on.
If you are interested in getting an "Intricate" or custom piece-you can click on the Intricates & Custom page to view pieces I've made and sold for examples of style, design and price. Most likely you saw something you liked at one of my art shows and you have an idea of what you are interested in. You can either click on a piece you like and I will call you or you can just call me directly. Either way, I will ask you a few simple questions and help you decide what would work best for you and then we can come to a price that we are both happy with. If you like a certain style or pattern, I can give you the look you want in your price range just by changing a few things.
You can also keep an eye on my Instagram (Tyingtribes) for new creations.
Each person is unique, so to order the perfect length, measure any piece that you have that is a comfortable size, including all fasteners, end to end and type in that measurement on the order.
If you do not have something to measure, take a piece of string and end to end touch it together exactly where you want it to lay on yourself. If you are not sure or if it's a gift, click the box that let's me know you are unsure and I will call you to lend my expertise in sizing. I have been sizing necks, wrists and ankles for 23 years so I am pretty good at it. :) ~Just remember everything is guaranteed, so no worries.
Typically when payment has been received, I begin making your order within 48 hours and try to get it in the mail within a day or two of that. I like to get orders out ASAP. Holidays, weekends and my travels to and from art shows will add a few more days to that. Shipping has never been a problem. I am incredibly flexible and my customers are as well. * If you need your order by a certain date for a special occasion -please let me know~* I love to accommodate.
In addition, If I am on a few weeks tour of art shows and I see you have placed an order and cannot get it right out within a few days - I will contact you and we will work it out.
Everyone wears their pieces differently. Most wear them every day, some take them on and off. Though nothing is indestructible, here are some tips to help ensure your piece lasts a long time (as compared to natural fiber jewelry)
Don't knick your piece when you’re shaving.
Keep in mind the material I use is very fiborous, therefore if it gets knicked or rubbed consistently with another piece that is rough or jagged-it can start to make little frays. Though it will not tend to fall apart, you may not want it to end up fuzzy due to frays. So if you do like to layer, just keep an eye on it. Most people don't mind the fuzzies because they like to layer. If you do mind, then try not to do that all the time.
Try not to get lot of cologne, perfume, or sun block on your piece all the time.
Sometimes these things have odd effects from the mixture of your body chemistry that will react with random beads or the spring ends. Usually it’s just color change. Again, some people don't mind because they like the aged look. If you mind, then try not to do this all the time
If you take your piece on and off, try not to put it where the beads can get crushed. Also if you choose to layer with any other non-Tying Tribes pieces or a watch, be conscious not to let the beads get clunked making the beads more vulnerable to possibly cracking.
Typically on the brown and black pieces I use earthy natural beads like bone, wood, shells, and pottery. I personally hand choose each bead and weave them in based on their durability.
If you notice your piece not looking quite as fresh as you had hoped for the length of time you have been wearing it please let me know. In 23 years I have seen it all. I will assess the piece and situation when we talk and although I do not give refunds, I couldn't sleep at night unless I knew you were totally happy. Just give me a call and we will work it out. There are many options depending on the situation like trading in, trading up etc...
Of course if your piece breaks due to the fiber pulling out of the spring ends, I will always fix this, without exception, no matter how it happened even if it’s years and years later.
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