What's in a Name?

No, I haven't seen "Gnomeo and Juliet". But from Shakespear's original "Romeo and Juliet" Juliet wonders "Romeo, Romeo, why for are thou Romeo?...." I always thought she was asking if he was somewhere down below her high balcony. Actually she was only asking why did he have to belong to the one family her family had "issues" with. Ah, the Montagues and the Capulets. She finally decided that a "Rose by any other name would smell as sweet".
So, currently having done a name search for my small jewelry business, I have found that getting an appropriate name is very hard. It was hard work given the thousands and thousands of internet business out there. So let's take a look at some of the names of Starving Artists Team members to illustrate both "conservative" and "unusual" (nothing wrong with unusual, I wish I had been able to think of some of these).

Bead Origami Has an oriental flavor with the "origami", the Japanese art of folding paper.


Angie's Jewelry Designs Fairly straight forward, Angie makes jewelry.



Cat's Wire She works with wire and really really loves cats!



Shiny Adornments I'd adorn myself with any shiny thing in this shop!


You know who makes Marie Cristine Handcrafted Jewelry.



Here's a lovely imagery: Twining Vine Designs. This pendant could twine around me any day.


And, finally: JewelryArtbyDawn.


As you can see, choosing a business name is an art by itself. Each shop name is as unique as the jewelry in it.

Interview with the Artist - Cat from Cat's Wire

By N Valentine Studio

Featured Artist – Cat from Cat's Wire, Germany

Cat is a talented wire artist, working with many different mediums creating unique woven and crochet pieces. My personal favorite of her pieces is the Sleepy Star pendant. A wonderful hand crafted polymer clay face surrounded with crochet wire, what a stunning piece.


Here’s a small look into Cat’s wire working world!


How long have you been working in your medium?
I started wire crocheting about 1.5 years ago. About half a year later I added knitting with a spool or with needles.

What drew you to this medium?
TV actually. I saw a report on German TV about Etsy, it sounded interesting and I started browsing. I stumbled upon a shop with wire crochet jewelery and after looking at it three, four times I decided I wanted to give it a try and was hooked immediately. No pun intended!

What is your favorite thing about your art?
I have so many possibilities! It starts with different kinds and colors and gauges of wire and ends nowhere … yet. I love to play and experiment and my art is perfect for that. Another thing is I can take it with me, on the train, into waiting rooms, to the park.

What's your favorite piece?
That is usually the piece I'm just working on. For now I'll pick my “Yarnie's Treasure” pendant, a little basket with balls of colored wire “yarn” and headpin “knitting needles”.




What's the hardest piece you've ever made?
The hardest piece I've ever made is a wire crochet sculpture, a miniature giraffe, I have not been able yet to part with it. It needed a lot of inspiration, patience, wire, nerves … and more patience.

What’s the one favorite tool you cannot live without?
My crochet hooks!

What other crafts do you do?
Besides crocheting, spool knitting or knitting with wire I have been working with polymer clay lately. I started out with beads and cabs that I like to combine with my wirework, but I also get more and more into making polymer clay miniatures.

Who or what inspires you?
I can't break that down to one or two persons or sites. My inspiration can come from a bowl of soup. I'm not joking, I'm just working on an idea I got from soup. Inspiration can be in a color, a shape, even a sound or a scent.

What's one thing you've never done you always wanted to do?
Craft-related? I would love to have a peek at lampworking.


Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current Etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.