First Pour

Getting Ready to Create

Creativity works much better when I can actually find what I’m looking for!

Part of running Tangled Vine Jewelry means receiving new gemstones, beads, chains and findings, then sorting and organizing everything so it’s ready when inspiration strikes.

I’ve learned that a little organization now saves a lot of “hunt and peck” later. When I begin designing a new style, I want to be thinking about color, texture and design—not wondering where I put that strand of gemstones I know I bought!

A Vineyard Moment

From Inspiration to Business

Tangled Vine Jewelry may be inspired by vineyards, wineries and the colors of wine country, but behind all that romance is a real small business.

Every piece has to be carefully costed. Gemstones, chain, findings, packaging and all the little components have to be accounted for—and fluctuating prices in fine metals can make that particularly challenging.

Then there are suppliers to research, inventory to maintain, orders to track and decisions to make about what comes next.

Not quite as glamorous as sipping wine among the vines…but it makes everything else possible.

Behind the Easel

Or This Week, Behind the Jewelry Bench!

Once the supplies are organized and the numbers are entered, there is still another important job waiting: keeping the website fresh.

That means photographing the jewelry.

Lights come out. Camera comes out. Tripod comes out. Jewelry gets positioned—and repositioned—and repositioned again!

Good photography lets you see the gemstones, details and craftsmanship of a piece when you can’t hold it in your own hands.

And yes, this is all a one-woman production!

Cellar Notes

From My Hands to Yours

Once the photographs are finished, there’s editing, writing descriptions, updating the website and keeping up with social media.

Some days I’m a jewelry designer.

Other days I’m the inventory manager, bookkeeper, photographer, website manager, marketer—and occasionally the woman wondering why there aren't a few more hours in the day!

But every one of those jobs is part of getting a piece of Tangled Vine Jewelry from an idea in my head to someone who will make it part of her own story.

Natures Palette

Where It All Begins

Through all the spreadsheets, gemstones, photography and website work, I try not to lose sight of where Tangled Vine began.

The vineyard.

The changing colors of the vines, ripening grapes, wine in the glass, old corks, weathered barrels and those wonderful afternoons spent discovering a winery I haven’t visited before.

Those experiences eventually find their way back to my worktable—in a color combination, a gemstone, a charm or an entirely new collection.

Inspiration may begin among the vines, but bringing it to life takes quite a journey.

A Final Sip

I’ll admit, there are days when running all the different pieces of a small handcrafted business can feel a little daunting.

And then I’m at an event and hear someone say:

“There’s Tangled Vine Jewelry. I love her jewelry!”

And just like that, the inventory, the spreadsheets, the photography, the website updates and all those little details disappear for a moment.

Someone connected with something I made.

Yeah…that makes it all worthwhile.

Until our next pour,

Nan Hurlburt
Founder, Designer & Storyteller
Tangled Vine Jewelry