SD: When did you start designing jewelry?
Sue Lindsey: Just over 4 years ago I started out wanting to make a dichroic glass pendant for myself. I purchased 3 pieces of glass from Linda
Abbott and made pendants. The reaction from both friends and strangers was very positive. One of the office people at my daughter’s pediatrician’s office wanted to buy the piece I was wearing. The same thing happened at a recital. So I began making pieces for sale.SD: What inspires your jewelry designs?
Sue Lindsey: Most often, the stone I am working with inspires the wire design I create. Occasionally I begin with a particular style in mind, especially if I am matching earrings to a pendant or brooch, or if a customer asks for a particular type of design.
SD: Tell a little about your background, where were you born and raised, and where do you live now?
Sue Lindsey: I am a native of California. I grew up near Santa Monica, except my last two years of high school which I spent in Kettering, Ohio. After marrying in college at USC, I moved to New Haven, Connecticut, followed by Reston, Virginia. I majored in music in college, and then worked in the computer industry before going to Wesley Theological Seminary. I have been a pastoral counselor for more than 25 years. It was a delightful surprise to find that I have a gift for designing jewelry.
SD: Do you have any other interests and hobbies?
Sue Lindsey: My interests still include music. For 9 years I sang with Master Singers of Virginia, a wonderful 20th and 21st century a capella choral group. When I started doing jewelry shows, I had to leave the group. I still study harp for my own musical enjoyment. I sew a little, knit, and garden a lot. I am owned by two cats.
SD: Were you creative when you were a child?
Sue Lindsey: I didn’t consider myself particularly creative as a child. My younger brother was a budding artist, and quite good even as a child. Since I didn’t draw, and sang only what others had written, I treated him as the creative one in the family. Age has given me perspective: we are both creative, just in different ways.
SD: Why have you chosen jewelry design as one means to express your creativity?
Sue Lindsey: It feels more like jewelry design chose me than like I chose it.Those first few pendants I made for myself (now all sold) were so much fun I had to keep making jewelry. It has become my passion.
SD: Do you have a following of people who are collectors of Rapt Elegance Jewelry?
Sue Lindsey: I have a number of repeat customers who look for me at certain shows to buy another piece of jewelry for themselves or to purchase presents for loved ones or friends.
SD: What is your favorite jewelry material to work with and why? And do you have a favorite gemstone or precious metal?
Sue Lindsey: I like to wear yellow gold, so I tend to make a bit more in gold filled wire. I also love the Argentium Sterling Silver wire because it is tarnish resistant. That makes a much nicer piece of jewelry than one that will have to be polished frequently. And red gold filled wire is a dream it is so buttery soft. I like cabochons and faceted gemstones. I just like to wrap things, and will wrap whatever comes to hand.
SD: Do you offer custom-made jewelry?
Sue Lindsey: I often make jewelry to order for customers, both with the stones I have, and stones the customer has. Occasionally I get an order for solid 14k or 18k gold wire.
SD: Upon placing an order, how long before delivery?
Sue Lindsey: When I already have the stone the customer wants, I usually ship between 2 to 3 weeks after receiving the order. If I need to search for a particular kind of stone or something unusual, that can take longer.
