Guest Jewelry Designer: Christine Street, Chocolate and Steel

Chocolate and Steel is Christine Street, jewelry owner and designer. Christine states that her, “collection is comprised of handcrafted, modern design, fine silver jewelry that is made from recycled silver.” After growing up in Pasadena, California Christine states, “I am now an independent designer living in Los Angeles, I wake up to discover new inspirations everyday. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity to do what I love. I have many hobby-like activities, but creating jewelry is my passion.”

Chocolate and Steel is a very interesting delicious name I wondered where it came from. On her Etsy shop she says, “With metal clay I am able to translate my organic inspirations onto an industrial material. So goes the name Chocolate and Steel...the combination of organic and industrial, soft and strong, sweet and solid.”

Christine says that she, “started making jewelry 10 years ago as a hobby to relieve my stress from my day job of being a clothing designer. I began with beading/stringing and quickly learned that I would need some new skills in order to make jewelry that I liked. So next came wire wrapping and somewhere in there I heard about PMC. PMC was a godsend for me. I could make anything my heart desired. No more searching for that very special piece. Now I could just make it.”

Christine’s website adds, “One day a coworker told me about a bead store that was having a sale. I checked it out and so began my new passion of jewelry making. And I mean passion! I love making things - all things, but I also love wearing things. Jewelry making brought together my two biggest obsessions- creating and shopping. I am constantly trying new things.I have worked my way through a myriad of techniques all of which build upon the last. So brings us to Chocolate and Steel.”

In case you don’t know what PMC is, here’s a description. PMC uses silver that is recycled from film negatives and x-rays. That silver is ground to a powder and mixed with an organic binder that makes is malleable like clay. So, I work with it in clay form. After I have created something wonderful for you I fire the piece in a kiln and the organic binder burns away completely and what is left is just he pure silver. MAGIC – wah-la! The final piece is polished, oxidized, brushed, and so on and so forth.

Christine gives an interesting description of the process of making her jewelry, “For the most part my pieces start with an illustration that I come up with. Sometimes the illustration is really planned out and fine-tuned but then sometimes it is just a rough sketch/doodle that I fall in love with. Once my illustration is complete I create a rubber block out of it. Essentially I am making a hand-carved rubber stamp. The “clay” is pressed into the block and takes on the illustration design.”

Wilford is Christine’s favorite piece “because it is straight out of my subconscious. I was just doodling and daydreaming and about came Wilford. I think this piece really represents my style and interests the best.” All of her pieces are made from her own original illustrations with the exception of Evil Eyed Bird which she created for the non-profit organization, "Nest" at http://www.buildanest.com.
“25% of all sales of this necklace are donated to NEST which is dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. The mission of Nest is to support women artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses. The funds for these loans are generated by selling a unique line of clothing, accessories and merchandise for the home produced exclusively for Nest by a group of artists and designers.” It is obvious that Christine loves her work. I love her pieces and especially the whimsical, humorous nature of most of her pieces and every piece is so unique…you won’t find anything else like her work anywhere. She states, “I like that my jewelry is simple enough that it can be worn everyday and with everything but it is not so simple that it is boring. I think my jewelry has a sense a humor. I don’t include anything in my collection that I don’t like. The only thing I don’t like is that I have not been prolific enough to produce more designs.”

Christine’s work has touched her heart as well as other’s. “I created a ring for a teenager that was suffering from cancer. She was going through chemotherapy which was obviously very difficult and trying on her emotions. Her aunt commissioned this ring for her. The little girl was so excited for the two weeks that I was working on the ring. During those few weeks her cancer went into remission. I certainly do not take any credit for this wonderful news, but she and her aunt called this ‘The miracle ring’.”

I can’t wait to actually purchase something from Chocolate and Steel; however, I have been admiring her work for quite some time. I mean how can you resist something with chocolate in the title. Christine says, “Every time I sell something I have made it is one of the happiest days of my life. It is the best feeling to know that someone else appreciates something that is so personal to me. So my hopes and dreams are that I get to enjoy these same feelings for a very long time. This is the most rewarding job I have ever had. I hope to be able to make a good living that supports myself and my family (and enough to buy a house with a studio).” I too hope that this dream comes true.

Christine’s next plans include releasing a collection of rings in July 2008. I can’t wait. I’m a sucker for rings. I am eyeing the two shown here that she has in her Etsy shop. I am excited what she will do with her humor and rings. Even though, I should have about four sets of hands to hold all my rings, I’ll bet she entices me to add to my collection…a woman can never have too much jewelry, right? Besides, this will be of a different design. Just like you don’t wear the same clothes everyday. You can’t wear the same necklaces and rings. So, I say yes I’ll buy Chocolate and Steel.

You can find Christine on the web at:
http://www.chocolateandsteel.blogspot.com/ - updates and fun stuff
http://www.chocolateandsteel.com/ - wholesale inquiries
http://www.chocolateandsteel.etsy.com/ - online shop

Oh, don’t forget to go visit these sites and buy Chocolate and Steel. Besides, don’t you want her to be happy…one of the happiest days of her life. I still say, you have to purchase something just because it is associated with chocolate.

Also, if you live in the area or are planning a trip to San Francisco, Chocolate and Steel will be at the Renegade Craft Fair on July 11th and 12th. You could also plan a trip now around this event…hint, hint. Thank you for your time and for such a fun time getting to know you and Chocolate and Steel.

Hey, what are you still doing here…go to her sites and look around and buy something. We didn’t do this for nothing and you can’t purchase the pictures in the article. Now, go!!