California Jewelry Artist Bev Ludlow

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area of California, and I can’t remember when I wasn’t doing some kind of craft; everything from kite building and paper dolls as a child, to oil painting and woodworking & sign painting later on. As round-about as it may be, I arrived at wire jewelry making by way of earning a degree in Interior Design. For my required science, I took geology,and thus discovered the world of rocks and gems. My husband, Clay, and I joined the local El Dorado County Mineral and Society where he learned lapidary and silversmithing, and I bought the books that started me knotting beaded necklaces and making earrings to match. I added wirewrapping about a year later. I’ve learned how to make jewelry through the use of books, videos, talking to other artists, and lots of trial and error.

We established “Renaissance” in 1988, after Clay said, at least partly in jest, “You’ll either have to start selling this stuff, or stop making it!” I have to admit, I was collecting a lot of beads and tools. We now do 17 to 18 Northern California craft shows each year, including “Apple Hill” in Camino, California, near our Pollock Pines home.

I’m a very visual, hands on designer. For instance, when I have a stone that I want to incorporate into a pendant on a beaded necklace, I’ll pull out every bead I have that works with the colors of the stone, place them all on a table, then remove anything that “isn’t a necklace.” That way, the wirewrap style for the unique gemstone and the beads becomes a unit, rather than just a pendant on a necklace. It makes for a messy work environment — the photo at right is what it looks like when I'm not working!— but it’s lots of fun, and I often come up with combinations that would never have occurred to me on an intellectual basis.

I sometimes get an idea where I need to use soldering or chasing and repoussé work, but most of my work uses just 14k goldfilled or sterling silver wire with glass or semi precious beads or faceted gemstones. I often design around the “color harmonies” of Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring, so that, for example, I’ll use more curved designs for summer-hued amethyst, and a more angular setting with the earth-tones of jaspers.

My most successful pieces result from “listening” to the stones. That sounds much more “arty” and “new age” than it really is. It is actually just noticing what style and wire placement most enhances the natural beauty of nature’s creations. I feel that I am most successful when a customer says, "That's gorgeous, and I love the setting you've done," rather than, " That setting is beautiful."

I have been featured in "Rock and Gem Magazine" as their "Artist of the Month," and have had two articles published in "Wire Artist Jeweller" magazine."A selection of my triple-layer earrings, shown at left, are now being offered for sale at the Crocker Art Museum Store at 2nd and O, in Sacramento, California. Although I have recently added a few of this style earring to my online pages, the largest selection is available only through the Crocker Art Museum Store or at one of my craft shows.

Although many of my pieces are one-of-a-kind, and most are limited editions, my handcrafted jewelry is still an “Affordable Indulgence.” With prices which range from simple $5 earrings and $20 pendants up to the more unusual beaded necklaces which sell for $200 or more, you can find something for any personal or gift giving budget. Be sure to check out my ornamental bookmarks, or "Booklaces", for a unique gift for those readers on your list, and for those with longer hair, see my copyrighted Hairskewer Hair accessories.

I have recently launched my web design site bhlwebdesign. I have talked with so many artists and crafters who wish to have a web site, but are intimidated by the process, or simply want a more professional looking site. I've learned so much while working on my own site, and have discovered that I really like web design. My goal is to help my clients get exactly the site they want at a reasonable cost. I had planned to have a section on this site for other jewelers to have links, but found so many other great sites that do that already. What I did discover in my research is that many could use a little bit of help in their page design. Please visit to see my pricing structure and a few of the sites I have created.

When I’m not making jewelry, tutoring adult literacy at the local library, or designing web sites, I'm probably reading, most likely a murder mystery or computer manual, or “vegging” over my new addictions, playing Sudoku or Pilot Lines on my indispensable Palm Pilot.

These may be "Old-fashioned" ideas, but when you make your purchases from me, whether online, at a show, or by phone or mail-order, this is what you can expect: