Two Major Announcements for 2024 - 2025

I wanted to give you a heads-up about two upcoming major changes, in case you are planning to have the matching wedding band made this year or next, or if you need any jewelry servicing.

Maternity Leave:

I will be on maternity leave from October 1, 2024, to Nov 30, 2024 for our second baby. I plan to resume part-time work starting in mid November, but response times may be longer than usual.

Virtual Service from August 2024 – September 2025:

I will temporarily switch to virtual services only from August 2024 to September 2025. During this period, I will be relocating to Canada with my husband due to his work and will operate from a smaller studio setup. Given the high cost and duration of international shipping and customs, I have arranged for my Chicago-based casting house to maintain production in the States.

I will continue to assist you virtually with consultations, designs, and model building. My casting house will ship the finished jewelry directly to your address via insured UPS express shipping.

Repair Inquiry:

If you require any repairs during this period, my jeweler friend in Raleigh will handle most of the jewelry repairs and I’ll make arrangement for you.

If the repair is covered under your limited 1-year warranty, there will be no additional cost (please reach out to me for clarification or review the Custom Jewelry Service Contract for warranty coverage terms and conditions). For repairs outside the warranty coverage, he will invoice you directly.

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This temporary move is a tough decision as I cannot manage my toddler daughter, the incoming new baby, and my business in Raleigh without having any family live nearby. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions, and thank you for your understanding. I look forward to serving you in person again soon.

From Grandma's Attic to Your Finger: The Joy of Heirloom Jewelry

Have you ever wondered if there was a way to wear your family's history on your finger? Well, now there is! With custom rings, you can choose to use heirloom stones to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry. This is a wonderful way to keep your family's history alive while also creating a beautiful piece of jewelry that you can wear every day. If you're interested in learning more about this process, keep reading! We'll walk you through everything you need to know, from finding the right stones to getting the perfect fit. So what are you waiting?

Here is an “Before & After” of repurposing my client’s heirloom emerald and diamonds to this beautiful modern & chic statement ring!

Schedule your complimentary consultation today!

2022 Year in Review

Just like that, it’s 2023!

It took me a whole month to catch up with everything since we returned home from our trip to Taiwan in mid Jan. Now I can really figure out the goal for this year.

So much happened in 2022 and I still can’t wrap up my head around how time flies these days. The biggest accomplishment is that I survive the first year of motherhood and yet also working full time in my studio (pat on my shoulders)! Last year is all about learning and adapting our new life with a baby. She brings us so much joy and love……and those sleepless nights…..lol

Here are couple projects I did in 2022 that I’d like to share with y’all!

If you are thinking starting a custom project with me this year, now it’s a perfect time to start! Feel free to reach out via my email!

A versatile ring for a firefighter that wants to share his love of flowers and nature in his wedding band. Hand carved 18k rose gold band with color sapphires.

A sweet boyfriend wants to recreate this pendant in a modern style that his girlfriend lost as a surprise gift. Hand fabricated and engraved in sterling silver.

Just love how stunning this sapphire is! Such a natural beauty!

A memorial pendant of puppy foot print and his birthstone for my client to cherish the life of her deceased puppy.

A hand-carved Blue Ridge mountain wedding band for a musician that loves NC mountains and bluegrass.

A chic “Push Present” from a sweet husband to his wife, celebrating their first baby boy by using baby’s foot print, their initials, and birthstone.

Hand engraved matching wedding bands inspired by their heritage and roots.

Out of town notice 12/24/2022 - 1/16/2023

Announcement:

I’ll be out of town visiting my family in Taiwan from 12/24/2022 - 1/16/2023, while I’m not physically in my studio I will still be able to reply your inquiries and questions via email. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

XOXO

Hsiang-Ting

3 Muses Collaboration is LIVE now!

It’s incredible what happens when artists from vastly different artistic disciplines come together. To bring our ideas to life, we spent countless hours putting our heads together, designing and testing various iterations.

After many months collaborating and working together, we are so excited to launch this new collection: 3 Muses by Ameigh Art + HTY Jewelry + Nazz Ares. This limited collection includes a hanging wall sculpture, a jewelry set (earrings and necklace), and a leather handbag.

The 3 Muses collection captures each of our signature styles and balances them perfectly, with timeless colors and materials. Much like our friendship began, with mutual admiration of each other’s work, the idea of working together became a no brainer! What could be more fun than getting together, and collaborating, with your artist friends in the studio?

Check out this collection in-person on this First Friday at Artspace! You can also use the preorder link to make your order today! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

ACT Insurance Artist Spotlight: The Burnishing Of A Business

Thank you ACT Insurance & Brianna Hale for this feature!

Check out the full article here: https://www.actinsurance.com/blog/the-burnishing-of-a-business/act-artist-spotlight

Welcome to our newest team member!

Fiona came to our life on Jan 13, 2022, welcome to the world little “Blub”, we love you so much!

Announcements: Holiday Delivery & Maternity Leave

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope y’all had a wonderful holiday weekend with your loved ones!

Two big announcements I’d like to share here.

1. Holiday Delivery: December 10 will be the last day to place your HTY Jewelry Collection order for Christmas Eve delivery, and please select USPS Priority or UPS 2nd Day Express in order to avoid holiday season potential shipping delays. (This does not apply to Custom Jewelry Service).

2. Maternity Leave: We are going to have a baby girl “Blub” (we don’t have a real name for her yet) in Jan 2022! My maternity leave starts on Jan 10, and I’m planning on taking 4-6 weeks of maternity leave, while I’m on my leave……

   • If you are interested in my HTY Jewelry Collection: While I’m away from my studio, I’ll still have access to ship out my in-stock jewelry collection during my leave, but you might need to wait till late Feb for made-to-order items, I’ll reach out to you if there is going to be a wait.

   • If you are interested in Custom Jewelry & Custom Bridal Service: You can still reach out to me via email at hsiangtingyen@htyjewelry.com for questions and consultations. We can work on the designs during this period of time, but you will have to wait till I return to my studio from my maternity leave around end of Feb - early March for the fabrication part, thank you for understanding!

     If you still have questions regarding to these two announcements, please feel free and reach out to me, I’ll be happy to assist you!

   Happy Holidays and stay safe!

Check out my latest interview with VoyageRaleigh!

It was great honored to be nominated by my friend Catherine Davis with Catherine Davis Photography to have this in-depth interview with Voyage Raleigh Magazine, part of the LA-based Voyage Group of Magazines. Their mission is to promote mom and pops, artists, creatives, makers and small businesses by providing a platform for these hidden gems to tell their stories in their own words.

The interview is about the story how I started HTY Jewelry and how I was able to successfully navigate my business through Covid crisis last year and this year.

You can read the full story by click HERE, enjoy!

Hsiang-Ting

What's new in 2021?

Getting ready for my very first First Friday!

Many exciting things are happening this Spring, with more and more people getting vaccinated (#Iamvaccinated), things are opening back up with less restrictions. Here are couple of new changes and updates happening in my studio starting this year.

1. First Friday is back! Artspace has resumed the First Friday event from 5 - 8pm starting in April, we had a soft opening back in March following CDC guideline and we had a great turn out, it just feels so good to be able to share our passion in arts and designs to local peeps! Mask and temperature check are required to enter the building in order to provide a safe environment for all the visitors, artists, and staff members, hoping to see some friendly faces on May 7 and all the future First Fridays!

2. Artspace is preparing to be fully open to the general public starting in May, but if you want to visit my studio for a tour or custom consultation, please use this link to schedule your appointment.

3. I’m currently accepting new custom jewelry inquires. Generally, it takes approximately 6-8 weeks to complete a custom project, please keep this time frame in mind if you want to have jewelry custom made for special occasions.

Counting down 2020

2020, what a year!

I’m reading my 2020 New Year Resolutions that I wrote down back in December, 2019 without knowing the pandemic was coming 3 months later will turn everyone’s life completely up side down. I had a really decent 2019, both personally and professionally, I was ambiguous and ready to keep the momentum rolling for 2020.

But then the pandemic hit, I have to put a pause on so many things, I have to learn how to live with uncertainty, be grateful, and be content. I’m grateful that even my business was impacted drastically by the pandemic but at least my hubby still has a stable job that can provide for both of us in my down time. We couldn’t do much travels so we shifted our time and energy to home remodeling and finally finished the outdoor projects that’s been putting off for years and provides us a backyard oasis to relax and connect during the quarantine and stay-at-home order. I moved my home studio to downtown Raleigh Artspace to gain more exposure to metro RTP clienteles, and it has worked, I’m starting to getting more custom orders from people finding me on Google. We even rescued a kitty cat “TC” during the lockdown back in May, it was trapped in a giant tree at a grocery store parking lot during a bad storm, we helped him climb down the tree and brought him home with us, this energetic kitty bounced back only within a day or two, he sure brought us so much joy and laughters. Most importantly, we are healthy and alive, so as our family and friends, that’s really all that matters.

One thing I learned this year is that love still happens no matter what, I’m fortunate enough to continue help my clients to celebrate their life journeys. I want to share one of my favorite custom projects that I did this year, this engagement + wedding ring set was design for this sweet couple, the Rococo motif is inspired by their love story. The moment when they realized they are meant for each other was when they found out they both have a half one dollar bill in their wallets on music concert date, it’s like they finally find their missing half, literally. She wanted to integrate this one dollar bill love story to the ring design, it took me a couple days to figure out how to do it without being cheesy or too literal, eventually I came up with the idea to combine her love of ornate design jewelry with the rococo motif designs in the one dollar bill as the main design element of her ring. I re-purposed 11 of her heirloom diamonds for the engagement ring center diamond and accent diamonds, I also added two custom cut sapphires in the engagement ring and three pear shaped diamonds for the wedding band. I’m not bragging, but I’m so happy how it turned out, I have to pat on my shoulders for this one, because she LOVES IT! Many congrats to K & W!!!

I have so much mixed feelings about 2020, I’m just glad we made it (almost) in one piece, that’s all I can ask for! Cheers to a better 2021 and thank you for your continuous support!!!

Happy Holidays!

Signing off,

Hsiang-Ting

Adapting to the New Normal

As we are rolling into the third quarter with Covid this year, I’m still learning to adapt just like everyone else one day at a time, and today I have two exciting news I would love to share with you!

1. CenterFest 2020 is going “Virtual“ this year!

Have you heard of “Virtual Art Show”? This is a new alternative way that many show organizations are offering this year, instead of going to the craft shows in-person, now you can still support the artists by attending the virtual shows in the comfort of your own home! (p.s. It’s never too late to get ready for the holidays!)

September 19, 2020
Virtual Broadcast starting at 6:00pm
Visit CenterFest2020.org for all virtual event programming

CenterFest 2020: The heart of Durham in the comfort of your own home

For 45 years, the Durham Arts Council has proudly presented the CenterFest Arts Festival on the third weekend in September, attracting up to 35,000 attendees to downtown Durham for a lively weekend of visual arts, performing arts, a showcase of community organizations, plus food and fun for all ages. CenterFest is nationally ranked in the Top 100 Fine Arts Festivals in the United States and is North Carolina’s longest running juried outdoor arts festival. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the in-person downtown festival cannot take place in 2020. Instead, the Durham Arts Council is creating a lively online virtual CenterFest that will feature visual and performing arts, memories and highlights of CenterFest over the years, plus sponsor highlights and special interactive features.

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Stop by my studio 201 to say hi : )

2. Artspace is reopening on Sep 18!

Artspace has been closed to the general public since March due to the pandemic, but with state of NC is moving into phase 2.5, Artspace is finally easing some of the restrictions and starting to offer shorter hours of open hours to the general public next week!

Starting Friday, September 18, Artspace will reopen to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-5pm. Artspace is open to visitors by appointment Tuesday-Thursday from 11am-3pm. Appointments must be made at least one week prior to visiting. We will continue to monitor recommendations and guidelines issued by the CDC and the State to determine when it is safe to expand our operating hours. Face covering is required for everyone and Artspace is providing access to hand sanitizers throughout the entire building.

I’m so excited about this progress, that’s one of the main reasons why I decided to move my studio to downtown Raleigh and I’m really hoping it will work out for everyone, we all need this!

I’m still accepting private appointment for all my custom jewelry orders, and it can also be done virtually, you can schedule your consultation today!

Signing off & stay well,

Hsiang-Ting

Big announcement - Exciting things are happening this summer!

[6/22 Updates] The show must go on, I’m still moving in on July 1st as planned, Artspace is currently closed to public, but I’ll be able to provide appointment only service for my clients.

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[6/6 Updates] This blog was written last week before the hectic weekend, unfortunately, Artspace was vandalized among many downtown Raleigh small businesses and establishments this past weekend, I’m not so sure how severe the damages are, at this moment I honestly don’t know what to expect, I just wish there is more love and less hate in this world, violence does not solve anything but only cause more confusions and misunderstandings, I only wish all the best to everyone, especially to the ones are hurting……

***

Ever since I returned from my 10 weeks long Provence artist residency last late Summer, I’ve been considering taking the next step for my career as a studio jeweler.  I really enjoyed the atelier residency setup I had in SCAD Lacoste, it was half retail and half studio space that I can work and interact with clients directly at the same time. I enjoyed every conversation I had with the customers and guests, I felt energized and inspired working in an interactive environment, I’ve been missing that experience ever since. 

I’ve been working from home since 2014, my hubby and I spent the entire June building a fully functioning “she-shed” jewelry studio in our backyard when I moved my studio from downtown Raleigh to home. At the time it was exactly what I needed, my business was still very young, and I was traveling a lot for craft shows while working two part-time jobs, so I didn’t really use that downtown studio space as much as I supposed to, and it was a shared space, I couldn’t manage it as a retail space.  A home studio will save me a lot of money on rent and time on commute, it was a no brainer for me. 

There are pros and cons working from home, it was a right decision for me 6 years ago, but as my business evolved over the years, I realized I’ve outgrown the space if I want my career to continue to thrive, it’s time to do something different. The perfect studio space search started back in September, I went through a lot of spaces in the metro Raleigh area, eventually ArtSpace in downtown Raleigh caught my attention, Artspace is a non-profit visual art center that houses 30 partially subsidized studios appropriate for visual artists.  It’s a prestigious organization that’s been around for decades and it provides the art community that I was missing from working home, it’s a perfect trial location for me to start my new studio/ retail store front. 

I submitted my application back in Feb when most of the world was still a safe place, and then in mid March the pandemic happened, I was so stressed out when I found out all my spring and summer shows were either cancelled or postponed, and there is no guarantee that there will even be shows anytime soon this year, not unless there is a cure to treat the symptoms or vaccines available to the public. Not having any shows meant I would lose at least half of my income based on my previous experiences. I felt like everything I worked so hard for it’s crumbling. I let myself fall into this unmotivated mode for weeks, till my parents reminded me “Crisis is a turning point” to encourage me to never give up.  And that same week, I received the notification that I got accepted to a 320 sq ft studio space which is twice bigger than my current studio, I was so thrilled but scared the same time because of this uncertain time (it's a jury only since it’s highly competitive due to its reputation and affordable rent to the limited available space, I had to submit my resume and portfolio to go through the jury selection process).  

The lease starts on July 1st, I honestly can’t tell you if this is the best time or worst time to open a retail store, but I know without having my show income, I need to do something creative and bold to make up the loss in order to survive in this covid world. I was inspired by so many of my friends that still have their business thriving during the lockdown, and I was still receiving online sales and taking custom orders, there is still demand for jewelry and people are still shopping and supporting small businesses. I decided to take my leap of faith and signed the lease just three days ago after I toured the space, it has its original hardwood floor and giant loft metal frame window, the natural lighting is simply gorgeous in that room. I can already visualize how I will decorate the space while I was there (and that’s always a good sign, right?). It will be divided into three sections: jewelry studio, jewelry display, and custom jewelry consulting area, which my current place can’t fulfill all 3 purposes due to the limitation of the space and my home safety. 

So…..stay tuned to check out my new space in July!!! 

Signing off, 

Hsiang-Ting 

PJ Meets the Pros featuring HTY Jewelry

PJ was one of my favorite professors when I was studying in SCAD, and we’ve became friends after my graduation. I’m always inspired by her passion to share her jewelry knowledge to all her students, I know could always count on her. She relocated to Michigan several years ago, and besides teaching jewelry program in College for Creative Studies, she also started her own YouTube jewelry teaching tutorial channel. When she invited me to be one of her guests for her new program “Pj Meets the Pros”, I was so honored and said yes right away to the interview.

This interview was recored when I was still in Provence for my SCAD Atelier artist in residence fellowship, I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since the trip, the world has turned to a whole different place now, I don’t even know when we can all be able to safely travel internationally again like pre-COVID world. I’m still optimistic that we will have some solutions soon, we all have to look at the bright side, right?

Anyway, here is the link to this interview, I hope you can enjoy it! Stay well!

Check-in and Mask Cover Tutorial

It’s been almost a month since WHO announced global pandemic, how are you holding up to this new reality of stay-at-home and social distancing orders that we are living in?

My husband and I are trying our best to keep our daily lives as normal as possible while following the guidelines. We definitely spend way too much time in our flower and veggie gardens these days, it’s the only few things that make me feel like I still have in control, and it’s comforting and therapeutic to see daily growth of the plants. We also have time to finish up lots of house remodeling projects that we’ve been putting off for years (we bought all the supplies way back, and we literally had to dig them up from the garage that’s covered in dust….lol).

I also started some side projects besides making jewelry. Inspired by my aunt, she made some mask covers for us when we were visiting my family in Taiwan back in Feb, and after learning the shortage of PPE for the hospital staff in the States, I asked her for the mask cover pattern, and I started to make mask covers to send for my friends that’s working on the front line. The YouTube tutorial I have is in Mandarin, so I made a step by step tutorial in English for you, hope you might find it helpful.

I’m giving away mask cover for my online orders, one mask cover per order till supply last, and enjoy free USPS First Class Shipping : )

Here is link to the Youtube Tutorial, and the following is my step by step instructions in English ( sewing is not my strong suit, but I tried my best to explain the processes, I hope you don’t find it too confusing).

What you need:

1. One piece of 8” x 14” fabric of your choice.

2. One paper template in 3/8” x 16” for hemming

3. One paper template in 1” x 16” for the pocket folds, and cut out a 1/32” x 2” opening in the center of the template, it’s for you to locate the crease line.

4. Iron & ironing board.

5. Sewing machine or needle and thread.

6. Elastics & dryer sheet (if you want to turn the cover into a facial mask)

Step 1

Cut a piece of fabric in size 8” x 14”.

Step 2

Fold the fabric up to half and iron the crease.

Step 3

Fold it up again, and iron the crease, but leave a 3/8” space on the top for hemming purpose.

Step 4

Grab the top fold to fold it down then iron the crease.

Step 5

Now open up the fabric and you can see all the ironed lines.

Step 6

Place the 1” x 16” template on the bottom crease line.

Step 7

This is the tricky part, grab the fabric fold it up and down, alined to the 1/2” mark and iron it. (It might be easier to watch the YouTube video for this step)

Step 8

Repeat the same for the top part, and iron the fold.

Step 9

Remove the paper template and use 2 pins or 2 small clamps to hold the pocket fold in place.

Step 10

Repeat step 8 and 9 to the top crease line.

Step 11

Secure the pocket fold with pins or small clamps.

Step 12

Stitch all four pocket folds (about 1 1/4” long) and remove all four pins.

Step 13

Use the 3/8” x 16” template again for the hems.

Step 14

Stitch hems on both sides.

Step 15

Close the mask and stitch through it with 1/4” space on the outside of the mask cover.

Step 16

Flip the mask cover inside out, and stitch another line and leave 3/8” spacing to hide the 1/4” sewing line from step 15.

You did it!

Now you can insert your surgical mask and change the cover daily to allow your surgical mask to last a bit longer than one-time use.

If you don’t have surgical mask, you can insert dryer sheet as interfacing and sew two elastics to turn the mask cover into a facial mask.