About me

Hello,

    My name is Ellie Begin, the creative force behind Ellie Begin Jewelry. I’m a Maine born jewelry designer with a passion for nature and minimalist designs. I’ve also been obsessed with ferns for as long as I can remember. My creative wheels began to turn on a trip to Peru when I was 19. I was fascinated and inspired by the jewelry artisans I met.

    Upon returning home to Maine, I was restringing my guitar and began playing with the excess strings, using pliers to twist them into quirky shapes. From there I realized I could make wire jewelry in the same way. I was lifted into the world of creative flow. With no experience or training I started a wholesale business and began selling jewelry to the health food store I worked in at the time. To my amazement and delight, the jewelry was a hit and started funding not only my cello lessons, but the rest of my life too.

   After about a year I quit my day job and took the thrilling, terrifying leap into a career as a full-time jeweler. I specialized in wire and gemstone jewelry.

   After 12 years of wholesaling I began to have sound sensitivity due to the daily hammering. Around this time a dear friend invited me to a wax carving class for jewelry design. Wax carving is a technique that's been used for over 6,000 years. This new method opened a world of exciting possibilities. I started hand carving pieces using ferns, ginkgo leaves, twigs, rocks and shells to capture the rich textures of nature in metal. This technique has enabled me to design the jewelry of my dreams! I was beyond thrilled to expand my repertoire.

    Now, my work is about celebrating the beauty and diversity of shapes and texture of the natural world.

   I strive to make my business as low waste and gentle on our beautiful planet as possible.  I use recycled metals, paper, and packaging whenever possible.

    Expressing creativity in this way has brought me tremendous joy, and I’m delighted to share this work with you! Thank you for being a part of my creative journey.

 

Here's a press article: https://wgme.com/features/maine-makers/local-jeweler-embraces-wax-carving-technique-ellie-begin-gorham-nature-recycled-metal-crafting-jewelry

When I'm not making jewelry I enjoy playing cello and spending time with my sweet partner, Sam.