that's Headley!
 An artisan jewelry journey in color, texture and fun. Beaded jewelry with handcrafted sterling silver is my focus and joy.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
 Objects of Desire

 I'm not so secretly in love with jewelry artists that do beautiful metalwork, as I dabble in silversmithing myself and fantasize about having a full metal studio someday.

For now I get my fix from visiting artists like Etsy's Kalicat, the shop of Londoner Catherine Marche. She creates lovely "jewellery" and self-described Objects of Desire.

Catherine was nice enough to chat with me, and had this to say about her art and craft:

How did you get into your craft? 
Once upon a time, I used to make my own little jewels and also some to give away as gifts. A few friends noticed and started to commission pieces for weddings, hen parties, an a shop owner asked me to place some of them in her shop.... They SOLD. A few years later, I was thinking of reconverting from IT to a more creative job, in addition to painting and illustrations (see http://www.catherinemarche-designs.com). I got some training and Voila. What is fascinating about jewellery is that the area is so vast, I feel I can learn and create new things for a very long time.

What inspires you?
 Fashion, people, colors, "poesie", travelling around the world, art, the sun...

What challenges you in your art? Creating from a brief. I love when someone comes to me and says "I am looking for something special...." and they usually do not even know how to express it. I really enjoy playing with discerning their personality and what makes they tock, to then come up with a design they will love.

 How long have you had your shop? January 2007

Do you consider your shop a job or a hobby?


 I would say that Etsy is a little window of international opportunities.

Do you have any advice for fellow Etsy shop owners?

Promote, network and be yourself.




And lastly, what is your favorite fun fact about yourself?

I own (and wear) a blue wig :) and the feature.
Another one is that my legs are too long for my trousers. Thank you for the interview and the feature. I offer your readers 20% off my jewelry shop until 01.01.2008, using code Headley20

So there you have it, a hidden bonus for reading through this post! You can find out more about this artist so that you, too, can be more "stunning, chic and elegant" by visiting Kalicat's blog or her MySpace.



Posted by that's Headley! Jewelry Designs at 12:08 PM

Kalicat by paulette Install

Artist Feature :: Kalicat

New feature

A feature about my work by Becki of Beckisdesigns
http://beckisdesigns.blogspot.com/2007/10/etsy-store-featured-artists-kalicat.html

Oh The Craftiness Of Me!


Etsy Store Featured Artists: Kalicat Designs
- Thursday, October 11, 2007




From Her Profile:

Kalicat has trained in jewellery at Central St Martins and Hatton Gardens, in London. Mom of 2, she says: "I keep sane by painting and illustrating Fashion, jewelry-making and dreaming about all the things I will create in the near future".

Each item may be made in gold, sterling silver or base metal, with the stones of your choice when available.

Discounts & Sales...
From time to time, I will offer a sale or a discount on my jewellery, if you would like to be notified of upcoming promotions, please contact me with your email address

Custom Orders
Do not hesitate to contact me if you want me to create something special for you, need something to be customized, or like something already sold.

Please contact me with any questions or requests for bespoke pieces.
All purchases are packaged ready to offer. In addition, a hand written card addressed to the recipient can also be added. Just let me know.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -
About me:
I am an artist and illustrator http://www.catherinemarche-designs.com,
I am a member #20 of Etsy Eclectic Jewelry Artisans, visit us at http://eeja.org/
I am also a member of the Art Jewelry Collective http://artjewelrycollective.wordpress.com/
I am a Self Representing Artist Jewelry Designer - SRAJD #0551

Your Name: Catherine Marche
Business Name: Kalicat Designs
Etsy Shop Name: http://Kalicat.etsy.com
URLs as appropriate http://kalicatdesigns.blogspot.com
http://shop.catherinemarche-designs.com

What do you find most challenging as an artist?
Working alone, I find it quite isolating and lonely at times.
Otherwise, I really enjoy coming up with new ideas all the time, and dealing with commissions from a brief. I am happy taking commissions for jewelry and illustrations/paintings.
I also paint and illustrate http://www.catherinemarche-designs.com, and my work has been exhibited internationally, is in private and corporate collections in several countries. I particularly enjoy creating jewellery or invitations for weddings and engagements.
It is the biggest satisfaction for me to see sparkles in the eyes and a huge smile of delight on a client's face when they discover my creation.


What do you find most challenging as an artist trying to do business?
Also, the constant promotion and lookout for new venues is a big challenge, as most jobs only are from 9 to 5pm, being an artist is a whole different way of life. You think it, you dream it, you make it, you are IT :)

What do you love about your creations?
The versatility of them. It is fabulous being able to change and adapt depending on the music I am listening to, the materials I am dealing with, the colors I am inspired by, the words that come to my mind.
Sometimes, I will thing of a word (like Temptation), and create a line around it.
Sometimes, I will be inspired by a gemstone and create a setting around it to enhance its beauty
And of course, I am thrilled by the fact I deal with precious metals and stones, my favorites being diamonds, tourmaline's, pink sapphires and Rubies (at the moment).
I have also just seen some wonderful Sun stone gems which I know I will just have to purchase and create something for, probably with 18K or 22K gold.

Do you have a favorite piece you wish you could keep?
Yes, I do, mainly all of them :)
More seriously, I like this one, with a pink Topaz, message image
and my Mercury Ringmessage image
Oh and some Peridot and yellow 18k gold earrings and and and....


Anything else you wish to say!?
Oh yes! Thank you so much for featuring me and my creations.
I am working on a new collection which should be ready in Spring.
In the meantime, In honor of this lovely feature, I have a special discount for all your readers! Enter the code "90days05" in the message space when shopping and I will give you a discount of $5.00 on all my items on the site!
This offer in valid until 01 January 2008.


I also have a crocheted bracelet in sterling silver with freshwater pearls which will be featured in the book 1000 Jewelry Inspirations by Rockport Publishers.
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