Elizabeth Ryan is the first prize winner in Turtle Love Co.’s first Engagement Ring Design Contest. Her winning design, the Lovebirds Engagement Ring, is now available through Turtle Love Co.’s website in sterling silver with a white topaz, white gold with a diamond, or white gold with a sapphire. When we first announced that Elizabeth Ryan has won the contest we sent her some interview questions so that we (and you!) could get to know her better.

I grew up in Spencer, MA (a small town in central Massachusetts), although we have been out in the Northampton, MA area for the past 3 years. I have a great studio space in town, which is in an old mill building where brushes were once made! My space is small (perfect for just me and my small jewelry tools) and the building is home to lots of other local artists and small businesses. My space has a full wall of windows, it is bright and sunny and overlooks Mill River.

I am attracted to delicate and small jewelry, very similar to the jewelry I create. I am also attracted to jewelry that is cute and clever. One of my favorite (non-Looka Jewelry pieces) to wear is a morse code necklace by Coatt that spells out “Bubbe” in gold beads and dashes. I always wear my beautiful engagement ring by Adel Chefridi. I love Adel’s jewelry and fell in love with his diamond accented gold bands. Working with my hands all day I wanted something that felt special but was easy to wear, that could take a beating and also had a low profile. Having met and talked with Adel at several craft shows I knew I wanted my ring made by him because he’s so kind and that translates into his sweet and feminine jewelry. This month I’ll be making the wedding bands for my fiance Dan and I! I decided I’m not going to plan them too much but just let the materials (def. some high karat yellow gold) and my heart figure this one out.

I was studying to become an art teacher in college when I took my first jewelry making class. Honestly, before that I was never one to wear or purchase much jewelry. I fell in love with metalsmithing because it felt very natural to me and I found myself getting lost in it and all the awesome techniques and traditions that came along with it. I have always loved to make things and found that the small scale that jewelry requires is perfect for me! My fascination for tiny objects and minute details inspired the direction my jewelry took (also using a torch and fire it pretty cool too!). After college (I studied at UMass Dartmouth and Massachusetts College of Art) I worked as a bench jeweler at Ananda Khalsa Jewelry. I enjoyed making jewelry and selling it with Ananda so much that I decided to focus on my jewelry business and took Looka Jewelry full time in 2011!

I discovered the Turtle Love Co. website and was drawn to the aesthetic of the jewelry you sell and saw the call to entry info. I chose to enter the engagement ring contest because a contest like this was something I have never done before. I thought it could be a fun experience and could also push me to work in a new direction. I liked the idea of creating a piece with a set list of requirements and adding my own touch to it sounded fun. It reminded me of projects we might have had in college!

My design was inspired by thinking about what I would look for in an engagement ring. As someone always working with my hands I liked the idea of creating a special ring that could be very wearable but also felt unique and handmade, perhaps something other artists might like to wear. Because I like nature and cute things (there, I said it!) I liked the idea of two love birds as a representation of love and partnership.

I am very excited about winning the design contest! I created the design as something I would enjoy wearing so it feels good to know others would enjoy wearing a ring like this too. I think it’s great that more and more people are looking for handmade and unique engagement rings and want something that speaks to them and their relationship. I think that’s super special!