An Interview with Marianna of Castellammare Designs and GIVEAWAY!

I have a treat in store for everyone!  The lovely Marianna of Castellammare Designs recently sent me over some beautiful pieces from her collection and also agreed to an interview!  I first discovered Marianna's designs on Emily's blog Tinfoil Tiaras.  She was hosting a giveaway for a stunning necklace that sadly I didn't win.  A short while later, Marianna contacted me and offered to send some pieces my way!  Lucky me and LUCKY YOU!  You could win these Teal Teardrop earrings by completing the following:

1.  Like Castellammare Designs on Facebook
2.  Like Clothes Line Finds by Anthea on Facebook
3.  Leave a comment either here or on Clothes Line Finds by Anthea's Facebook page explaining what you would wear with these lovely earrings.

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY:  PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST OR ON THE CLOTHES LINE FINDS BY ANTHEA FACEBOOK PAGE stating you have completed all three!!

BONUS ENTRY:
4.  Like Castle on the Sea (Castellammare Designs) and Anthea__T on Twitter and tweet about the contest (be sure to include both of our Twitter handles)

Contest is open to the US and Canada and closes Sunday August 12th!

Teal Teardrop Earrings

The necklace I received!

AT:  What is the story behind the name Castellammare Designs?

M: The name Castellammare is actually Italian for "Castle on the Sea".  My Dad is an Italian immigrant and his hometown in Castellammare de Golfo, Sicily, Italy.  Catellammare de Golfo is a beautiful coastal town named after the medieval castle right on its shoreline.  It's a happy place and tourism is currently one of its biggest industries.  

AT:  What is your personal accessory style?

M:  People are often surprised to find out I'm a jewelry designer because I'm just not that girl with an armful of bangles and rings on every finger.  I always wear jewerly but typically one piece, maybe two.  Usually I'll wear earrings or a lone statement bracelet.  Don't get me wrong, I love jewelry! So much so that I need to let the pieces I wear shine.  Other staple accessories include ballet flats and wide belts worn at my natural waist.  I currently don't own a car so I need to wear shoes that allow me to easily run to catch my bus!

AT:  How did you get started making jewelry?

M:  Most people buy jewelry to match an outfit.  I look at an outfit and see the jewelry.  

In University I found myself leaving the mall frustrated more times than not.  I would go searching for a specific piece of jewelry in a particular color and realize that what I needed didn't exist. 

One day I bought a jewelry kit from Walmart, took it home opened it and stared at the instructions.  They were in English but might as well have been in another language.  It just wasn't coming together.  I put the kit away and forgot about it.  Then a few weeks later I was out enjoying a day off with some girlfriends, window shopping mostly, when one of my friends came across a pair of Swarovski crystal and chain earrings.  She had to have those earrings so we asked the sales lady to open the case so she could check them out.  And then we saw the price tag - $85.  As students this just wasn't in our price range.  My friend was devastated.  While she contemplated what she could give up that month (groceries, her phone bill) so that she could buy the earrings,  I blurted out that I would make the earrings for her.  She didn't believe me.  And with good reason, I had never made earrings before, and she knew it. I went home that day, pulled out that beading kit and sure enough had almost everything I needed.  All I had to do was pick up some crystals from the local bead store and I managed to make a very close copy of the earrings we saw that day in the store.  The look on my friend's face when I gave her those earrings was so priceless.  I knew from that moment that I would need to continue to make jewelry.

AT:  How do you manage a small business in addition to your career?

M:  This is an interesting question.  I actually knew from a very young age that I wanted to pursue a career in Finance, which I did.  A few years ago I landed a position with my DREAM employer.  As much as I love my career job I would often find myself running home to create jewelry the first chance I got.  It just came so naturally.  I needed the creative outlet after spending all day playing with numbers.

It was actually several of my colleagues who pointed out that I should really consider selling some of my pieces.  It took me a while to even consider it.  What did I know about running a business?  Well, actually a lot.  Too much.  Back to my heritage again... I come from a long line of Entrepreneurs.  I've seen first-hand that being a business owner is the toughest job out there.  You need nerves of steel to run a business.  I just didn't think I had it in me. 

An interesting thing happened when I started talking to people about the idea.  Everyone had great advice for me!  I started pulling together all these bits of advice and the next thing I knew I had a business.  Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of details to work out but all these fellow Entrepreneurs have saved me months if not years of time sharing knowledge.  

I know my limits and don't hesitate to ask for help when I'm over my head.  There's always a friend or a cousin ready and willing to help out.  I'm sure as the business grows I will find juggling my two very different "jobs" to be a challenge but I trust that help will always be a phone call away.

AT: What are your favorite pieces in the collection now and where do you plan to take Castellammare in the future?

M:  I love this question!

I am proud to wear everything in the collection but if I had to narrow down my favorites I would have to say:

The Reverse Teal Ombre Bracelet - Such a simple design and yet so many people tell me it's completely unexpected.  Apparently this bracelet just draws you in.  I love seeing someone's reaction when they see it for the first time.

The Teal Teardrop BEzel Set Earrings - Part of the "Pretty at the Office' Collection.  These are a petite lever-back earring.  They certainly aren't statement earrings but the teal is just this perfect shade.  I have blue-green eyes so this color seems to help me score a lot of "don't you look pretty" compliments. Psst lots of cute boys work in downtown Ottawa and they seem to really love this shape!

As for the future:

My goal is and always will be to create beautiful, colorful pieces of jewelry that are versatile and budget friendly.  I volunteer with Dress for Success Ottawa as a Wardrobe Consultant and have seen countless times how our clients light up the minute we add some jewelry to their job interview outfit.  It just finishes off the look and ups the confidence.  I want to continue to provide that confidence boost to women around the world.

Fun fact:  I'm currently working on a custom piece that was commissioned as a gift for a Canadian Olympian currently competing in London.  Go team Canada!