Artist Bio

Artist : Jaime Pickering, Vancouver BC Canada

I have had a love for creating since before I can remember. I have always painted, or sewed, or crocheted, but my jouney into jewellery came on strong like a fire from within. I had stumbled across a small bead store, a few years back, and decided to pick a childhood love of beaded earrings. Before I knew it, my love of beads turned into a love of gemstones (not a cheap hooby I tell you!) and my love of gems turned into a love for metal, and the combination of both. I decided to take a beginners course in soldering and the rest is sort of history! Before I knew it I was teaching myself every technique I could, and transforming Bella-Bijou Jewellery from a hobby to a career!

The Process :

"Sometimes I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast" ~Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Most of my designs come to me in my dreams. I plan them out backwards often, thinking of the finished product, and then mapping out techniques I will use in fabrication. Often these dreams get sketched out in my awfull chicken scratch (no offense to chickens!) before flame ever touches metal. My workspace is filled with tiny scribbles, some crossed out with big "X's", others with notes and little stars (stars are good!).
On occasion however I like to just throw caution to the wind and pick up a stone, and some metal and go for it. Some of my greatest accomplishments in metal have happened this way!

Style :

“Fashions fade, style is eternal.” Yves Saint Laurent

I have never really believed myself to be overly stylish, yet I always felt in some way connected to the world of the fashion forward. It wasn't until I started creating jewellery that I realized that *it* was my contribution to the world of style and outward appearance. However, I have always believed that putting on a piece of jewellery is about so much more than looking pretty, but rather it is about FEELING beautiful.
It is for this reason that I put heart & soul into each and every piece. I want women to wear my creations and feel like they are part of the story each piece tells. I want Bella-Bijou Jewellery to become part of who you are, and your own personal style, which is why most of my pieces are made in limited edition or one of a kind.