From Reptiles to Rings: My Journey to Handmade Jewelry

People always seem surprised when I tell them my jewelry business started with reptiles. There's something about the connection that doesn't immediately make sense to most people - what do snakes and beaded necklaces have in common? But for me, the thread between caring for misunderstood creatures and creating handmade jewelry for people who don't quite fit the mainstream mold is perfectly clear.

The Quirky Soul didn't begin as a jewelry business. It started as something completely different, born from my genuine love for reptiles and the desire to share that passion with others. I've always been drawn to creatures that most people either fear or dismiss - the scaly, the unusual, the ones that make people take a step back rather than lean in for a closer look.

The Unexpected Teacher

Keeping reptiles taught me patience in ways I never expected. You can't rush a snake that's in shed, can't force a gecko to eat when it's not ready, can't hurry the delicate process of creating the right environment for creatures that have very specific needs. There's a rhythm to caring for reptiles that's completely different from the instant gratification world we live in.

This patience, it turns out, translates beautifully to jewelry making. The careful attention to each bead's placement, the meditative process of knotting thread, the patience involved in forming metal, the understanding that some pieces simply take the time they take - these lessons came directly from years of observing and caring for animals that move through the world at their own pace.

Evolution, Not Abandonment

As my business evolved, I found myself drawn to other creative outlets - kids' books, oracle decks, stickers. For a while, I embraced AI art as a way to bring ideas to life quickly and affordably. But something felt off about that approach. The more I worked with generated images, the more I craved the tactile, the handmade, the imperfect beauty that comes from human hands creating something real.

I still keep reptiles, by the way. They're still part of my daily life, still teaching me about patience and acceptance and finding beauty in the unconventional. But my business focus has shifted toward something that feels more aligned with who I am and what I want to put into the world.

The Call of Handmade Jewelry

Jewelry chose me as much as I chose it. There's something about working with stones and metal and beads that feels like coming home. Maybe it's the way natural materials have their own stories, their own imperfections, their own quiet energy. Maybe it's the meditative quality of repetitive motions - knotting silk, forming metal, arranging elements until they feel just right.

Or maybe it's because jewelry, like reptile keeping, is about celebrating the things that make us different rather than trying to blend in.

For the Curious-Hearted

The people who find their way to The Quirky Soul aren't looking for mass-produced perfection. They're the ones who appreciate the slightly irregular bead, length of wire that shows the maker's hand, the piece that tells a story rather than just filling a space.

They're curious-hearted individuals who, like me, have always been drawn to the road less traveled. They understand that the most beautiful things often come from embracing what makes us different rather than trying to fit into someone else's idea of normal.

What This Means for You

When you choose a piece from The Quirky Soul, you're not just buying jewelry. You're supporting a way of making that values intention over speed, quality over quantity, story over sameness. You're connecting with a maker who understands what it means to love the unconventional, to find beauty in the overlooked, to create space for the parts of ourselves that don't quite fit the mold.

Every piece of handmade jewelry I create carries a bit of that reptile-keeping patience, that appreciation for the misunderstood, that commitment to celebrating what makes each of us beautifully, authentically different.

Because in a world that's constantly trying to make us all the same, the most radical thing we can do is embrace what makes us uniquely ourselves.