We  have been enjoying our beautiful weather this week at Harold Studio!  Johanna visited the gem show in Tucson and of course we consumed lots of chocolate in the studio thanks to treats brought in for Valentine's Day!  Here are some great items made in Jewelry I and Jewelry II this week! Love the geometric shape!  A super fun copper riveted piece made by Erica in Jewelry 1.   Loving the curvy lines of this brass riveted piece made by Ginger in Jewelry 1.  Perfect for Valentine's Day! Beautiful tube set amethyst earrings made by Narcissa in Jewelry II! Johanna found some cool druzy stones at the Tucson Gem Show! Cody, our studio pup, wished everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! ...

We are in Tucson this week at the JOGS gem show and having a wonderful time! When I knew for sure we would be exhibitors at the show, I made plans to meet up with Kevin Potter of Potter USA . Kevin is a jeweler who makes tools for the jeweler and hobbyist. I first heard about his products through my sister who volunteered for an organization called Seeds for Autism which gives vocational training(like jewelry making) for adults with autism. Seeds for Autism has a hydraulic press that she would rave about. After meeting Kevin at this year's SNAG conference and seeing his press in action, I knew it was only a matter of time before I got one for the studio! Long story short, I picked up our press during a free minute today and can't wait to use it! Along with all the heavy machinery of Kevin's shop, is one of our presses above. We got a blue one. Kevin uses all of this machinery to make amazing tools for jewelers and hobbyists. He definitely makes our lives...

Debbie came into the studio a few weeks ago never having even pierced out a design into metal. Last week she finished our ball ring and set an aqua cab on top to give to her granddaughter. That's pretty quick progress isn't it? She changed up how we normally do the silver ring and at first I wasn't sure how good it would look, but I love it!...

Hi everyone! I've been asked recently how I went about starting my business. I thought you should know I definitely had a lot of help. One of the places I went to first is SBDC . The Small Business Development Center can help you from concept to business plan to marketing. They definitely helped me out a lot. http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/print-edition/2011/07/22/social-media-help-being-offered-to.html I already knew what I wanted to achieve with Harold Studio, SBDC just helped guide me along the path. Here is an article about how they helped me with marketing in the Phoenix Business Journal . If you're thinking about starting a business and need some help with marketing, or anything for that matter, SBDC is a great place to start! I was also asked to speak at SNAG about starting Harold Studio and will soon write a post that is a little more in depth about the process. Hope you're all having a wonderful week! -Johanna...

We're going to be at the JOGS Tucson Gem and Jewelry Show this September teaching workshops as well as showing jewelry. If you'd like to sign up for a workshop or just say hello, check out our schedule here . We're all very excited for the opportunity to teach as well as show our new lines. So drop by and tell us what you think of our jewelry!...