Meet Stephanie Taylor of Peacock Blu-- Stunning Wedding Jewelry, Locally Crafted

Last weekend at a party, I ran into my friend Stephanie Taylor. I was telling her about my life as a wedding officiant and she was telling me about her life as a jewelry designer. I took a look at images of her Tree of Life pendants and immediately declared to Warren that I want the silver and turquoise one for Valentine’s Day. Stephanie and I also talked about how the trees make exquisite wedding jewelry—for bride or bridesmaids or both.

I get a lot of inquiries from couples who tell me they want a uniquely Austin wedding and I know exactly what they mean. I recommend excellent restaurants for their out-of-town guests, points of interest to visit, and even sometimes—as I did for a couple planning an elopement—a list of cool, secret Austin spots to consider as the place to marry. (It helps that I am the self-appointed Number One Austin Cheerleader, and also that I used to write a travel blog for JetBlue all about Austin. Seriously, I know LOTS of Austin secrets—just ask me.)

 Now I’m tossing out this latest Austin wedding idea…yes, you can pick a unique Austin venue, get married beneath a magnificent live oak tree, and have photos of all that, and your wedding party in fancy dresses, tuxes and cowgirl and cowboy boots. Well why not also have a piece of Austin wearable art to commemorate the occasion, created by an actual Austin artist?

After the party, I sent Stephanie an email and asked for more details about her jewelry—how she came to be a designer, what goes into the process, and how you can reach her. Her answers are below. You can check out her Peacock Blu Etsy Shop here.  And see some of her commissioned, custom work at her Peacock Blu Facebook Page.

  

Spike: How’d you get started? What’s your process?

Stephanie: In 2010 I took a very basic cabachon wrapping class at a local bead shop and then discovered all the jewlery-making tutorials online. One of the tutorials I found was how to make a tree pendant with wire, but in the clip, her method (in hindsight) was quite clunky, and the end result looked a bit cartoon-y and child-like. I continued making trees and refining my process - modeling them after the live oaks in Austin - until the pendants began to look much more lifelike and, after so many repetitions, quite durable and beautifully made. I'm learning and honing my craft every time I pick up my tools and start making a new piece.

 Spike: Looking at your Tree of Life pendants, I immediately felt something like… familiarity and comfort. I just love trees—real live trees, and artistic representation of trees. So tell me more about your trees.

Stephanie: My Tree of Life pendants resonate with many people from a variety of religious backgrounds. The Tree of Life is a symbol that can be found in every major religion, and is a strong symbol representing our extended families and ancestors. For many, it's a symbol and reminder that we are all connected, related to one another in this massive family called the human race. I wear my Tree of Life pendants to help me remember that even the jackass on the highway who just cut me off is also my brother, and so I strive to find compassion for him, and for everyone else around me.

My clients love to order Tree of Life pendants with birthstones for their mothers and wives to give to them on mother's day, and for their wives and girlfriends for birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentine's Day. They also make fabulous bridesmaids gifts - sometimes the bride wants a Tree pendant for each bridesmaid in stones that coordinate with their dresses. Other clients order a tree for each bridesmaid in that bridesmaid's birthstone. Either way, it's an incredible gift, and a touching symbol. It's also a beautiful gift for families who are combining, or blending their families in marriage.

Spike: What else would you like us to know about your work?

I make quite a bit of custom work that you'll never see on Etsy, however, I share those designs with the public on my Peacock Blu Creations Facebook page: