At this year’s Exposition, Uzu Organics and Phoenix Revival Jewelry won the single booth award with their joint display. Their olive overtones were a hot topic of discussion amongst many Expo-goers. I had the opportunity to interview Cale Belford of Uzu Organics and Dustin Allor of Phoenix Revival Jewelry.

Marina: How long have you been producing body jewelry and how did you get started? Was there a particular inspiration or genesis event?

Uzu Organics: I’ve been making jewelry for years, but began weights for stretched ears about five years ago. I’ve always been a knitter/crocheter and I was looking to try something different with my craft. I love body jewelry (being a piercer, of course) and my goal was to combine my passion for both crochet and jewelry. After a few experimental pieces, friends started making orders with me and it just branched out from there.

Phoenix Revival: No particular genesis. One of my first jobs in the industry when I was 18 was working at Dakota Steel where the Fakir line of body jewelry was produced. I have always created jewelry in one form or another, but about seven years ago I began taking jewelry making classes and started producing some of my own designs for body piercings and stretched ears.

Marina: Are all of your products completely handmade? Do you use any special tools during your process?

Uzu Organics: I’d say about 95% of my product is created with my own hands. I bend the majority of my own brass and titanium, but this last couple of years I’ve been using large gauge hooks to attach some of the pieces to, and though they are handmade, they are not by my hands. I try to keep it from my hands only as much as I possibly can!

Phoenix Revival: The originals are all handmade, but I use a lot of tools. Once I have a master of a design I can make copies, depending on the design. There are tons of special tools used depending on what process I’m using; fabrication versus casting for example. They each have specialized tools, but nothing I make is automated and there are always hands in the process.

Marina: You offer a wide variety of styles and materials. Do you have a personal favorite?

Uzu Organics: I love making the crochet earrings. For a time, it was the only ear jewelry I created. I’ve progressed a lot these last few years and they are looking better than ever! Most of the crochet weights are one of a kind and rarely made twice. I also enjoy making terrarium weights, which I’ve had a line of for the last three years. I have some really great terrarium stuff in the works currently and can’t wait to reveal the pieces for Conference.

Phoenix Revival: I have a favorite process.  I really enjoy carving and casting. Carving something out of wax and turning it into metal is pretty awesome.

Marina: Tell us about your booth display.

Uzu Organics: I try to keep it simple and organic, as I don’t want to take away from the pieces themselves. I try to use contrasting colors in the display to visually stimulate the look of the jewelry.

Phoenix Revival: I’m still a pretty small company so compact is key to avoiding hefty fees with the facility. Everything needs to break down and fit in one suitcase and has to display the jewelry nicely. This year I went with picture frames of various sizes that nested in each other for travel and had damask skull backgrounds in them. Piercers were going crazy online about olives, so I decided to have a mini olive bar at the booth. It was a great way to break the ice and get some laughs. The reactions of love or disgust were hilarious. I even had a few brave olive haters try an olive just to make sure their tastes hadn’t changed!

Marina: How was your Expo experience? Do you have anything to share with other small jewelry manufacturers that might be thinking about vending at a future APP Conference and Expo?

Uzu Organics: This was my fourth year vending at Conference and this year I split my booth with someone new (Phoenix Revival Jewelry) and got a different location on the Expo floor. I think moving my booth made a huge impact on sales and people just coming over to look at my product. My booth mate and I also won Best Small Booth! It can definitely be challenging as smaller vendor, especially one with very unique pieces that are not for everyone, but I’ve just been keeping up with it and release new de- signs each year. This keeps people interested! Though, I do have a wonderful following and I couldn’t do any of this without them.

Phoenix Revival: The Expo was good. It was my third year of having a booth and it’s always a learning experience. Learning what designs people connect with and what they pass over, how the reception for different designs changes from year to year. What things I should have left at home and what things I should have made ten more of. I would suggest other small scale jewelers try similar methods of having a display that packs down into one case and to keep notes on what works and what doesn’t so you remember what you want to adjust for future expos.

Marina: Do you have any suggestions about how to handle and display your jewelry in studio displays? How about recommendations once your pieces find a forever home?

Uzu Organics: Like any specialty pieces, it is important to not be aggressive with the jewelry, especially  the crochet designs. I suggest keeping them hung on hooks or any other hanging display. There are a couple of studios who have used old picture frames to display the crochet pieces… I find that adorable! You can also just lay them on a flat surface. At home you will want to treat them similarly. Don’t just throw them in a pile with your other stuff as it may damage the threading!

Phoenix Revival: I love working with stones that have flash. Labradorite, spectrolite, moonstone and pieter- site are some favorites. At the right angles and in the right light those stones come to life and the wrong angle and light makes them look dull, so adjusting the placement under lights and height in a display case can really change how these stone present. I’d suggest playing around with the placement until you find a spot that highlights the beauty of the stones. I love to work in sterling, which tarnishes. The tarnish can be attractive or not depending on the design and keeping a polishing cloth on hand can help brighten up the silver if the details get lost over time.

At home, storing them in a way that they are protected from elements and not in a pile with other jew- elry is going to prolong their life. I am guilty of the pile method myself and I occasionally pay the price with broken jewelry.

Marina: Is there anything else you’d like to share withThe Point readership?

Uzu Organics: Thank you so much for taking an interest in my company! Find me and Uzu Organics at the APP Conference again in 2018! I’ll have some great new designs to show off. You can find my jewelry and other accessories I create on Etsy, and I’m always posting on Instagram.

Phoenix Revival: Yeah, olives rule!