 Beth Lee Stern of Monticello shapes and polishes a bracelet she made Wednesday at Farm Technology Days. The three-day event, which is expected to draw about 75,000 visitors, concludes today at Plain View Stock Farm near Albany. Times photo: Brenda Steurer |
Stern, of Monticello, amazed onlookers Wednesday in the Arts and Crafts Tent at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days with her jewelry making and fine wire work.
In less than 15 minutes of bending, buffing and polishing, Stern handcrafted a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.
Her showcase displays reveal her talent runs far beyond one demonstration. Stern works with all metals and with natural stone. "Everything," she said, "from diamonds to gravel."
One of Stern's favorite pieces is a bracelet featuring a simple stone she found. After cleaning and polishing it, she was surprised to find that it revealed the famous face in "The Scream," an expressionist painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. She fashioned an etched bracelet around the stone to resemble the painting.
"The Scream" bracelet is part of Stern's line of poetry bracelets. Available in various styles, each has a poem engraved along the inside of the band.
As Stern demonstrated her technique for making wire bracelets, she laughed and talked with people, who had gathered at her booth about her life and her craft.
"I love living in Wisconsin," she told them, as she made a tight loop at one end of the wire using a pair of pliers. "I love living in Monticello."
And then, with her bare hands, Stern coaxes the wire into a series of graceful winds and curves and, sometimes, even a "loop d'loop." She holds it up for them to see and smiles. They catch their breath.
Stern's professional career in jewelry making began 25 years ago, when she was in college, when Bodacious Creations carried her line of jewelry. Now she attends events like Farm Technology Days and competitive art shows.
She does no advertising; her notoriety is by word of mouth only.
"I don't want to be always answering the phone and telling people, 'No, I don't size rings; no I don't change watch batteries,'" Stern said.
Her studio is tucked discreetly behind a hair salon in Monticello. Stern said she likes it that way.
"I don't want to be famous," she said. "I want my kids to know who I am. I want to make enough to pay the bills, but nothing to be wealthy."
Her jewelry, however, has been sold, as Stern likes to put it, "from Alaska to Arizona."
With a small hammer, she pounds the new bracelet against an anvil, shaping it into its final form, comfortable for wearing against any wrist. With a small pliers, she bends the other end of the new bracelet into a hook and shows the viewers how she fashioned the clasp. They look amazed.
The mechanism showed simple elegance. It reflected Stern's philosophy about jewelry and life.
"Jewelry should be used to commemorate something in your life," she said. "It's not to be used for anything but good.
"I've never met anyone who died from a lack of jewelry."
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