Shiny. Pretty. Fun. Relaxing. Enjoyable. These are all ways that sophomore Nevaeh Bishop describes her experience with making jewelry as a hobby. Starting with bead kits as a child, she continued to grow the skill over the years. Sophomore Sofia Hernandez similarly finds jewelry-making to be a hobby that allows her to connect to her culture. Together, Bishop and Hernandez successfully turned their hobby into a profit. 

“My mom was into making jewelry and crafting; my whole family is very crafty,” Bishop said. “When I was little, I would make things occasionally, but I didn’t really start [seriously making jewelry] until the pandemic. With all the free time then, that’s when I started to get more creative with my designs.” 

For Hernandez, jewelry making has always been “rooted” in her life. Hernandez has family in Peru, and according to her, it’s very easy to get the materials to make jewelry there.

“It’s a big hobby there, especially for my abuela, and it was something I could use to connect with her from so far away,” Hernandez said.

According to both Hernandez and Bishop, the two met through the school’s volleyball team. They became closer friends, and upon discovering that they both made jewelry, would often go to the beach together to craft with one another.

“We were having such a great time, and [we thought that jewelry making] is such a good outlet,” Bishop said. “I love all kinds of art, but there’s something about looking at all different types of beads and trying to piece them together. It’s relieving.I feel like it’s a universal experience that at some point, when they were younger, everyone had a little kit and made [their own jewelry]. For me, [jewelry making] just stuck.”

According to Hernandez, they thought that it would be fun to make a business out of their hobby. When the RUHS marketplace happened, the two decided to sell their jewelry together. According to Bishop, following the marketplace, people gained interest in their business, and they decided they needed a way to communicate with customers.

Following the marketplace, they made an instagram account to promote their business and get more orders. According to Bishop, they share a joint account (@_littlebigthings_), but they both have separate accounts for the occasion that someone would want a piece from one of them specifically (@nb.crystaljewelry and @sgh_jewelry).

According to Bishop, the business is “important” to them, but it’s still something they haven’t had “a lot of time” to develop just yet.

“We are as organized as we are disorganized,” Hernandez said. “We’ve never done something like this before. Most of the time, I feel like we’re winging it.”

Bishop feels that the business “thrives” under their co-management.

“When we work together, we’re sharing ideas. We’re sharing materials. I love working with [Hernandez], because she’s a really good friend of mine,” Bishop said “I know some people say it’s difficult to work with your friends, because of [unique perspectives], but this has been working really well for us.”