Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynnae Tanner Ruff.
Hi Lynnae, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve loved jewelry and rocks as long as I can remember. After downpours during the rainy season in Belize where I grew up, I’d hunt for pretty rocks in the ditches. I’d imagine the little blue ones were turquoise. Jewelry is how I marked memorable occasions. My ears were pierced as a baby and I love seeing baby pictures of me wearing little pearls already. When I was about 12, my dad gave me a little turquoise bracelet during a family vacation to Mexico. He said, “this is for your jewelry collection.” Little did we know how that collection was going to grow!
Fast forward to 2 decades later, when I was 8 months pregnant with my first child. Two girlfriends invited me to go to a bead store. It quickly became my happy place! After making my 4th necklace, a woman who worked there suggested that I should sell my jewelry. She said she could see that I clearly had an eye for it. After my baby was born, jewelry became my creative outlet and life-saver. It got me through 14 months of sleepless nights. It gave me something positive to focus during that difficult time of early motherhood. Jewelry gave me a sense of accomplishment. I had a second child and my love for the craft still hadn’t waned.
As my kids got older, I started taking beading classes from incredibly talented women. It became apparent that I couldn’t wear all the pieces I felt compelled to make. So, in 2014, with more encouragement from friends for me to consider selling my pieces, I launched my new business, Lady Grey Beads. Just like motherhood, this new journey was a self-taught experience. I didn’t even know how to set up a business fb page, much less a tent. I had to figure out websites, art fairs, promotion and the whole host of things that go along with being a self-employed jewelry artist. I did all those things because of the love of creating classic statement pieces of jewelry that make the wearer feel regal and beautiful.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road for a self-employed jewelry artist is rarely smooth. I had to learn everything from scratch and I wish I knew all the things then that I now know! “The journey of a thousand miles, begins with the first step” became my mantra. The lessons have been invaluable. I discovered that artists are a very supportive community of people. So many people have helped me along this journey. I do wish though that I’d have more time to just make jewelry.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a jewelry artist, whose super power is making the world a more beautiful place, one person at a time. I create two different types of statement pieces. I work with natural stones, pearls, crystals, glass and seed beads. I love stringing big statement pieces with gorgeous stones that you can see a mile away, or wire wrapping delicate opals, sapphires and tourmalines into chains. The stones speak for themselves. I believe in speaking softly, but wearing a big loud necklace, bracelet or earrings. My other passion is bead weaving. A needle and thread allows me to create my signature regal style. There are so many talented beaders out there. I love that we can all take the same pattern and put our own individual stamp on it.
My signature style is what sets my work apart. It’s exquisite, regal, classy and simply beautiful work. My customers don’t need a sign to recognize my work. I’m proud of the jewelry journey and where it has led me today. It works around my family life and our busy lives. It centers and calms me still, when I bring order to chaos on a bead board, Beading even goes on vacation with me. My kids and husband already know that I get bead separation anxiety and travel with multiple bags of beads wherever we go.
Even though, I’ve done gifting to some high profile Hollywood celebrities, I’m most proud of being the jewelry artist to the women celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, or Christmas and to the little girls and boys celebrating milestones, like First Communion & Confirmations. The year I became Lady Grey Beads, I went to the Tucson Gem Show. It was an AMAZING experience for a lifelong rock lover. I told a friend that I wanted to make jewelry that the everyday woman would be able to afford and love to wear. I alway keep that in mind when I’m making my pieces.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
My love for artisan handmade items began in my childhood years deep in the jungle of Southern Belize. I was fascinated by the work of the Mayan women. Their colorful woven handbags always held my attention. The basket weaving had me spellbound. I appreciated the value of their work and wished as a little girl I could buy whatever they were selling. In fact, the first type of jewelry I ever made was a Mayan bracelet. A handsome young man taught me. It was interesting how just tying knots in different ways could make different patterns. My goal is to carry some of their work on my website in the not too distant future.
The most exciting part of this self-taught jewelry artist entrepreneurial journey that I’ve been on is that it has led me to an incredible once in a lifetime opportunity. Last year I was invited to be a partner in a start up chocolate company, Confluence Cacao Works (ConfluenceCacao.com). We are bringing a single origin, Belizean, Mayan-grown cacao to fruition. This journey has brought me full circle from the little girl who grew up in the Belizean jungle, being inspired by Mayan handcrafts to becoming an artist herself, to now applying the lessons I learned along the way to help further economic development and opportunities for the farmers and artists in the jungles of Southern Belize.
The only thing I love as much as jewelry is good chocolate! I will always make jewelry. It is my passion. I’m just so thrilled to also share this amazing gift of Belizean chocolate with the world and to give back to the land and people who fostered my youthful artistic curiosity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://LadyGreyBeads.com
- Instagram: LadyGreyBeads
- Facebook: LadyGreyBeads
- Other: Ladygreybeads@gmail.com
