Inspiring Erin McDermott

Charlottesville is a beautiful town with inspiration all around us, and jewelry designer Erin McDermott finds it in even every detail. She has perfected the art of translating nature and the everyday into beautiful, unique designs.

Her jewelry is as creative as she is, each piece given a wonderfully descriptive name like Drive-In Movie Drop earrings and First Day of Spring necklace. I had the pleasure of learning more about Erin and her designs. After hearing her story, each item seems that much more special.

In addition to answering a few questions for CvilleStyle, Erin is kindly offering free shipping on all online purchases made from Sept 3 - Sept 10. I am particularly fond of the Cloud White pearl earrings. Perhaps I’m inspired by the weather.

How did you begin designing and making jewelry?
I think that it started when I was really young - only about 4 years old. My mother had a glass fish bowl next to a red telephone in the kitchen, and inside the fish bowl she’d put all sort of random items - anything that didn’t have a “home”: sea glass, marbles, leather buttons, wrapped caramels, matches, paperclips, rubber bands, spools of thread, wooden beads, etc. I loved sorting through the fish bowl and finding items that could be used to make a necklace. I’d take a leather cord and spend hours creating holes in these items and threading various treasures on the cord. I once heard that you should think about what you really enjoyed doing as a child and that is what you are destined to do…I think that was it for me.

What is your most popular design?
It’s funny - everyone gravitates towards something different. I love this aspect - it’s great to see what people will spot first. I would have to say my most popular designs are the pendant necklaces. They are unique, but still classic. You can wear them everyday with a t-shirt or really dress them up for an evening out. I try to keep my inventory fresh - so it definitely changes with each season.

What do you do when you aren’t designing? How else do you use your artistic abilities?
I’m also a preschool teacher. Everyday, I’m able to use my artistic abilities with my students. Children notice “the little things” that an adult eye might just pass up because we are so conditioned to seeing it everyday. A child notices the color of a small ladybug in the grass, a reflection of a shiny stone in the sand, the number of legs of a bug crawling on a sunflower petal, the shape of a leaf, the texture of a paintbrush, the smell of a strawberry, the personality of a sock, the balance of a bumblebee, and the movement of bubbles. This is inspirational to me and I love to embrace these observations and use them to create artistic visions and activities for the students.

You have a long list of everyday inspirations on your site. What is currently top of mine for you in designing jewelry?
I just returned from Maine and was overwhelmed with the amount of inspiration I found. Currently, I’m excited about exploring color, form, and texture with natural stones, beach glass, silver and gold. I couldn’t believe the beauty and personalities of the stones along the beach. It is incredible how such pure and beautiful rocks can be created from the harsh and natural forces of the ocean. I’ve been walking around with four stones from Maine in my pocket. I’m sure I’ll eventually drill holes in them and create a piece of jewelry. For the time being, they’ll sit in my pocket and offer inspiration.

How has your jewelry changed over the years?
It started as a leather cord with beads made from drilled matchboxes, rubber bands, and felt and moved into elementary school projects highlighting beads created from glass, torn newspaper bits, and clay. In high-school, I created chunky necklaces of semi-precious stones and hand-blown glass. While at UVA, I spent a semester at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and became serious about jewelry making. At this point, I’m gravitating towards delicate but bold designs. It’s a process. I love process.

What does the future hold for Erin McDermott?
Finding inspiration everyday. Evolving. Creating. Designing. Teaching. Learning. Rockin’ and Rollin’!