We love all of the amazing independent designers out there and we wanted to find out more about what makes these creative types tick. If you do too, check out more of our Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's featured indie artist is Ivy Long of Edera Jewelry. Ivy designs exquisitely beautiful, painstakingly intricate accessories inspired by the lace-making and bead crochet techniques of the Victorian and Renaissance eras.

Tell us a little about yourself and your work. My name is Ivy Long - I'm the designer and creator of Edera Jewelry, a line of one-of-a-kind, intricate and romantic fiber jewelry. I live in beautiful Vermont.

My jewelry is created using a fiber technique I developed based on Victorian and Renaissance lace-making, bead crochet and conventional jewelry production skills. The crocheted motifs are drawn from my collection of vintage crochet patterns, some designs dating back to the 1800's. These designs are then charted to mark the placement of beads and stitches. All of the beads that you see on the lace patterns are actually interwoven as the motif is crocheted- a pain-staking process that requires all of the beads to be strung in a precise sequence onto the cord before crocheting with a fine crochet hook. Though the lace is light weight and delicate looking, it is actually quite strong, forming a network of tightly woven knots around each bead. The pieces are then reinforced with wire to retain their shape, and sterling or gold filled findings are attached. I create all of the chains by hand, link by link. All of my designs incorporate vintage beads, findings, and jewelry components to to ensure that they are one-of-a-kind- with a history and future all their own.

How did you get started as a designer? I've have been creating with my hands for as long as I can remember. It's in my blood: I am fortunate to have grown up in a creative household where all sorts of supplies were at hand. My mother, Stella Pesci, is a milliner and textile artist, so from a very early age I was surrounded by wonderful fabrics, laces, buttons, beads and trims.

In my early teens, I became fascinated with jewelry making and began apprenticing with several jewelry designers while still in high school. Shortly after graduating, while tossing around the idea of studying costume design, I literally started to dream about crocheting. I quickly taught myself how, and as my skills expanded, this grew into a little business selling hand-crocheted bags, headbands and scarves. But I still continued to design jewelry. The epiphany came one day when I came across the technique of bead crochet and I realized I could combine my love of fiber arts, with that of jewelry and Edera was born. (Edera is the Italian word for ivy.)

Since 2003 I have been selling my work through upscale boutiques and galleries, in addition to dealing directly with customers to create custom orders.

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers? Jewelry is a very competitive field; I think finding your own voice, your own aesthetic is so important. There are so many people creating in this medium, and finding a new way of making something or putting a new spin on a design will make you stand out from the crowd. I don't advise making what you think will sell, but making what you really love, and then the right customer will follow. The right supplies and tools also makes a difference. I started out very slowly and over time increased the quality of my beads and findings and tools. For awhile I worked different jobs and all of my sales from jewelry went back into the business. Having a steady paycheck allowed my art to unfold naturally instead of forcing it. This may not be true for everyone though.

What inspires your work? I am inspired by the limitless possibilities of colors and textures that can be achieved from a mix of beads and a tangle of threads. I love finding vintage jewelry components - an old rhinestone earring without a mate, a beautiful mother-of-pearl button, a tiny fragment of beaded fabric - and giving them new life in my designs. I like my pieces to have a history (and a future) all their own.

Artists who inspire me are Margaret MacDonald MacIntosh, Klimt, the Art Nouveau jewelry designers Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany. I am also inspired by vintage lace patterns - the basis for many of my designs.

Who are your favorite designers? I actually don't pay much attention to mainstream fashion any more. Most of the designers I admire I've come across on Etsy and places like IndiePublic - the hand-made element is so much more appealing. Check out a few of my favorites on my Etsy favorites page.

What are your top fashion & beauty must-haves? Fashion: I love the contrast of something really dressy with something casual. (That way I can play dress up every day!) For example I'll wear a pair of skinny jeans with one of my huge, dramatic butterfly necklaces, or my vintage Emilio Pucci dress (hot pink!) over again a pair of jeans with a skinny cardigan over it. I love layers, and I love unusual accessories-- and I love shopping thrift stores, because you can find unusual things there that aren't going to be what everyone else is wearing. Plus, it's like a treasure hunt when you find something really neat in and amongst all the polyester blouses and pilly sweaters...
Beauty: Bare Minerals foundation, Burts Bees lip gloss...and that's about it! I don't like anything with chemicals in it.

Where can people find your work?
http://www.EderaJewelry.etsy.com
http://edera-faerie.blogspot.com
http://www.froghollow.org