Rising Stars: Meet Sara Biniecki

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Biniecki. 

Hi Sara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’d say it all began in a pretty typical Michigander way – a childhood of beachcombing and stashing rocks and fossil bits in my pockets! I was born and raised up in The Thumb of Michigan, only 20 minutes from the rocky shores of Lake Huron. My dad being an avid scuba diver and instructor, along with a dear friend with an amazing family lake house, afforded me lots of time along the shoreline to become a young rockhound. But it wasn’t until my 20’s that I figured out what to do with all of those goodies I had collected over the years. My college experience was not a traditional one and I found myself living in East Lansing with few crazy crews of artsy individuals who gave me a glimpse of a different life than I had known growing up and I began to feel that first whisper of an artistic calling. 

It all started with creating macramé hemp necklaces with funky beads and stones (if you know, you know)! I would make a couple dozen and sling them at music festivals and concerts, essentially making back the money for my ticket, expenses, and beyond. I got a side-gig at a little bohemian shop that sold tapestries, incense, beads, worldly art, and, of course, silver jewelry! (Shout out to my Chios crew!) I had never been drawn to jewelry, but every two weeks my paycheck would all but cover the beauties I would put on hold. I quickly worked my way up to Assistant Manager and also began creating beaded gemstone jewelry to sell in the shop. Our customers loved my work and consistently requested new designs. I loved the connection of creating for people as well as the feeling I got when helping them to pick out pieces of jewelry. The idea of putting fire to metal kept nagging me, so I found a beginning metalsmithing class at a small local community center in EL and it was there that my metalsmithing journey began. It was a fun and varied squad of women of all ages and talents, led by a sweet and knowledgeable instructor with a southwest flair for design. I quickly found my own style and voice of minimal designs with large gemstones, beach stones, and fossils. I was enamored with the metalsmithing process and went on to teach myself much of what I know through a ton of trial and error. Through every failure, be it melted silver, cracked stone, or bad design, I learned the lessons I needed to understand and evolve in this beautiful craft. 

In 2008, I moved to Indianapolis, where I live, work, and create today. In Indy, I not only found a supportive and loving artist community, but I truly found myself. From the moment I arrived here, I was encouraged and supported by so many new friends and artists. I began selling at modern craft shows in Indy, Bloomington, and up in Michigan, as well as consigning at some amazing local Midwest shops in IN, MI, and OH. I created studio space in whatever house I was renting at the time and slowly built a collection of necessary tools, silver, and stones that I still use to create my work. I also added lapidary work to my skillset somewhere along the way and fell in love with cutting and polishing stones. In late 2017, I was lucky enough to be invited to share studio space at The Harrison Center in downtown Indy with some amazingly talented artist friends and got the feel of what it is like to have a dedicated space for my craft. Now I share space with another incredible jeweler/artist/friend in a spacious and inspiring studio! To say that it has leveled up my work and style would be an understatement. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A smooth road? Heck no! (I feel like I should add a pun about it being a “rocky” road here…!) Living a creative life is not for the faint of heart and is certainly not free of obstacles. It can be overwhelming and all-consuming at times. I am an extremely hard and dedicated worker; whatever it is I may be working on. And I don’t give up easily! I work full-time, so this passion of mine is also a second job. Finding balance between work, jewelry, love, family, friends, nature, exercise, and all of the other things I love is an ever-evolving practice. I am honored and grateful to keep working at it. Both the challenges and successes have created the opportunity for so much growth. 

We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I tend to create my jewelry slowly, in small batches. My nature-inspired collections are medleys of one-of-a-kind designs featuring gemstones, fossils, and other bits of Mother Nature’s oddities. My work is constructed by hand using traditional metalsmithing techniques and tools. I design, fabricate, and solder the sterling silver settings, curate the stones, and sometimes even cut and polish some of the stones I use in my work. I also manage all the other aspects of my business from marketing and social media to customer service, to processing and shipping each order by hand. I love putting thought and care into every little part of the process. 

I specialize in sterling silver jewelry with clean, minimal, modern settings and big, bold, beautiful gemstones. I’d say I am most well-known for my large modern cocktail rings, my massive double stone rings, and my unique stone pairings. I am fascinated by natural history, so unexpected fossils and other natural curiosities often make appearances in my work. I love to elevate organic ancient relics by pairing them with polished semi-precious gemstones and brightly brushed silver. My work is also influenced by minimalist and modern design. I believe a piece of jewelry can speak volumes by saying very little. Simple and uncomplicated designs make me happy. I tend to forego excessive ornamentation in favor of clean, understated lines that complement the shapes of the stones and fossils with which I create. 

I am most proud of my resilience. There are many things that have happened it my life that could have made it easy for me to give up on this little jewelry dream of mine. Fortunately, I am currently at a place in my career(s) where I feel like I have found a pretty good balance between my day job in art consulting and my true love, jewelry design, and metalsmithing. While I have a most lovely and amazing base of local collectors, I also sell both nationally and internationally. I still enjoy making custom bespoke jewelry, but my heart now lies in creating meaningful collections of rare gems and natural history turned modern heirloom jewelry. Seeing my collections come together over the past few years and witnessing how they have been received by new customers and collectors alike has been incredibly gratifying and reassuring! My dream is that each of my pieces will be well worn and loved in the present, then handed down to be worn through the generations. 

I believe what sets me apart from other jewelers is not only my unique designs but the fact that they are created by a maker with an immense amount of heart and intention. I truly love what I do and what I create! I know that a piece of jewelry can embolden and empower someone, and the thought that I can transfer feelings to another human being through a piece of jewelry I created is sort of magical to me. The connection I feel with others through this artform is exceptionally special. 

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Sunshine on my face, a lakeside bonfire with friends, quiet snowy hikes, road trip adventures, wind in my hair (but not too much!), a refreshing yoga class, dappled sunlight casting leafy shadows on the trail, backpacking canyons, laughing until my belly hurts with my love, a good solder join, lemon or chocolate anything, fairground gem and mineral shows, The Great Lakes, music and concerts, my kooky and loving family, summertime on Lake Huron, plants that I haven’t killed, Ma Nature, rocks, rocks, and more rocks; these are just a few of the things that make me happy. No explanation is necessary, really. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.sarabjewelry.com
• Instagram: @sarabjewelry

Image Credits
Michelle Craig Photography
Sara Biniecki