As a jewelry artist I'd love to say I make everything my hands touch, but that would be a lie. I do make the items I sell, but sometimes the distinctions about "hand made" and "hand assembled" gets both blurry and ridiculous. Much like quilt making, paper crafting or metal work, I do NOT make my raw design elements. Beads, string, clasps and so on are all items I purchase from craft stores, online market places like etsy or at vendor fairs. I don't have the finances it would take to blow all of my own beads, craft and pour my own metal charms and clasps or um, harvest tiny steel wool sheep to make my beading thread. I trust in the supplies I buy from other people, and I trust that I can take them and make something beautiful, fun and funky out of them. While the craft world will always have certain arguments running, I feel it takes an artist to take assembled supplies and create something entirely new from them. My jewelry will always be hand made, with love, from my hands to your heart.