Clare Dierckman

PUNK ‘POPS: Junior Jordan LaBoyteaux wears green lollipop earrings that she created. LaBoyteaux said she started making jewelry because she has aspirations to become a fashion designer or a jewelry artist in the future.

Where do you get your inspiration for the pieces you make?

Sometimes I’ll go on the internet for inspiration, or I’ll watch a good show and maybe see some accessories in there and be like, “Oh my gosh, like, that’s really cool; I wonder if I can base something off of that.”

How did you decide to start your own business? 

I saw other people making jewelry and I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is really cool; I kind of want to get into that.” When I started wearing my pieces to school, people started (saying), “Oh my gosh, that’s so cute! Where’d you buy that?” And then I was like, “Oh, I made it” and they were like, “Oh, you should start selling jewelry,” and I thought, “Oh, that’s a really big brain idea.”

Do you have any specific materials that you prefer to work with over others?

I really don’t like wires, like making shapes out of thin metal wires. I prefer thick metal pieces to bend and stuff like that. I also really like using small items, like Lego heads, or different things that can be turned into something cute.

What process do you go through when creating pieces to sell online?

Usually I use small minifigures or just letters and make different words (to chain together), I gather my materials, I sit down at my desk, and then I just kind of tinker and tinker until something comes to mind.