Divas Accessorize With Dingo Bay's Unique Jewelry

Louise Taylor did not originally plan to make jewelry for a living.

“I was a bead hoarder,” confessed Taylor, who currently owns and operates her own custom jewelry company, Dingo Bay. “I would always end up breaking a necklace and keeping all of the beads. I had to do something with them.”

Growing up with three sisters, Taylor said that she was always the “practical, financial-minded one,” while her sister, Eliza, was the artistic one.

Taylor said she found her spot in the accounting business. For the majority of her professional life, she worked as an accountant, providing financial consultation for small businesses, as well as assistance with accounting software.

In her spare time, Taylor also helped design some of the jewelry that her sister, Eliza, crafted. However, she was never involved in the production process.

“Eliza was definitely the artsy one,” Taylor said. “She was known for her beautiful sterling silver jewelry.”

When Eliza succumbed to her battle with cancer and passed away twelve years ago, she left behind a wealth of jewelry making supplies. Taylor decided to put those supplies to good use and carry on her sister’s legacy.

Learning the Craft

Taylor took a private jewelry making class in Bradenton to learn the basics. Her stepdaughter taught her some more of the specifics, including skills like crimping and attaching clasps. The rest, Taylor learned from watching specials on public television and through the process of trial and error.

“I really only started about a year and a half ago and I had no idea what I was doing,” Taylor said. “I ended up making more than I knew what to do with. It got to the point where it started taking up so much of the house that my husband said, ‘Okay, you have to do something with all of this,’ so I started selling it.”

And Dingo Bay was born.

Taylor specializes in colorful necklaces with bold stone pendants, earrings and, most recently, charm bracelets. No two pieces are alike – unless, of course, the customer specifies otherwise. Taylor is more than happy to take custom orders.

Taylor has also begun to work with base metals such as copper and brass, which create an antique or vintage effect that is currently in vogue.

“I like to refer to these pieces as ‘Midwest Grunge,’” Taylor said, gesturing toward a set of copper and brass earrings and bracelets. All Dingo Bay jewelry, Taylor said, is 100% nickel-free.

Taylor said that she finds much of the material she uses to create her jewelry in flea markets.

“I like to collect all kinds of things and make my own creations,” said Taylor. “Often, by the time I soak the glue off of old jewelry, it’s already something completely different than it was when I started.”

Some of Taylor’s jewelry is simple and understated – bracelets with neutral colored bone and wooden beads, for instance. Other Dingo Bay jewelry is bright and flashy, featuring a bold “statement piece” that demands to be noticed.

“You really have to be a bit of a diva to wear some of my jewelry,” Taylor said.

Her line of “Florida-themed” jewelry is also popular, she said, featuring charms such as flamingos or starfish trinkets. “A lot of the people who purchase my jewelry are tourists who are looking for something unique – something ‘Florida,.”

Taylor’s necklaces in particular are characterized by their large, decorative clasps.

“I’ve found that a lot of women say they have trouble with the clasps on their jewelry,” Taylor said, “so I make them big and easy to manipulate – and I always make sure that they aren’t chintzy. I pick out unique clasps that fit in with the overall design of the necklace.”

Selling her jewelery

Taylor started out selling her jewelry at festivals such as the EcoFest and Oktoberfest in Bradenton. She also has a booth at the Bridge Street Market on Anna Maria Island and occasionally at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Bradenton. Last fall Dingo Bay also found a home in the studio and art gallery in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts.

French, who has been working with stained glass for 21 years, is known for her work in the Selby Gardens Wedding Pavilion in Sarasota. French opened her studio in the Village of the Arts 15 months ago and, along with selling her own work, features the work of approximately 30 local artists.

“I have a good mix in here because everything is hand-made locally by people I know,” French said.

French who was a friend and artistic colleague of Taylor’s sister, Eliza, said that when she found out that Taylor was making jewelry she sought her out.

“I just knew that I had to have her work in my gallery,” French said.

Sandra French Stained Glass is one of the few galleries in the Village of the Arts that currently operates under normal business hours from 10am – 6pm, six days a week. During the upcoming busy season, French said, her gallery will remain open seven days a week.

Dingo Bay jewelry is currently available in the gallery, and Taylor will also sell her creations at the Bridge Street Market in November, the upcoming Oktoberfest, and at the weekend farmer’s market in downtown Bradenton.

Contact Louise Taylor at dingobay@gmail.com