Meet Stephanie Ford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Ford.

Hi Stephanie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m the sole creator and designer of Eternal Craft. I have been designing one-of-a-kind beaded jewelry strands featuring semi-precious stones, genuine crystals, vintage glass beads and accents, officially, since October 2020. I have a webstore to sell my wares and an Instagram page to help promote and build a brand.

I’m a trad-goth that has grown up, matured and adapted my style that conveys my dark inklings with grace, subtlety, and class. I still love all of my bats and skulls and Halloween! It’s all in the details. Look Closely.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has not been devastatingly rocky or smooth, possibly due to the fact that I do not have a brick-and-mortar location and no employees or standard business overhead. Each piece has its own identity, which means a backstory is created for every strand, which is time consuming. (A writer, I am not!) However, I get to make the rules, so if a specific item sells, nothing is stopping me from creating a completely new design for the same name.

Figuring out online and in person sales is a challenge as well! WooCommerce vs. Square vs. Shopify vs. Apple Pay vs. PayPal and how all of the fees and taxes integrate, etc. The fact that the government has reduced their interest in online transactions from $20k annually to a paltry $600.00 per month is also a drag. Tax time for an individual with a hobby that doesn’t turn a profit is not something to look forward to!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Each piece is One-Of-A-Kind handmade by me; unapologetic about what it is, I allow the aesthetic to lead the design, so there are no standard lengths. The lengths range from collar to choker to opera to lariat and everywhere beyond and in between. I am no expert on the fabulous crystal powers and energies of the stones. I start with what I think is pretty and sparkly and work my way back. When a design is completed, I like to incorporate mysticism, mythology, art, literature, legend, lore, science and nature into each piece and collection. Sometimes a piece is created just from a name or word.

My jewelry is made for those that spend their time trying to connect and cohort with the powers and energies of the earth, the spirit realm and beyond, those that sparkle in the shadows and shine in the darkest corners. One can’t embrace light without dark, life without death. Sorrows surround us (more so these past few years) it’s important that we honor what has been lost. I create keepsake tombstone pendants from sterling silver for that purpose. They are meant as a modern take on a memento mori piece or mourning jewelry; as talisman to help heal grief, in remembrance, an amulet engraved with an epitaph of love and devotion. Or as a modern commitment for lovers to exchange in ceremony and promise to be together, forever and ever.

My jewelry strands are elegant and extravagant – and are intended to really connect with the wearer.

Everything is grounded and anchored in black. Each strand is a balance of light and dark, positive and negative. Sometimes we need to sit with the darkness for a little while before it can be banished away.

Moving forward with my work, I would love to see some of my pieces used in the right production or publication! Production designers; costumers, props, editorial designers: TAKE NOTE, Eternal Craft is available for any of your dark designs!

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My resources and influences come from the traditional; art, literature, and music mostly. Contemporary artists like Stephanie Inagaki, Michael Hussar, JM Varese, S. Elizabeth and Tashen to the classical and whimsical of Edward Gorey, Oscar Wilde and Thomas Edwyn Mostyn.

I’m completely turned off by TikTok stars and the “Influencer” culture. I just do what I do and if folks like it, great. I’m not an app, blog or podcast person at all. Not to say I don’t find myself using the internet for research purposes, and there are some favorite blogs, IGs and sites I visit for inspiration (Haute Macabre, Unquiet Things, Bloodmilk Jewels) but the nature of what I create is not inclined to podcasts or blogs. I lean more into the real world than the digital as much as possible.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.eternalcraft.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craft.designs
• Other: Come see me at Son of Monsterpalooza at the Burbank Airport Marriot October 14-16, then at Magick Market October 22^nd at War Dancer’s Art Gallery in Glendale then at Bar Sinister in Hollywood on November 5th.