Weekly Featured Artist/Etsy Seller--Mariola

Before moving forward with my next weekly feature I would like to thank Elena of Elena's Fancy Beads and Elena's Felting for being a great feature!   I really enjoyed working with you and we all loved your creations!

Darwin Fish

This week's featured artist and Etsy seller is a lovely lady by the name of Mariola, a resin jewelry artist and owner of Clear Beauty (what an awesome name for a shop full of resin pieces!).  I stumbled upon Mariola's work about a month ago and instantly knew I had to feature her.  As a beginner in resin work I am very envious of Mariola's flawless work and her definite style.  Many of her pieces include fun, kitschy focals such as the Titanic, Uncle Sam, Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, and my favorite, Munch's The Scream.  These necklaces are high quality and VERY affordable, and there is something for every personality!

Blood Orange Extra Large Pendant

While I love Mariola's pop culture necklaces, what really caught my eye was her fruit jewelry...yes, they contain REAL fruit!   These necklaces, pendants, rings, and earrings are so gorgeous I couldn't stop looking at them.  I am amazed at how Mariola managed to keep the bright colors inherent to fresh fruit and at how flawless her resin work is, especially when working with what I imagine to be difficult subjects.  And her photos truly capture the lusciousness of the jewelry.  I just want to take a bite out of my computer monitor! 

So naturally I had some questions for Mariola, which she happily answered for us.

Strawberry Silver Ring

Kiwi Earrings

Orange Diamond Shaped Pendant

Banana Pendant

Edvard Munch's The Scream Pendant

Edgar Allen Poe Pendant

Tarot Death Card Pendant

Erika with a K: Hi Mariola! Love your work and also love your shop’s name, Clear Beauty. How clever! Before we begin, can you tell us a little about yourself and your life?

Mariola: Hi! I'm a 25 year old woman, living in the UK for 5 years with my husband. We both came from Poland. I have full time work and my hobby – jewelry.  Apart from that I'm very happy, sometimes crazy, but always with a big smile on my face!

Erika with a K: So my first burning question is how did you get the idea to use real fruit in your jewelry?

Mariola: As a little girl I use to put fresh cherries on my ears, pretending they were earrings! I love fruits, love their colors, taste and look. Dried slices of orange were always hanging on the Christmas tree (and my ears, of course ;-) ) But they never last for long.
When I started working with resin I remembered the dried fruits... And I thought: Let's try to cover them with resin! And it's worked!
First I have made orange earrings, after I tried kiwi, and strawberries, and bananas... They all looked cool – dried and covered with resin.

Erika with a K: How did you get started working with resin?

Mariola: Well, in that point, everything started from my husband...
He became interested in a mix of resin and marble dust.
The thing is that resin gives you many opportunities. All you need is just head of thousands ideas!

Erika with a K: What brand of resin do you use?

Mariola: I am still experimenting with resin but at the moment my favorite is Ice Resin.

Erika with a K: How long does it take for you to finish one of your pieces?

Mariola: Considering the fact that I have full time work, it's take about 7 days.

Erika with a K: For people like me who are just beginning resin work, what advice can you give us?

Mariola: The most important one – don't give up! You also have to be patient and practice a lot!
Do not worry if something will go wrong – that will make you closer to success.

Erika with a K: Do you work in any other jewelry techniques? Do you work in other art media?

Mariola: It's like I said before – I keep experimenting. My head is full of many ideas and I hope I will improve my shop soon. But at the moment resin is the main material.

Erika with a K: I know you have just begun on Etsy. Is this your first business endeavor, or have you sold your work elsewhere?

Mariola: Yes, Etsy is my first serious business endeavor. But I hope to extend my business in the future.

Erika with a K: What advice can you give us about business and/or starting an Etsy shop?

Mariola: Believe in yourself and don't give up. I know it's hard to be beginner on Etsy. It can take a while before you will sell something. But – be optimistic!

Erika with a K: Your photos are lovely. Do you take them yourself? If so, can you give us some ideas about taking high quality photos?

Mariola: Yes, I'm doing all photos myself.
To make high quality photos you will need a good camera. Light is also important too.
Most of the time I'm taking photos outside, in my own garden. But like we all know, Great Britain is a rainy country and in these times I have to use light tent to take photos.
Always remember to take more photos than you need. That will let you chose the best one.
And also remember to check them before you finish.

Erika with a K: Do you wear your jewelry?

Mariola: Yes, of course! I love my orange earrings. Summer it's a perfect time to wear jewelry with nice fresh colors.

Erika with a K: If you could describe yourself in one word, what word would that be?

Mariola: That is the hardest question! But I think it will be PERFECTIONIST.
I like to do my work perfect. I'm doing this for so long until I am 100% sure that it is ideal. (My Husband does not like it especially when I tell him to clean up ;)

Erika with a K: Do you have anything else you would like to say?

Mariola: Thank you for being interested in my shop. I am glad I had the chance to tell you a little bit more about me and my hobby.
I would like to wish everyone loads of luck with their work, hobby and passion!


Thanks so much Mariola for answering my questions!  I wish you the best of luck with your business and your Etsy shop.


Please remember all work and photos are the property of the artist.  Do not reproduce or use without her permission.