We recently connected with Peggy Houchin and have shared our conversation below.

Peggy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

From a young age of 5 years old, my creative journey began with my first design that sold! I designed and crafted these cute little fish from fishnet, fish eyes and beads. My mother took them to work and sold 10 of them for .50 cents each. I was hooked.

However, my desire to express myself with my hands began prior to that. You see, my parents were Deaf and I was their voice. Sign language was my first language so communicating for my parents and being able to express came through my hands.

They signed to me from the beginning. I didn’t know anything besides their hands. Hands were everything to me. My father was incredibly talented with his hands. He could create anything! I learned from him how to build things, fix things, repair things. He didn’t rely on his hearing but he relied on his touch.

I’ve always needed to create. From there, my creative passion continued into sewing and entering competitions and even making all my own clothing.

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Moving to Colorado changed my life forever. Being at the base of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, living on a small ranch and riding horses was a dream come true. All the while, I continued to pursue my passion for creativity.

​I was so fortunate to take some silversmithing classes from an older gentleman who taught me the basics and from there I took off. I also learned lapidary from an older woman and the ideas for combining my love for these two mediums began to merge.

Being close to incredible rock shows and rock hounding has cemented my love for rocks, color and jewelry design. Inlay jewelry is my passion! I feel like I’m painting with rocks.

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I credit my unusual childhood with giving me resourcefulness, courage and creativity, and there’s not a thing about it I would change. At the same time, many of the details of my upbringing astound even me!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I love western fashion, cowgirl boots, hats, big belts and of course, bold jewelry. In my travels to Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho and throughout Colorado I’m always looking for new ideas for jewelry and fashion. I live at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Loveland, Colorado and I’m fascinated by the mountains, wide open spaces and a western way of life.

The inspirations for my designs come from my love for all things western, rocks and color. I get so excited when I think about the possibilities of combining stones into gorgeous jewelry. I feel like I’m painting with rocks because I work with so many different types of stones – dinosaur bone, turquoise, spiny oyster, coral…you name it. Inlay jewelry is my passion and I look forward to every piece that I make. There are so many beautiful colors in Dinosaur Bone and the cellular structure gives wonderful contrast in inlay jewelry.

I spend a lot of time with my clients creating something they will cherish and love for a lifetime. Involving them in the creative process gives them a feeling of accomplishment as well.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

I was struggling with pricing my inlay work. I was told by many other people in my industry that my prices were too low. I had an appointment with a client and I decided to double the price of my inlay cuffs. I didn’t think that he would be willing to pay that price. I took a deep breath, told him the price…he thought for a second and said “I’d like to order 2”! Wow, that was a big turning point for me. My work is worth what I charge for it!

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I send out a monthly update and talk about what I’m working on and a little history behind the stones that I use in my work. It’s not all about selling but I do give them insight into my shop, my creative process, etc. I also blog from time-to-time and I think that’s very important.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://peggyhouchin.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyhouchinjewelry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peggyhouchinjewelry

Image Credits
Rae Ann Garrett