We recently connected with Ramona Harmes and have shared our conversation below.

Ramona, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I have unfortunately lost a lot of people in my life including my parents at a young age. I have a soft spot for people who have also lost parents. I had a young girl in her 20’s come to me who had recently lost her father unexpectedly. She wanted me to make an urn ring as well as one of my signature 3D necklaces with a lake, mountains, and a tent with a fishing pole cause they used to love to go fishing. Something I myself enjoyed doing with my father. I was honored to fulfill her wish. She sent me some of his ashes and told me if there were any left over that I didnt need to send them back. She also indicated that his birthday passed recently. After I created the pieces I decided I wanted to do something sweet for her. I took the ashes with me to a beautiful spot with a creek and trees surrounding it and made a special video of me releasing them into the creek. It then cut to a back drop with me holding a cupcake with a candle. To represent his birthday. She and her family really enjoyed the video I made for her and she cherishes the special pieces i made for her as well.

Ramona, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always loved making artwork of all mediums from a young age. My mother was an artist but unfortunately wasnt able to pursue her passion due to mental illness. So I am proud to carry on her gift/passion. I have always had an obsession with jewelry. My mother loved to wear big beautiful sterling native american jewelry which as a little girl was very eye catching. Whenever I would meet new people the first thing I’d look at were their hands to see what kind of rings they were wearing. Still do haha. As I got older I moved around a bit. I am originally from Florida and eventually moved to Denver for a few years and then eventually we ended up in Dallas Texas when I entered highschool. I was fortunate to attend Creekview Highschool in Carrollton which has a silver smithing program as an elective. I signed up immedately. That’s where I met my favorite teacher Mrs. Cindy Sommerman. She is an amazing person and teacher. My home life was pretty rough during my time in highschool and she became like my school mom. She was very understanding and patient with me. And I am still close with her to this day. She is the kind of teacher a lot her students come to visit long after highschool. She is the one who taught me the basics of silversmithing which is what led to what I do now. After I graduated highschool I went back to West Palm Beach Florida for college. And ended up getting my BFA in Sculpture at the University of North Florida. During my second gesr in college was when I decided to invest in some jewelry tools and slowly started what is now New Era Jewels. I didnt start making jewelry with the intent of it becoming my main income but it really started to take off on Instagram. I was surprised to see an entire community of artists, specifically jewelers like myself on instagram who do this for a living. And the rest is history. After I graduated college I moved back to Dallas with my husband. And currently reside in Princeton Texas where I continue to make custom sterling silver one of a kind jewelry for people. I love making stuff that you wont find or see any where else. I also love using my sculpture background in my work by making 3D jewelry pieces. What sets me apart from others is that I dont prefer to use a website. I prefer to sell my work directly through Instagram where people reach out to me personally if they see something they want to purchase from my page or have me make. It allows me to have a more 1 on 1 connection with each of my clients and has allowed me to developed some wonderful friendships through out the years as well. It’s also a great way for customers to get to know the artist behind the work which i feel is important.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I mentioned before that I have lost a lot of people throughout my life including my mother as well as 4 caretakers who spent a portion of their life raising me which included my grandparents who adopted me from a young age and eventually an aunt and uncle. I havent had the easiest upbringing/life. But my passion for art is what has kept me afloat mentally through out it all. When I lost my adopted father/grandfather at age 10 my life changed forever. And that’s when I moved away to live with my aunt and uncle in Denver. It was my artwork that got me through it. I sketched and drew to help me process his loss. Years later when I moved back to Florida for college and in with my grandma, she ended up passing away when I just turned 21 from a stroke. It was a very traumatizing experience for me as I was suddenly on my own at 21. I had to learn what adulting was real quick and by myself. During that time I was originally going to school for nursing. I figured it was a safe career no matter what. But when she passed I didnt care any more about being in something that was safe. I wanted to do something that brought me joy. I needed joy. So I dropped out and instead pursued my passion for art. I ended up getting my BFA in sculpture. And now I make art for a living. I often wonder if I didnt go through all of that If i would of had the courage to pursue my passion. But i am grateful i did. My wounds from.my past have helped me help others through my artwork like the one who recently lost her dad. It’s very rewarding and I wouldnt trade it for the world.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

As I’ve worked in the online Instagram artist community I’ve seen/had my fair share of people who ask this question which every jeweler or artist in general hates to hear: “oh my gosh why so expensive?!” Its a pet peeve and honestly a very rude question to ask any artist. A lot of people fail to realize that we are not a huge company. We are a one person run show. There is only so much we can create and a lot of time effort and years of trial and error go into each and every piece. Something you cant find on amazon or Claire’s. Best piece of advice I can say is that if you are interested in an artists work and want to support but cant afford it, liking, sharing, and commenting on their posts via Instagram goes a long way and is so crucial now since Instagram has made many updates making it harder for artists work to get seen.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ramonaharmes.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/newerajewels
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ramona-harmes-95157a87