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Baltimore Snapshot June 2018 Rachel King

June 19, 2018

In 2017 after making all kinds of dreamcatchers, Baltimore Jewelry designer Rachel King began designing wearable art and created EaarthBones. Her jewelry is made from upcycled materials, it’s all vegan, and the wire-wrapped crystal pieces she makes are each one of a kind.  The first piece of jewelry Rachel ever sold was a small dreamcatcher necklace. Fast forward a year, and the 24-year-old now creates and sells all sorts of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings in her Etsy shop. “When I was a kid, and even to this day, I’ve always had rocks in my purse and I’ve always loved artists who create wearable art” Now, through EaarthBones she’s able to take her love of crystals and wearable art and give Baltimore handcrafted jewelry.
EaarthBones Jewelry
Rachel finds an incredible amount of inspiration from different cultures. “I really like the idea of communities getting together and making things. For example, weaving baskets in Native American culture, it’s sacred to them.”  You can see a lot of these influences in her work, whether it be from the stone she chooses or the way the stone is wrapped. She also finds inspiration in helping people to understand themselves, which is a big part of her jewelry. “I want people to understand the earth around us but also themselves. Why are you interested in that color? Why that crystal?  With crystals, I like to ask people what they are attracted to before I tell them what it means. What draws their eye, and 99% of the time they’re like, oh my god, that’s me! I really think that when you see a crystal, that you have a connection to it, and if you bring it into your home, it often means it needs to be there. To hold good energy in your home.” Helping people find the right crystal for them and to bring more good energy into their lives also gives Rachel a lot of joy and inspiration. 

EaarthBones Baltimore

The name EaarthBones plays into Rachel’s inspirations but also her absolute love for nature. She explains that the EaarthBones name comes from a concept by environmentalist Bill McKibben. His concept is that the Earth as we know it no longer exists how it naturally should exist since humans have destroyed so much of it. What we are now left with is “Eaarth”, a precious world that we must cherish, protect and heal. For Rachel, this concept and supporting local businesses are very important. “I’m very interested in handmade and artisan things, and I try not to shop at big box stores or buy things made in China. I support local as much as I can.”  This is why everything EaarthBones sells is sourced responsibly and in environmentally friendly ways.
EaarthBones Baltimore
Growing up, Rachel was surrounded by artists. Her mother attended school for art, her father was a musician, and her brother is currently in school for music. So when Rachel told her mom she wanted to be an Artist, it’s not surprising that she said “YES! That’s awesome! Do it!” Being around such a supportive family has undoubtedly helped push Rachel to follow and grow her creativity. Her artistic talent has even been featured in RAWartists.org. Her jewelry has been sold at Poppy and Stella, at Neighbor Goods Shop, at various pop-ups all over Baltimore, at festivals and at the Greater Goods Market in Remington. It also shouldn’t be a big surprise that Rachel’s full-time job is an Art Teacher in Baltimore MD. 
Baltimore Art
Even with all this exposure and a solid social media following like other artists, Rachel admits that it’s not always easy and in fact “It’s friggin hard. You’re the boss, the marketer, the creator, it’s all on you” In addition, in the beginning, Rachel didn’t even want to show her work. “I hoarded so much, it’s just the rejection of people not liking your art.” However, she also understood the value and importance of getting feedback on her work so she could grow as an artist and says this is absolutely crucial. Day in and day out, making jewelry means far more to Rachel than trying to sell her work, its part of her. “It’s who I am. It’s my meditation. Even if I thought about giving up EaarthBones as a business, I could never give it up completely. It will always be something I do.” 

EaarthBones Baltimore

Rachel King’s advice for other Jewelry Designers or any artist in general:

Everything happens for a reason. Things might not always happen the way you expect..it might be better.
Listen to everyone’s advice but trust your intuition.
If you’re afraid of failing, it’s worth trying.

Follow Rachel / Eaarthbones on Instagram! If you’d like to purchase your very own EaarthBones jewelry, visit her Etsy shop!

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All images and content created by and for Nick Hanyok Imaging.
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