It all started with someone asking me if I wanted to learn how to make a necklace, and then…..

It all started with someone asking me if I wanted to learn how to make a necklace, and then…..

On May 15, 2018 our bead society, BSNC, was privileged to have Kim Fox as our speaker.  As owner/president of Fox Computer Group, Kim is more knowledgeable than most on how to really make a computer do what you want it to do, while many of us are lucky to just be able to surf and type on it.

After creating her first necklace with the help of a woman who was demonstrating beading, Kim thought that she had this “beading stuff” down pat.  However, when she wore it the next day it fell off her neck.  Well, back to the drawing board and lots of classes….

Her first trip was to Michael’s with a 40% off coupon – does this sound familiar? Then she went to Joann’s, and then off to Tucson. This addiction was starting to build a home of its own in her life. Looking back now, some of what she purchased was pure junk but some was awesome!

Her job at that time was at a call center. There were quiet times and she was allowed to bead while sitting at her desk.  She started to look for small local craft shows at which to sell her creations as well as receive inspiration for new ones by walking around and looking at what others had made.

At the young age of 50, Kim reinvented herself.  She enrolled at Phoenix College and took a class in casting ~ initially just mushrooms and potpourri ~ but hey, it was a beginning!  She wanted to learn how to caste everything at once in her first class, not realizing that her teacher had over 30 years of experience.

By 2003, in her fifties, and on a trip to the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum, she was finally starting to visualize possible creations in her mind’s eye. The first necklace that she designed actually took over nine hours to create; but it was worth the effort, as she began taking the path to her future endeavors.

Also, in 2003, she discovered GIA, Gemological Institute of American, in Carlsbad, AZ. She had no idea what this company was and when they explained the time and money involved in taking the classes, she thought it was a scam.  She checked them out fully, even physically drove over to see the building, and finally enrolled.  They were for real!!  She studied at GIA for 1-1/2 years and after graduation, her efforts won her two awards – one in Hong Kong and one in the USA.  She studied Computer Aided Design (3-D CAD) as well as Rendering and Mold Making.  These two areas became the most relevant to her current success; and, when her hands started to fail, saved her artistic life.

By 2005, she was enrolled in the famous Revere Jewelry School of Design located in San Francisco, Ca in their Jewelry Technician Program. In 2006, she won First Place at the Bench Jewelers Design contest. She became dedicated to this new artistry and often still works 7am to 7pm, six days a week, often getting up at 3 am with a new inspiration.  No wonder her hands started to fail!  But she went to numerous shows: AGTA, Bead and Button, Beadfest, Best Bead in Tucson as well as shows  on the west coast, like BABE.

In 2005 she moved to Morro Bay to take a job in a family owned jewelry store. The job lasted for 30 days and she moved her studio back into her garage. The expenses of living in California were too much, so once more she returned to Arizona in 2007.  She has been written up in Bead & Button Magazine, Beads Magazine, and she was approached by Dr. Robert Liu to do a special article in his Ornament Magazine.
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She acquired Hand Fast in 2008 from Larry Lorah after his wife, Maude, died and their studio was too much for him to handle alone. Combining the expertise of the previous owners with her own ideas and designs she promised him to maintain the high-quality standards.

When Kim wasn’t able to find anything on the market that she liked, she began creating the components she is now famous for. Her pieces are all “Made in America”.  Kim examined key design points of clasps on the market to discover why some worked, yet others didn’t.  She now creates clasps and connectors, bracelets, earrings, cones, rings, and pendants, many of which integrate with each other. Her clasps and components have no plating or plastic, no springs or box clasps (they often come un-sprung), and her pieces are affordable since she employs sterling silver and golden bronze (gold is too expensive for most) in her works. She maintains her design standards of durable, fashionable, adjustable and flexible.

Kim’s designs are found being used in multiple medias: Kumihimo, bead crochet, bead weaving, stringing, wire wrapping, and fine jewelry.  One key point in her design is that her cones are connected with wire instead of with glue, which can break down.  Because she works on both sides of these techniques, her thinking also goes to both sides of “what can happen”, preventing design failure. Her clientele are professional designers, advanced artists, and jewelry designers.  Her pieces are all one of a kind or limited production designs.

While some design ideas are received from her customers, Kim also allows her creative juices to simmer while driving her car.  Driving down the country roads, her mind is free to wander, receiving inspiration from the nature around her, with her hands sometimes drawing her designs.  Nearby drivers must think that she is crazy.  Ha! If they only knew!

She still relies on her 3D CAD for creating virtual designs. Her computer is top of the line – a “gamer’s” machine, using top of the line programs. She uses both the most ancient Lost Wax Method, as well as modern day 3D printers. She makes a three-dimensional sketch which is then made in wax. She creates a mold so that it can be replicated. In her early years, she relied on the Lost Wax Method entirely; but today the modern 3D printer using silicone enables her to create the same thing, but much faster and easier.

When she lived in California, she found it financially difficult to live as an artist. She knew she could live more affordably in Arizona. She now lives in the rural countryside outside of Prescott, Arizona.

To check out more of what Kim creates, go to her web site:   www.phxfox.com – Jewelry Design by Kim Fox or contact her directly at phxfox48@msn.com

 

By marilyn peters