Signature Jewelry from Bonnie Hedden Designs Capture the Eye with a Sparkle

Bonnie Hedden wasn’t really interested in the invitation.

“Come to the bead store with me.”

Yet visiting family in Buffalo, she felt compelled to say yes

“I really did not want to go,” Hedden recalled. “But she’s my cute little sister, 4-foot-9 actually. So, I went.”

A bead purchase there only made her sister wish for earrings made from them. This was 2000, long before YouTube how-to videos were a thing. Hedden offered to make them, thinking, “How hard could it be?”

Who knew that would become the lightbulb moment behind Bonnie Hedden Designs, jewelry that is her signature creations handcrafted in her studio in North Central Pennsylvania. Hedden hand selects precious and semi-precious gemstones and uses traditional techniques of metalsmithing for eye-catching results. Her pieces distinguished by clean, slick lines and subtle bling can be everyday accessories or perfect for an elegant evening out.

After making those initial earrings, Hedden began collecting supplies and reading books. Suddenly she had an inventory and realized if she wanted to fund the hobby, she should consider selling what she made. Hedden approached a gallery in upstate New York near where she was living at the time with no real expectations.

“They loved it then,” she said, noting her style evolved into what is today delicate, detailed designs uniquely hers.

Hedden ventured to the Corning Arts Festival, though followed an orthodox professional path. She graduated from Daemen University and worked in social work before quitting that field to home school her son, Christopher, full time.

“He’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” she said.

In 2008 with a move to her current Pennsylvania home, she became a full-time artist. Hedden is a regular at Rose Squared Art Shows for the last five years with designs far more sophisticated than her early work.

Hedden doesn’t sketch her ideas prior to making them. Instead, she gathers components working in a free-form manner toward the vision in her head.

“It’s more like puzzle pieces,” she said. “I like stones a lot. If I go to a show, I shake. I love stones that much. Then it’s about which pieces in the puzzle go where.”

A torch for soldering and layering is a regular part of her tool bag, and she’s grateful for recently investing in one specifically made for jewelry. “When I was learning how to solder, I originally used a handheld propane one,” she said. “I was very proficient at it for years.

Hedden credits her partner, John,  for outfitting her studio space that started out as an Amish shed. It’s right beside her home and where you’ll find her a few hours after her chosen 4 a.m. wake up time that starts with coffee followed by a workout.

Stop by the Bonnie Hedden Designs booth booth to say hello and browse the necklaces, bracelets, cuffs and earrings at Fall Brookdale Park (Oct. 18-19).