Pennyroyal Silver

"Learning To Fly"
Now Available on Sterling Chain!

A Few Words About Us...
Pennyroyal Silver is a fully functioning jewelry design studio located in sunny Southern California. We take great pride in handcrafting all of our jewelry from 99.9% pure silver and the highest quality findings. Each design is produced in a limited quantity and individually numbered to reflect the integrity, quality and passion of the Pennyroyal brand.
Visit us at "www.pennyroyalsilver.com"
Check out this interview with our owner to learn what we're all about...
Interview with Pennyroyal Owner/Designer, Tim Foster:
What is your professional background?
“My professional background is based almost entirely in the wild and crazy world of the Music Business. I recently left a Sales/Marketing position at a major record company that I held since 2000. I have a degree in Marketing, Psychology & Music from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School Of Management. Please hold your sarcastic applause until the end!”
When did you start making Jewelry?
“My girlfriend and I like to make gifts rather than buy them, so one Christmas I decided to make her a necklace. I drew up some ideas and went to the craft store with absolutely no clue what I was doing. I bought a pile of supplies (most of which proved to be unnecessary) and just started messing around with stuff on my coffee table. After a couple days of trial and error with wire wrapping and tying the adjustable knot, it was finished. It wasn’t pretty, but it was finished. It was a 1979 penny (my birth year) hammered out on a rounded stone my roommate used as a door stop, bent into an interesting shape and hung by a black leather cord through a hole that I made in the penny with a manual crank drill. After I finished the first piece I found myself sitting at my coffee table every night making new pieces and experimenting with tools and materials. I started doing huge amounts of research and it just sort of took off from there.”
Does she still wear the necklace?
“Yeah. She wears it all the time. She usually wears it with something new that I’ve made her. It’s really cool to see the first piece I ever made hung next to the latest new design. She says the penny is the most valuable piece because it was the first one I made. It’s definitely one of the most unattractive pieces I’ve made, but she wears it with pride, so it’s cool.”
When did you decide to turn your hobby into a business?
“Actually, before I’d even made my third piece! As unexpected as it was, it just felt like the right direction and creative outlet. When my girlfriend started telling me about all the compliments she was getting on the pieces I had made, it really energized my desire to see how far I could take it. I started asking questions on jewelry-making message boards to get me going. My evenings soon consisted of chatting online about jewelry making with a group of about 15 middle-aged women. I know… Very Rock & Roll.”
Did they have useful advice for you?
“It was very obvious that we were from different sides of the track, but I did learn some very valuable things from my discussions with Helen, Betty and the rest of the Red Hat Society. Most important, they introduced me to a material called Precious Metal Clay (PMC). It’s pure silver in clay form. Its’ pretty amazing stuff and offers endless design possibilities. It’s kind of hard to explain, but there is some pretty amazing science behind it. I had to take an intensive 2-day certification course to learn how to use it properly. There were 10 people in the class and I was the only one under 40… and the only guy. It was pretty funny. While the ladies were making leaves and flowers, I was making skulls and poison vials. They talked about their kids and husbands while I listened to my ipod. I kept it interesting for myself, and it turned out to be a lot of fun.”
How much of the hand-work do you do yourself on the pieces you’re selling?
“Virtually all of it. I design all of the original masters by hand using pure silver PMC. Each design is then produced in limited quantities using 99.9% pure silver. I hand finish each piece using traditional silversmith techniques. In the pieces hung on black cord, each string is hand-tied and wire-wrapped using sterling silver wire. I am always studying and perfecting various techniques that can be used to make and finish my pieces. It’s a never ending process of learning and perfecting, but the personal attention to detail that goes into each piece is what makes them so special and unique.”
What do the numbers mean on the back of each piece?
“There are 4 stamps on the back of each piece. A company logo stamp, a designer stamp (“TF”), a material stamp (.999FS which means 99.9% pure silver) and a number stamp. The number stamp tells you how many pieces of the particular design were made, and what number piece you have. Same thing artists do with lithographs or limited run prints. For example, the piece entitled “Learning To Fly” is limited to 1000 pieces. The number stamp on the back of a piece you buy will be numbered somewhere between 001/1000 and 1000/1000 for that particular piece. I’m really excited about this feature since it lets customers know that what they are wearing is only available in a limited quantity. Once a particular design sells out it won’t be available again. There will be new designs added to the line regularly.”
Where do you find inspiration for your designs?
“Everywhere. I think all inspiration comes from paying attention to life. Some of my designs have a story behind them. Some of them just sort of happen. Designing is my favorite part. Taking an idea from the depths of my imagination and making it into a piece of wearable art is very satisfying. Not surprisingly, I find a lot of inspiration for my designs in music. Not necessarily in any particular song or type of music… but in the process of creating music and the emotional connection that is achieved by telling a story with art and seeing the different interpretations people make, and how they relate to it. My favorite songs are ones that I can apply the lyrics to my own life and make the song my own. I hope people can find a similar kind of personal attachment to my jewelry.”
Why did you name your company Pennyroyal?
“Since my very first piece was made out of a flattened penny, I wanted to include the word “Penny” in the name of the company… to remind me of where it all started. I’ve always liked the word Pennyroyal and thought that the two words put together made a lot of sense in this context. It represents something great coming out of something simple. Very few people know the actual definition of Pennyroyal. It’s really an herb that has some weird medicinal properties. Most people I know have only heard the word from Nirvana’s song “Pennyroyal Tea.” I read that Kurt Cobain used to drink tea made from Pennyroyal herbs to calm his heroin-induced stomachaches, but that has nothing to do with why I named my company Pennyroyal. Just a little piece of useless information to take with you.”
It seems that your background in music has had a very profound effect on you as an artist. How far does that music influence reach into the business side of Pennyroyal?
“It has more of an effect than you might think, and sets Pennyroyal apart from any jewelry company I’ve seen. The very structure PENNYROYAL is based on different elements of the music business. My vision is to build a different kind of jewelry company. It’s been a lot of fun to find ways to apply my music business experience to a completely different craft. I paid a lot of attention to the packaging of my jewelry too. I custom designed the boxes using some interesting textures and details that you won’t find on other jewelry packaging. I want people to be excited when they open the box and as impressed with the attention to detail in the packaging as they are with the actual jewelry. I’ve always loved CD or LP packaging that is well thought out and interesting and I wanted to achieve that connection with my jewelry as well. Music has always been a passion of mine and will always be in the blood of my company.”
Describe Pennyroyal Silver now that you’ve taken the journey from idea to reality.
“I’ve gone from initially making one meaningful piece of jewelry at the coffee table to now making many more meaningful pieces of jewelry from a fully functioning design workshop and office. Pennyroyal literally started with one penny and has turned into something that I am incredibly proud of.”
Our last question: What do you want people to get from your jewelry?
“I saw a DVD once where the Jeff Buckley was asked what he wanted people to get from his music. His answer was simply, “Whatever they want.” That’s exactly what I want people to get from my jewelry.”
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