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I just completed this ring today and will include it in my StoneWear collection when it launches. It's a beautiful Afghan lapis lazuli with visible golden pyrite flecks set in 18KT gold--and it is absolutely stunning. Stay tuned for more details!

Welcome to the new website for Tamra Gentry Design Studio! This website has been months in the making, and I’m happy to say that I am finally DONE with it!  

D-O-N-E!

I have my life back—at least for a little while.

I say "a little while" because though I am done with Phase I, this effort is by no means over. There will be a Phase II, but I’ll get into that later.

I am really proud because I did most of the work myself--everything from the web copy writing and editing, to the photography and logo design. However, I did bring in some pros for a few things. For starters, I hired my information security consultant-husband to write my Privacy Policy (well, er, he actually volunteered). Our long-standing joke is that, for all of his years of cheerleading, design-input/guinea-pig-testing, venture capitaling, CIOing, COOing, and everyday basic IT assistance, I’ll help him retire early…so regardless of the arrangement, thank you to him. We have many years ahead of us to work out all of the details.

My original website design was tweaked by a most talented web/graphics designer, Deb Pang Davis, of the elegant Cococello Web & Print Design—thank you to her as well. No, seriously, she gets a humongous thank you because she very patiently put up with all of my delays and time issues, and still assured me that I wasn't one of those "nightmare clients" that a lot of web/graphic designers complain about. Plus, we kinda have that unspoken, deep-level "designer/creative artist vibe" thing going. I get her, she gets me. ;-)

I've hired Logo Design Guru twice to help me design logos for my businesses. Once for my Ag Jewelry Design website, and most recently for this site. They breathed life into my sketches, cut-outs and scribblings, and I'm quite pleased. You can read both of their case studies on my logos here and here. I would go back to them for future work, but I have Deb now.

I also did 90% of the photos myself, but decided at the last minute to bring in a pro, Guy Nichol, for my slideshow photos. And I’m SO happy that he’s local, so if I'm ever in a time crunch and I can't shoot everything myself, all I have to do is run past his studio nearby and say, “Hey, this is what I need.” LOVE it!

And last, but far from least, I have to say thank you to my mom and dad, Hubster's mom and dad, my Auntie M (she knows who she is), and all of the friends, colleagues, clients, and fans of my work who have been so supportive of me and this venture. Time after time, I've had a number of my beloveds saying, "When is your website going to be ready???" or "I need some more business cards"—
sometimes more frequently than I've cared to deal with given my slow start and equally-as-slow progression; but, their support, interest and intent to help keep my nose to the grindstone has been nothing less than amazing. I love and appreciate them all.

So, all of that said, the website was undoubtedly a labor of love. I spent many late nights and long days writing and refining web-copy, tweaking HTML code, rearranging buttons (until Deb made me stop ;-), playing with the site architecture (again, until Deb came along and made me stop ;-), shooting photos, and of course—making jewelry.

The jewelry that I offer through this site is a labor of love as well, and I hope it is evident.

Enjoy both the jewelry and the site, and I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions, which you can send to me by accessing my Contact form.

Till next post,

Toodles!