Bridget Berthiaume – Jewelry Artist

Clementine’s Q&A with a great Western Jewelry Artist:

There are some talented cowgirls out there—and not in those conventional cowgirl ways that might come to mind. I recently caught up with “Heart of a Cowgirl” jewelry artist named Bridget Berthiaume. You can get to her online store by clicking HERE or her Facebook page by clicking HERE

We bet you won’t be able to stop looking at these stunning pieces (no two are alike, ladies) made out of genuine gemstones, sterling silver, genuine copper, rhinestones, and conchos (no imitations here, and nothing’s silver plated).

I thought it would be fun to share my Q&A session with this talented artist. It follows below.

Clementine: Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you grew up, where you live now, and your background.

Heart of a Cowgirl: I grew up in Michigan and have lived in Arizona for over 20 years. My dream as a little girl was always to have lots of animals and live on a ranch. I’m now living that dream!

Clementine: You mention in your profile on Etsy.com that even though you weren’t raised living the cowgirl life, you dreamed about it. Who or what introduced you to the cowgirl life? How did you get turned onto this lifestyle?

Heart of a Cowgirl: I’ve always loved horses, and when I was 35 I finally bought my very first horse, Phoenix. He taught me all about riding and opened many doors to the western way of life for me. It seemed as if that is the life I was always meant to live and I just embraced it and ran with it!

Clementine: Tell us about your journey as a jewelry artist. How did you get your start? Who or what inspires you? How have you grown as an artist over the years?

Heart of Cowgirl: I started making my own jewelry several years ago as a hobby and creative outlet. I wanted something unique to wear that reflected my own style. My designs are inspired by nature, animals, and the rustic western lifestyle. Whenever I would wear my jewelry, I would receive compliments and people would ask where I bought it. This led to comments such as “you should sell your creations!” One day I stumbled upon Etsy.com and decided to open my own shop. It has been a great venue for me.

Clementine: The cross seems to be a prominent theme in your jewelry. Tell us more about that.

Heart of a Cowgirl: I love the symbolism of the cross — strength, faith, hope, belief. It’s really a universal symbol but yet is personal from one person to the next.

Clementine: Another theme is animals…tell us more about that.

Heart of a Cowgirl: Animals are my passion. On our little ranch, we have horses, goats, dogs, chickens, bunnies, baby desert tortoises, and one kitty. My love of animals naturally finds its way into my jewelry designs. I look for components, such as horse pendants, horseshoe charms, bunny charms, and links for bracelets and other unique animal findings, to add into my jewelry.

Clementine: When people think “Heart of a Cowgirl,” what three words do you want to pop into their mind?

Heart of a Cowgirl: Independent. Strong. Adventurous.

Clementine: When you’re not making jewelry, what are some of your favorite things to do?

Heart of a Cowgirl: Spending time with my animals is at the top of my list — riding the horses, walking the dogs (and goats!), and training my 3-year-old filly are some of the things that bring me a lot of happiness.

Clementine: Anything else you’d like us to know?

Heart of a Cowgirl: You don’t have to wear cowboy boots or own a horse to have the Heart of a Cowgirl!