My name is Samantha "Sam" and I am a crafter of hand stamped silver and kiln fired & lampworked glass jewelry.
I am the "one man" owner, maker & photographer creating a small range handmade jewelry pieces.
In my small home "studio" (my shed) I create a small range of personalized jewelry, lampwork beads, rustic etched jewelry and stacking rings.
All my jewelry is handmade by me, with my own 2 hands under the supervision of my best friend Jet (pictured here talking with me).
As a Vegan I endevour to source Eco friendly supplies for each piece i create.
All the silver I use is sourced from Refiners producing eco friendly high quality recycled sterling & argentium silver & I also recycle unwanted, damaged or scrap sterling silver myself. Some of my glass is purchased from a local glass maker (Gaffer) and used for my lampworking & glass casting.
I have been vegan for about 20 or so years now. I was vegetarian on and off during my younger years, i always "loved" animals but didn't really make the connection between what i was eating and my love of animals. It wasn't until in my mid 20's i became involved with a small group of animal rights activists. These activists were all vegans and campaigning against vivisection, fur, rodeo's, zoos and any animal exploitation. They didn't wear leather shoes or eat in places like Mc Donalds, they protested and campaigned against animal cruelty outside the medical school, fur shops, butchers, outside the circus, zoo and at duckshooting spots.
I became involved and part of this was visiting a slaughterhouse to get photos. I don't really remember my time there, i don't care to remember. I tried not to look any animals in the eyes, instead spending most of my time snapping photos. The activists in the group continued visiting factory farms but I only went once more to a factory farm. I was always more comfortable working with animals so became involved primarily in fostering rescued animals. It was during this time i quickly was woken to the reality of animal suffering and made the change to become vegan. I moved to a small semi rural property its not very big but it meant it could help foster some of the smaller rescued farmed animals.
I now also fosterer for a rescue group who save deathrow pound/shelter animals and am a member of Vegan Foster and Volunteers NZ, I have also started a small animal rescue with a fellow friend and rescuer Kat who runs the Roost Sanctuary. I share my small semi rural home with my partner, and family of furry, feathery and woolly companions we have adopted or are currently fostering.
Thank you for visiting my page,
Sam
