Meet Janet Payne | Jeweler/Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Janet Payne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janet, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was working with a life coach and she asked me, “what do you find yourself doing when you loose track of time? That is your passion.” My answer was, “Walking on the beach.” I knew I had to somehow find a way to make a living walking the beach. I had been making sea glass and sterling silver jewelry part-time for about 4 years and decided to give it my all and Janet Payne Jewelry was born. I still lose track of time when I’m on the beach and I still love finding treasures everyday!

I have a strong connection to the sea. My grandfather grew up on a barge and became a tugboat captain. My father was a Navy signalman. I am a sailor as well as a beach walker. I live on a small island at the southern tip of NJ in Cape May. I am very much like a piece of sea glass myself. I have been shaped by the tides of time and tumbled my way through life with degrees in Studio Art and Graphic Design, I have ebbed and flowed, designing award winning logos, teaching art and illustrating children’s books. I am a little less rough around the edges and my hair has become frosted. Janet Payne Jewelry has allowed me to merge my design skills and my love of the sea. My daily walks on the beaches of Cape May are a source of constant amazement and inspiration.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I live in Cape May, NJ, America’s oldest seashore resort and a popular tourist destination. I walk the beach everyday picking sea glass and Cape May diamonds to use in my jewelry. I create one of a kind sea glass jewelry using pure sea glass. I use it as it is found. I do not shape or polish it. It is only shaped and tumbled by the sea and sand. The challenge is to work with the shapes, colors and sizes I find. I am able to offer my customers a little bit of Cape May to take home with them. Something to remind them of their walks on the beach and their time by the sea. My hope is that people that wear my one of a kind jewelry realize that they are just as special as each piece of sea glass I find on the beach.

There was a lot of trial and error and broken sea glass while I learned to drill through the glass. My design skills came in handy as I learned to work with sterling and fine silver adding freshwater pearls and small charms. One of the most difficult decisions I had to make in my business was also one of the best decisions. A few years into the business I had my jewelry in two museum shops and a half a dozen other retails stores throughout South Jersey. It was too much for me to give them the service I thought they deserved, so I pulled back. More is not necessarily better. I am now in two local shops, Splash and Whale’s Tale in Cape May, I do the West Cape May Farmers Market in the summer and a few other local events throughout the year. That along with my website janetpaynejewelry.com keeps me busy and creative.

I have recently started painting small watercolor cards and seascapes on driftwood that I find on the beach. I have also used the beach trash I collect to make a series of large fish, in the hopes that they would spark conversations about the use of plastics. The beach is so inspiring, I’m always coming up with new ideas for art and designs for jewelry.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course our first stop would be Sunset Beach at about 30 minutes before sunrise. The sky is illuminated in lavenders and pinks with the water and sand reflecting the colors. From there we would head to Beach Plum Farm for a breakfast sitting outside in the gardens and perhaps go for a walk and feed the chickens. Then it would be off to The Nature Conservancy’s South Cape May Meadows for a little nature walk and birdwatching. We would go to Bella Vida in West Cape May for lunch and then maybe take a walk on the canal beach where you can sometimes see bald eagles. Then off to the Lobster House Fish Market to pick up some fresh fish for dinner. Every morning starts at the beach. Breakfast or lunch at Georges on Beach Drive is a must. We may take a short trip to the Cape May County Zoo and stroll through the savanna. Arriving back in Cape May it may be time to take a walk through the open air Washington Street Mall and visit my some of my favorite shops, Splash, Whale’s Tale, Givens and Good Scents. Then walk across Perry Street to Congress Hall and sit in the rocking chairs and take in the view. Time to order dinner form Panico’s in West Cape May so we can make it back to the beach in time for sunset.
Other musts are:
A climb to the top of the lighthouse.
Walking the trails at the State Park and talking to the birders at the Hawk Watch Platform.
A visit too the Nature Center of Cape May.
A visit to the Fisherman’s Memorial and a walk on the Harbor Beach.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Hilary Pritchard is the owner of Splash and Whales Tale in Cape May. She has been very supportive of my work from the start and sells it in both stores. She has amazing business sense and has become a dear friend as well. I am also inspired by #2minutebeachclean and their efforts to inspire people to clean the beach 2 minutes at a time. I do a beach clean everyday when I walk the beach looking for sea glass.

Website: janetpaynejewelry@gmail.com

Instagram: @janetpaynejewelry

Facebook: Janet Payne Jewelry