Vanessa considers herself a bit of a Mixed Media Jewelry Artist, incorporating many different jewelry making methods and materials into her One-of-a-Kind Art Jewelry Pieces. She uses precious metals, glass, gemstones, plastic, beads, enamels, paint, photo images, and sometimes even nature itself.
Vanessa is trained as a Metal Smith, and has studied the techniques of using Precious Metal Clay (PMC), Fused Glass, Enameling, and Wire Wrapping. She also uses Keum-boo, the ancient Korean Gilding Technique of fusing 24k gold foil to Fine Silver, Image Transfer System (ITS), Lapidary and Faceting of raw stone material, Chasing and Repousse, Plastics, Resins, Inlay and Fold Forming.
Vanessa enjoys escaping the hustle of everyday life by disappearing into her Jewelry Studio and allowing her Creativity to flow. She loves making a Connection with Customers when they see something she has created they just cannot live without. “That’s what it’s all about: bringing Joy to people through Art.”
Vanessa is an active member of the Houston Gem and Mineral Society (HGMS), the Houston Metal Arts Guild (HMAG), and Society for North American Goldsmiths (SNAG). She continues to educate herself in all facets of Jewelry Making.
Vanessa resides in Houston, Texas with her husband and son. She markets her work under the name Betoj Designs which is an acronym for "Better Than an Office Job"
The work you see featured on this website is all handcrafted and original designs by Vanessa Parker. If you are interested in any of the pieces, please don't hesitate to contact me directly to see if they are still available. Or, perhaps we can work together to create a custom piece that is just right for you.