THINK OUTSIDE THE GIFT BOX

“Skulls can be feminine, and cute.” Just look at one of her necklaces, Erin Cruz says. “I like things that are a little off the wall; I like there to be a surprise in the detail so you might see a pretty charm necklace with a silver heart, a pearl and a tiny skull, something little that’s unexpectedly thrown in there but not obvious.”

She uses semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystal, Czech glass and vintage beads to create necklaces, rings and earrings — both custom orders and her own designs.

When Cruz eyed a necklace she liked seven years ago, she says she thought to herself, “Hey, I can do that — how hard could it be?”

“So I totally winged it, and ended up using the wrong beading and threading. Apparently, it was harder than it looked.”

But she worked out the kinks through trial and error, and today her business, Haute Hardwarde Jewelry, is booming, and most of that growing customer base is right here in our neighborhood, something Cruz takes a lot of pride in.

“I’m a big advocate for shopping local, and I do it as much as I can,” she says. “Independent businesses are so important because they give a neighborhood its character, its charm. And local art is also vital because that’s what gives a community its creative spirit.”

WEB SITE: hautehardwarejewelry.com

PRICE RANGE: $15-$50

CONTACT: erin@hautehardwarejewelry.com or 214.240.9626