About
PAULA NETTLESHIP
I'm the designer and creator of designs2c handcrafted jewelry, founded in 2006. I was born and raised in Ventura, California, but have called Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania home since 1992.
With a needle, thread and beads I weave original artisan jewelry. With these basic materials, I design and construct jewelry that can be softly draped, like fabric, or geometric and structured. Influenced by the art history and costume design courses I took as a history major at UC Santa Barbara, my style incorporates classic, vintage and modern elements. My design is driven by color and texture. I often choose bold colors and love to mix them reflecting my Mexican American heritage.
I design with everyday people in mind. Marc Jacobs said it best. "The customer is the final filter. What survives the whole process is what people wear. I’m not interested in making clothes that end up in some dusty museum." In this spirit my jewelry is beautiful, functional, and ultimately wearable.
H o n o r s & M e m b e r s h I p s
Best in Show, 2022 Mt. Lebanon Artists’ Market
Best in Wearable Art, 2021 Mt. Lebanon Artists’ Market
Member of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh 2021-present
P h i l a n t h r o p y
My husband Ian and I are on the board of Ceramic Water Filter Solutions. Ian is an engineering professor at the University of Pittsburgh and works on non-conventional materials for appropriate technologies and humanitarian engineering. We are Lay Spiritans. Our charism is grounded in serve to the marginalized. To that end we donate 10% of all designs2c sales to CWFS to help support their work making affordable, locally sourced water filters. CWFS partners with locals in Nepal, Nigeria, Mexico and Honduras.
MEDIA
CTN @ The Art Fair 2018 - Artist Close Up Paula Nettleship
Caravan Beads Blog
Glitter & Glam - Pittsburgh Magazine
Artist Interview - Artsmiths of Pittsburgh