By Emily Petsko
Point Park News Service

Christina Kapaun lives in Munich, Germany, but she still keeps Pittsburgh close to her heart.

When she saw a contest posted on the “Jewelry N’at” Twitter page, she quickly entered – and won – a custom-made pendant to show her penchant for the Steel City. A hockey fan, she owns two Jewelry N’at pendants – one inscribed with “Pens” and the other displaying the city skyline and Clemente Bridge.

“They are made of high quality material and are wonderfully handcrafted,” Kapaun, 37, wrote in an email. “I love extraordinary stuff that is made by people’s hands and not coming out of machines in masses.”

Jewelry N’at owner Sharon Massey sent this pendant to Munich, Germany, to Christina Kapaun, the winner of a custom Jewelry N'at giveaway. The skyline is copper with a black patina on a darkened brass background and a shiny yellow brass bridge in the foreground. The pendant hangs on a long gold-plated chain.

The Internet has opened Jewelry N’at owner Sharon Massey’s business to an international market, but with that comes more competition. To continue to make a profit, small business owners who sell handcrafted items, like Massey, are debating whether to embrace mechanization or stick with the touch of individuality that customers like Kapaun admire.

Massey, who has a master’s degree in metal design, naturally creates all of her jewelry from metal, especially sterling silver. Since sawing and soldering is tedious, she is considering switching to the process of laser cutting, which would follow a pre-made design and allow products to be identical. The quickness of this process would lead to a greater quantity of items at cheaper prices, and she is hoping to release an under-$50 line soon.

While she has had success selling in four Pittsburgh-based consignment shops and online at etsy.com, she admitted she isn’t “making very much money,” which has made her rethink the way she creates jewelry.

For one, the rising cost of silver has complicated her business. Silver nearly doubled to $40 per ounce last month, but Massey was hesitant to raise the prices of her jewelry, which she generally prefers to keep under $100 per item. On her Etsy account, a pair of earrings shaped from sheet metal to look like the silhouette of a man’s “playoff beard” sells for $45, and a “Yinz” pendant made from sterling silver with a gold-plated chain costs $76.

For now, Massey has decided to stick to her craft: She aims to provide affordable jewelry, even if that translates to less profit.

“The jewelry world is really small, so I know pretty much every jeweler in town, and I don’t think anybody could do what I’m doing for the prices I’m (setting),” Massey said.

She is hoping the price of silver will stabilize soon, but said she will make necessary adjustments in the meantime, such as using less silver and more gold-plated materials, as well as recycling her own silver scraps.

Massey works at the Society for Contemporary Craft in the Strip District, and in addition to teaching metalsmithing classes and directing a gallery, Massey spends about 10 to 12 hours per week creating Jewelry N’at products. She said her business has its “ups and downs” but that it “reflects the rest of the retail business.”

Massey is a member of the group Steel Town Etsy, which allows artists from Western Pennsylvania to promote one another’s work. A “Pittsburgh” search in Etsy’s jewelry section yields nearly 500 results from different businesses, so individuality is essential to success.

“It’s definitely really important to come up with something that you feel strongly about, that’s very unique and that nobody else can copy,” Massey said of her advice to up-and-coming jewelers. “And be prepared to work really hard.”

One or two custom orders are sent to Massey each week. Recently a customer wanted her to incorporate a black-and-gold taco into an original piece of jewelry.

Jewelry N’at is marketed mostly with social media, through Twitter and Facebook, which allows international customers to discover her products. And because the city is so “saturated” with Pittsburgh merchandise, out-of-state customers provide the most business.

Despite the pressure of operating a handcraft business, Massey said she believes she will always have loyal customers, like Kapaun, who appreciate her products for their quality, quirkiness and Pittsburgh flair.

“I love the designs,” Kapaun wrote. “They are beautiful, created with lots of small, but awesome details and often come along with a certain sense of local humor.”