RitzyToo! August-September 2014 | Page 50

SilverSilk...Its Like Magic! Nina Kersten, owner of SilverSilk, sits down with RitzyToo for some Q & A about her exciting product. Be sure to check out Nina’s pattern using SilverSilk on page 12 of this issue! It doesn’t matter whether you string it, embellish it, braid it, loop it or knot it, you will absolutely love creating your next bead jewelry project with knitted wire from Silver Silk! Once you see what is involved in the creation of knitted wire and its outstanding advantages, I know you are going to want to add this to your beading repertoire at the next opportunity! Fortuitously and purely by coincidence, in addition to introducing the leading bead industry niche supplier of popular knitted wire, SilverSilk, RitzyToo also features beautiful creative work by Sue CharetteHood, a SilverSilk Bead Jewelry Designer of the Month. A number of her jewelry designs using knitted wire may also be seen at http://silversilkonline.com , along with numerous other finished pieces. RitzyToo loves to introduce its growing following of bead enthusiasts in as many as 33 countries to some of the best suppliers in the beading industry! Recently, RitzyToo caught up with Nina Kersten, Owner, SilverSilk, who graciously agreed to tell us all about her exciting products, which can be seen on the company website, http:/ silversilkonline.com. Here is our conversation! Q. How did you get involved with knitted wire in the first place? A. As co-owner of Sonoran Beads I discovered SilverSilk at a bead show I was exhibiting at in April of 2010. I was intrigued and excited about the product and we began carrying it later that year. Then in 2013, when the owner of SilverSilk & More, the national distributor of SilverSilk, decided to sell the business she thought of us and offered us the distributorship. What could we say? It was a perfect fit! Q. How long has SilverSilk been handling knitted wire products? A. Twelve years ago John Lefgren, the manufacturer of SilverSilk, considered knitting with wire. For eight years he worked to develop an innovative method to make stitches from fine wires. In the end he had invented a machine that would knit hundreds of thousand of stitches with as few as two needles or as many as eight. In 2010 he introduced SilverSilk Capture to the world and has been adding new products to the line ever since. Q. SilverSilk sounds like a dream to work with. Do bead enthusiasts need special tools or training in order to create bead jewelry themselves. A. It is a dream to work with. And really, the only special tools you need are wire cutters for the knitted wire and nylon jaw or coated pliers to close the specially designed end caps we use for the Capture, Pearlesque and Leat