Florie Amster suffers from more than what the typical hostess experiences when preparing for dinner company. In addition to concerns about the menu, Florie has to deal with clearing just about every surface in the living and dining rooms of the Central Phoenix home she shares with her husband, Dave. Tabletops – and walls as well – are filled to overflowing with a treasure trove of Florie-designed and crafted necklaces, bracelets and more.
Florie, who creates mostly one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art, was originally inspired by her friend, Risa Mallin. “Risa had seen a version of a ‘treasure necklace’ at a gallery in New Mexico,” Florie explains. “She purchased beads to make one for herself and gave me the ones she didn’t use.”
Florie made one for herself and was wearing it one day while shopping in a local boutique. “The owner wanted to buy it right there and then,” she recalls. “It had never occurred to me to market the necklaces. What a concept! That’s how my business was born.” Until that time she was a mom to daughters Mindy and Robin and a housewife – and doing a lot of volunteering.
Florie’s parents had owned a jewelry store where she grew up in St. Joseph, MO. “I learned at an early age to handle the tools of the trade – and to appreciate beautiful things,” she says. She is comfortable and adept at wielding buffers to polish silver, drills for (foreign) coins, grinders to file off the backs of miniature pins, needle-nose pliers and more. She does do repair work but says that creating treasure necklaces continues to provide her with the greatest job satisfaction.
“I get to work with my customers’ true treasures – from charms to medallions, to vintage pins, silverware and medals – all of which represent milestones and memories. And they get an heirloom to wear and enjoy.” Among the more unique items she has incorporated into finished products are the bowl of a meerschaum pipe, a collection of (small) car parts and, for a cousin who led African tours, a collection of animal teeth, bullets, feathers and beads. After concentrating exclusively on treasure necklaces for several years, with “one piece completed, out the door and onto the next,” Florie realized she had the basis to expand. “I needed product,” she says. “So I starting shopping at antique and resale outlets and jewelry wholesale shows, always on the lookout for the offbeat, the unusual, the beautiful.” Friends joined the hunt, bringing home items for her from all over the country and all over the world. She added bracelets to her line and, more recently, a group of “blessings for the home” wall plaques that can be personalized and customized for simchas such as birthdays, new babies and Mother’s Day. They also can be hobby and profession-themed.
Florie, who regularly attends services at Beth El Congregation, says when she is home she loves and gets lost in the creative process, which is both her business and her hobby. “My husband calls it a very expensive hobby,” she says with a laugh, “because my prices are reasonable and my profits are minimal.”
Florie offers treasure necklace classes at her home for small groups. Participants bring their own items and incorporate them with the beads and accessories she provides, enabling them to take home a one-of-a-kind true treasure.
To reach Florie for more information or to make an appointment, call 602-943-2859.
