Lifestyles

Sisters Danise Dague and Glenda Rae Hutchinson are relative newcomers to the custom jewelry business, but their hand-crafted creations already are in the hands of celebrities such as Teri Hatcher, Winona Ryder and Camryn Manheim.

Dague and Hutchinson, owners of Tribal Sisters Jewelry of Hopwood, Fayette County, were among the entrepreneurs donating products to celebrity gift baskets at a social event held during the recent Sundance Film Festival.

Hutchinson created 125 necklaces for guests attending the Backstage Creations Celebrity Gift Retreat at the Premier Lounge in Park City, Utah. Although the retreat was not officially part of the film festival, it was attended by many well-known entertainers in town for the main event, the sisters say.

Their jewelry line primarily features gemstone and sterling silver earrings, bracelets and necklaces, but Hutchinson says she also fashions custom pieces using gold and leather. She is the self-proclaimed artist of the duo, while Dague handles the business and marketing end of the company, occasionally filling a "guest designer" role as well, says her sister.

It's not a coincidence that their beaded creations have a distinctive Native American style.

"Glenda Rae and I have some Choctaw Indian ancestors, and we have always been very proud of that," Dague says.

In their Earth Elegant collection, pieces reflect the five basic elements of the soul -- air, earth, fire, water and light -- in a variety of beads and gemstones, including Swarovski crystals, clear quartz, aqua, green and lavender chalcedony, rutilated quartz, onyx, garnet, amethyst, citrine and ametrine.

"I've been making Native American jewelry since I was little," Hutchinson says. Today, she says many of the custom pieces she designs look equally as lovely worn with a formal gown as with a pair of jeans.

Hutchinson, of Uniontown, Fayette County, earned a bachelor of science degree in education at Penn State University and is a junior high math teacher for Uniontown Area School District. Dague, of Hopwood, has a bachelor of science degree in accounting from St. Francis University in Loretto, Westmoreland County, and is a financial operations director for Genesis HealthCare of Kennett Square, Chester County.

Although their jewelry primarily is sold through their Web site, some pieces from their collection are displayed for sale at Abby's Gold and Gems in Uniontown and at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa in Farmington, Fayette County, Dague says.

Their hand-crafted items are reasonably priced, ranging from $27 for earrings in their "ts earth reality" collection, to $197 for necklaces in their "ts earth elegant" line.

"Danise and I would eventually like to open a shop, possibly as part of an artistic co-op in Uniontown," Hutchinson says.

In the meantime, they like the idea of spreading the word about their jewelry creations through donations to celebrity gift baskets and say they are investigating other possible VIP venues.

Although yet unconfirmed, "There is another big event that we are interested in this spring," Dague says.

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