Jewelry Artist Mini Interview: Jana Roberts Benzon of JRB Art & Design

Today we meet Jana Roberts of JRB Art & Design. She is an EXTRAORDINARY polymer clay artist. She creates these AMAZINGLY organic pieces that look like wild sea creatures. (pictured above). So lifelike, you want to gently hold one and pet it! Then, she alsoshe does the most technically precise millefiore work that looks like psychedelic kalidescopes in 3D!! AMAZING! She is really pushing the envelope about how polymer clay can be used in artwork.

How did you start doing jewelry/beadmaking as a business?
I have always loved beads and beading, so began many years ago making seed beaded bracelets, and earrings. It wasn’t until I began using polymer clay in earnest, that I turned jewelry making into a business..

Do you remember the first piece of jewelry you ever made? Oh, boy, I don’t, but I’m certain I was very small, and likely made it from flowers and twigs while playing “Fairy House” with my sister in the bushes and trees outdoors! Then I moved on to using real, wooden beads as a BlueBird and Camp Fire Girl…that’s the first time I remember actually making jewelry. I was always weaving fibers to create bracelets, as well (this was in the early 70’s, so my macrame bracelets were very ‘in vogue’..lol).

You are stuck on a desert island for a year and can only take 5 things to make jewelry with-what would you take? Pasta machine, clay, brayer, cutting blade, oven (is there electricity on this island???)…if not, I’ll cure my clay in the sun 🙂

What material would you like to work with/or what skill would you like to learn that you haven’t yet?
Oh, my list is long. I have long wanted to work with glass, especially lampworking. I also would love to do metal working (I wanna play with a torch!) and also, paper marbelling…that’s not jewelry related, but the effect is so beautiful and I’d love to try my hand..

What do you do when you aren’t making jewelry? I am an avid hiker (snow-shoer in the winter) and love to be outdoors exploring. I’m also a dedicated reader, and lover of information, learning and ideas.

Where can readers find more out about you? More of my work can be found: www.janarobertsbenzon.com, I also have a flickr page, and will have my etsy shop up in the near future. I sell my items at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Gallery, and also have two instructional DVD’s available, “Arabesque Caning”, and “Secret Shapes Inro”. Folks can see how to purchase those by visiting my website.

Next Idea:

How To Make A Simple Beaded Necklace For Beginners

I’ll admit, this one has me slightly torn over where it belongs on CraftGossip — because trinket dishes made from polymer clay sit very neatly in that lovely little overlap between our Polymer Clay blog and our Jewelry Making blog.

Technically, yes, this is a polymer clay project book. But let’s be honest, what do most of us use trinket dishes for? Rings, earrings, necklaces, brooches, little charms, and all those “I’ll put this somewhere safe” pieces that immediately vanish into the craft-room Bermuda Triangle.

So for this week’s Book Review Wednesday, I’m leaning into the jewelry side of things withThe Complete Guide to Trinket Dishes for Beginners, because handmade trinket dishes are such a lovely companion project for jewelry makers. They are practical, pretty, giftable, and a nice way to use polymer clay without needing to jump straight into detailed beads or fiddly earring components.

And really, a handmade trinket dish is one of those beginner-friendly polymer clay projects that feels useful right away. You can make one for your bedside table, one for the bathroom, one near the kitchen sink for rings, one for your sewing room buttons, one for paper clips, one for “miscellaneous tiny things I refuse to throw away” — and suddenly you have made six. That’s crafting, isn’t it?

What I like about the idea of this book is that trinket dishes are a genuinely approachable starting point for beginners. Polymer clay can be a little intimidating when you see all those perfect canes, florals, marble effects, metallic finishes, and tiny sculpted details online. But a small dish? That feels doable. You can roll, shape, texture, bake, sand, paint, glaze, and still end up with something charming even if it is not completely perfect.

In fact, slightly imperfect is often where handmade trinket dishes look their best. A softly uneven edge, a little thumbprint curve, a marbled pattern that wandered off in its own direction — those are the details that make them feel handmade rather than mass-produced.

For jewelry makers, this book also opens up a nice little gift-making path. A handmade pair of earrings tucked into a matching polymer clay trinket dish would make a beautiful birthday gift, Mother’s Day present, craft stall set, or Christmas stocking idea. If you already make earrings or small accessories, a coordinating trinket dish adds that extra “oh, you made the whole thing?” moment, which we do love.

This is also why I think it works so well for the jewelry audience. It is not jewelry in the strictest sense, but it is jewelry-adjacent in the most useful way. It gives makers a way to display, store, gift, and package handmade pieces beautifully. If you enjoy our other jewelry making projects or you have been dabbling in polymer clay earrings, trinket dishes are a natural next step.

I would also cross-link this one from the polymer clay side because readers there will absolutely be interested too. Our polymer clay tutorials audience would appreciate the clay techniques, while the jewelry makers will appreciate the finished use. Honestly, this is one of those books that probably deserves to sit with one foot in each craft room.

The thing I always look for in beginner polymer clay books is whether they help you understand the basics without making the project feel fussy. For trinket dishes, beginners will want clear help with conditioning clay, rolling an even slab, creating clean shapes, adding texture, shaping the dish without cracking it, baking it properly, and finishing the surface so it feels smooth and gift-worthy.

Because nobody wants a ring dish that looks cute in theory but scratches the bedside table or feels like it might snap if you look at it too firmly.

This type of book would suit anyone who wants to make beginner polymer clay gifts, handmade jewelry dishes, ring bowls, small catch-all trays, or craft fair items. It also feels like a nice low-pressure project for a weekend afternoon. No complicated closures, no matching pairs, no tiny jump rings pinging across the room — just clay, shape, texture, and a finished piece that actually has a job to do.

And if you are the sort of maker who saves every leftover scrap of clay, this could be dangerous in the best possible way. Marbled trinket dishes are a perfect way to use up odd colours and little leftover bits from other projects. Much like fabric scraps, clay scraps seem harmless until they form their own ecosystem.

My Shellie-style verdict? The Complete Guide to Trinket Dishes for Beginners feels like a sweet, practical pick for makers who want to try polymer clay in a way that is useful, giftable, and not too intimidating. I would feature it on Jewelry Making because trinket dishes are so closely tied to storing and gifting handmade jewelry, but I would absolutely give it a little nod over on Polymer Clay too.

It is one of those crossover books that reminds us crafts do not always stay politely in their own category. Sometimes a polymer clay book belongs in jewelry making because that is where the finished piece will actually live — holding rings, earrings, charms, and all those tiny treasures we swear we are going to organise one day.

You can find the book here: The Complete Guide to Trinket Dishes for Beginners.

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Have you read?