MIDMOD GEMS

I'm Jeanette Stout and I create MIDMOD GEMS!

I've always had a love for different cultures and crafts. I've been fortunate to work in jobs that have taken me around the world. I was in international logistics for many years, then worked-on the Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Salt Lake Olympics. I was a member of Jimmy Carter's Friendship Force and travelled to Ukraine and Georgia while they were still part of the Soviet Union. At each stop I found it was easiest to bring home exotic jewelry and beads as my souvenir from that trip.

While living on the West Coast, I was introduced to background actor work in film and TV. Since moving back to Decatur, Georgia I have been busy in the local industry. You've seen me as a teacher in "Stranger Things", blown-up at the UN with the "Black Panther", as a zombie on "The Walking Dead", a spy on "MacGyver", a riverboat gambler on "Ozark", a stand-in for Reba McEntire and Susan Sarandon, and hundreds of other productions. To pass the time in holding I began doing bead work. Soon friends asked me to make jewelry for them. MIDMOD GEMS was born!

I love the look of Mid-Century Modern design and incorporate that into my earrings. I collect vintage necklaces, but I don't get to wear them very often. By turning them into earrings I can add a little bit of glamor to every day. I like clean, modern lines that complement today's styles. I put bold, colorful gems, wood, stone and glass on new findings to make timeless accessories. Rather than leave family jewelry unused in a drawer, friends now donate it to have it made into earrings they will wear all the time. This gives me a very eclectic mix of beads to choose from, ceramics, crystals and sea glass. "These beads were worn in Vegas, Auntie bought these in Venice, these came over on the boat from Greece", I love the stories!

The reuse/recycle aspect of the earrings is important to me. So many people have a box full of broken or unused jewels and are thrilled I can turn Nana's necklace into something new! It's a relief to have these memories take on a new life, and that makes me happy. I also reuse guitar string brass ball ends that are given to me by a local 'repairman-to-the-stars'. Those ball ends have appeared on stages all over the world!