Roza Haidet of Rusty Chain Jewelry

Roza with her booth at Crafty Mart in 2012.

People in Your Neighborhood: Roza Haidet of Rusty Chain Jewelry
by Joanna Wilson

I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday weekend.  For many of us artists/vendors, this is the last week before Crafty Mart--one of the biggest and best arts & crafts shows of the season--which means it's time to take care of all of the details and last minute touches.  Another favorite artist of mine is Roza Haidet of Rusty Chain Jewelry.  Not only do I know Roza from Crafty Mart, but she's also a regular participant at Dance Dance Party Party-Akron (DDPP-Akron).  Click HERE to see a recent blog post about this local group.

I LOVE this Akron, Ohio necklace--I get asked about mine each time I wear it!

Roza makes her one-of-a-kind jewelry from copper, brass, and sterling silver.  Not only does Roza design the shapes herself, but she also cuts each one from sheet metal, and sands and files each piece herself.  After earning her BFA from Kent State in jewelry/metals/enameling, she decided to create her own affordable jewelry line as a way to express her own creativity and her sense of humor.

Roza is also known for her copper blimp necklaces.  You have to appreciate the sense of humor it takes to name your company "Rusty Chain" when working with metals.

Mr. Moneybags necklace includes a whimsical mustache and monocle.

Roza credits her artistic family as part of her source for inspiration and support for her jewelry line.  "... I have really awesome friends and family that helped me purchase the tools I needed [to work with metals]. My mom and I even built my work bench together!"  And, Haidet has been successfully selling her own line of jewelry throughout Northeast Ohio since 2007.  Roza even claims she's striving to have a few new pieces with her at Crafty Mart--I can't wait to see what she comes up with!

Another popular necklace with a sense of humor: Shark Attack complete with floating debris!

You can find Roza and Rusty Chain Jewelry at Crafty Mart on Saturday, June 1st in downtown Akron from 10am to 5pm at Musica.  Click HERE for the Crafty Mart website.

You can also check out Roza's on-line Etsy store, Rusty Chain.

***If you are out and about on Saturday, June 1st after CraftyMart, please check out Weirdfest's spring Carnevil show from 12pm-7pm, at DevilStrip Dolly's just east of downtown.  For the RSVP and more details, click HERE.  Keep Akron Weird!***