#99: Can You Go Slow and Still Build Something Big?

Go Slow With Intentionality: Bella Grass on Becoming a Jeweler, Building Confidence, and Finding Your Niche

Host Courtney Gray shares a conversation with Transform student Bella Grass about her path into jewelry after college, starting with a Boulder Metalsmithing Studio class, learning through an entry-level casting job, attending New Approach’s three-month program, and working as a repair jeweler and setter. Bella discusses what surprised her most, how hard and gratifying the work is, along with the focus, problem-solving, physical demands, and confidence required when things go wrong. 

She explains how Courtney’s podcast and the Transform program helped her learn business basics, set boundaries, and “go slow with intentionality,” including designing a life first and letting the business fit around it. Bella shares current goals like showing work at the Colorado Metalsmithing Association Conference and training at GRS, and encourages others to keep going, seek community, and find mentors.

We cover:
00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:35 Why This Interview
01:16 Bella Finds Metalsmithing
02:17 First Jobs And Training
04:17 Confidence And Reps
06:02 What Makes It Hard
07:29 Discovering Transform
08:42 Business Skills Goals
09:39 Go Slow Intentionally
11:50 New Priorities And Boundaries
13:21 Next Steps And Shows
14:36 Advice To Keep Going
16:46 Find Your Niche
17:37 Should You Join Transform
17:58 Host Wrap And Next Steps
19:03 Final Sign Off

Transcript

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#99: Can You Go Slow and Still Build Something Big?

Speaker 3: [00:00:00] Welcome to The Jeweler's View. I'm Courtney Gray. I've spent nearly 30 years in this industry running schools, doing custom work, coaching, consulting, and working with makers at all stages. Over time, I've started to see the patterns, the things that actually move a creative career forward and the things that can quietly hold it back.

I built this podcast to cut through the noise. Less time in your head or down the research rabbit hole and more time building something real. Let's get into it 

Today's conversation actually started as one of the interviews I like to do with my Transform students. After the course, I wanna hear what landed, what didn't, and get just a better understanding of their experience as a whole. But as Bella and I got talking, I realized there was a much bigger conversation here about learning the craft, putting in the reps, and not feeling [00:01:00] like you have to do everything at once, which is...

i'm so grateful that she took that away, because this is one of the main reasons this course exists. So I asked Bella Grass to let me share this conversation with you here on the podcast.

Courtney Gray: us the moment you decided this is what you wanted to do with your life

Bella Grass: Yeah. I had just gotten out of college and I was feeling a little bit lost with what I wanted to do. I was drawing almost every single day, was thinking about going to animation school. And then I realized I didn't really like being on computers, forcing myself to build these 3D models, and it just was overwhelming.

And I ended up taking a class at Boulder Metalsmithing Studio. My first day it was hard, but by the end of the class I made something that I never thought I would be able to make. And that was my turning [00:02:00] point that I wanted to do this. And that's where everything started

Courtney Gray: I love it. That was the 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: moment where you were like, "

Courtney Gray: Oh, I could do this."

Bella Grass: Yeah, and I could make money from this, and it could be 

Bella Grass (2): a sustainable 

Bella Grass: income for me as an artist.

Courtney Gray: so 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: what happened 

Courtney Gray: after that? What steps did you 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: take?

Bella Grass: So after that, I was like, "Okay, I want more. I wanna be able to start working." I started just cold 

Bella Grass (2): calling.

Bella Grass: My teacher at the time gave me a 

Bella Grass (2): couple of leads

Bella Grass: I just emailed them, and most people were like, "No, we're we're not looking for anyone," or just not interested at all.

And then I got one email back,

Bella Grass (2): It was a

Bella Grass: really small casting studio just out of this guy's house. He had been doing it for 20 years with his wife. They had three pugs, 

Bella Grass (2): and 

Bella Grass: that's where I started. I started in a basement, in a garage, just shooting waxes, cutting off sprues, just getting my [00:03:00] hours in.

And it was an amazing experience. They didn't pay that much, but I was okay with that because I loved it. 

. It was more like they were paying me to teach me, and that was invaluable to me at the time. And I just wanted more, so I started to going to gem shows talking to people, seeing what the industry actually looked like.

And 

Bella Grass (2): I

Bella Grass: met a gem cutter, and he told me about New Approach. And after 

Bella Grass (2): that, I was,

Bella Grass: like, sold. I went to New Approach for their three-month program and

Bella Grass (2): just

Bella Grass: really got fully immersed in becoming a jeweler. And

Bella Grass (2): then

Bella Grass: I got recruited by a big box company to work as a repair jeweler and setter, and I moved

Bella Grass (2): back

Bella Grass: to 

Bella Grass (2): where I'm from, and they

Bella Grass: paid for me to move back.

And I just really focused the last three

Bella Grass (2): years [00:04:00] on

Bella Grass: Trying 

Bella Grass (2): to become the best that

Bella Grass: I can be. ,

Courtney Gray: There's a whole story behind the 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: pugs, 

Courtney Gray: I'm sure.

Just the pugs.

Bella Grass (2): Just the

Bella Grass: pups themselves. They were just barking all the time. It was amazing. I

Courtney Gray: such funny little dogs.

Bella Grass: I know, and three of them, it was insane.

Courtney Gray: I love it. . So what surprised you most about this so far?

Bella Grass: How

Bella Grass (2): hard it is.

Bella Grass: How gratifying it is at the same time. I 

Bella Grass (2): really had to become a

Bella Grass: different person and think a different way. When I was younger I struggled a lot 

Bella Grass (2): with being, feeling insecure.

Bella Grass: And as a jeweler, you need to be secure. 

Bella Grass (2): If you're gonna

Bella Grass: be setting a diamond that's extremely expensive in gold,

Bella Grass (2): you need to

Bella Grass: know what you're doing, and you need to be confident in it.

And I had to

Bella Grass (2): do a lot of

Bella Grass: personal growth to feel ready to be

Bella Grass (2): able to

Bella Grass: do what I'm doing now. It doesn't come easy. Some [00:05:00]aspects

Bella Grass (2): may come

Bella Grass: easy to you, like

Bella Grass (2): fixing certain things or

Bella Grass: If you know how to draw, that

Bella Grass (2): helps a lot with

Bella Grass: engraving. But at

Bella Grass (2): the end of the

Bella Grass: day, it's about how determined are you gonna be, how many reps are you gonna be able to put in, and how

Bella Grass (2): are you gonna maintain a

Bella Grass: positive outlook when inevitably, as a repair jeweler, something's gonna go wrong

Bella Grass (2): like, 

Bella Grass: How do you manage a really hard day when you wanna cry?

It's hard. It's not easy on your body. You, you need to work out. You need to take care of yourself. 

Bella Grass (2): You need to be a high performer. And, 

Bella Grass: I think that's something that is invaluable to me. I think it gave me the confidence in who I'm supposed to be.

Courtney Gray: Awesome. And it puts you in a situation where 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: daily you have 

Courtney Gray: to exercise these things, this

Bella Grass: Yeah. Daily you have to 

Bella Grass (2): take

Bella Grass: care of yourself

Or you're not gonna feel right. It's not gonna be sustainable long term.

Courtney Gray: It's gonna be harder

than 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: it has to

Courtney Gray: be. Yeah.

What a great, 

Perspective

to [00:06:00] gain now. I think that's amazing. You mentioned hard. What felt harder than you expected from this craft or from this journey?

Bella Grass: The focus that 

Bella Grass (2): it

Bella Grass: takes to become a good setter and an engraver and a repair jeweler

Bella Grass (2): just

Bella Grass: understanding what the metal is you're working with, the different nuances with, "

Bella Grass (2): Oh,

Bella Grass: I can push the metal a little bit more. Can I push it? No, I can't. Actually,

Bella Grass (2): it's gonna

Bella Grass: break. Shit. What am I supposed to do?"

Thinking about complex problems when things inevitably go 

Bella Grass (2): wrong, like the

Bella Grass: steps that you take "Oh, I was sizing a ring and it just melted in half. What do I do? How do I deal with

Bella Grass (2): this?"

Bella Grass: Having to reset a diamond that's .5 millimeters big,

Bella Grass (2): and h- what

Bella Grass: type of mobility to be able to maneuver it into a small space.

Understanding the tools you're working with, understanding the different strategies to be able to do the [00:07:00] job good and well, and for the client to like it. That's what's can be difficult. But with practice it really, you can get it down, and it's very gratifying once you do get it down.

Courtney Gray: The wins are like, "Woo-hoo," because you see

Bella Grass: Oh, yeah. It's..

Courtney Gray: You're 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: gonna have,

Bella Grass: Yeah. The biggest thing as a jeweler is just being okay with failing over and over, and then winning and then failing again.

Courtney Gray: Yeah. At least you got that win in there though,

Where were you when you found Transform? ? 

Bella Grass: I was in the thick of becoming a repair jeweler. And it was hard. The first year of becoming a repair jeweler can be 

Bella Grass (2): difficult

Bella Grass: because there's a lot that you just,

Bella Grass (2): you don't understand. You

Bella Grass: don't understand how the metal works, and there's a lot of failing that is 

Bella Grass (2): involved in that.

Bella Grass: And finding your podcast was very motivating to me.

It was like there was light at the end of the tunnel. I 

Bella Grass (2): listen to

Bella Grass: your podcast and it helped get me through. And [00:08:00] I heard you talk about Transform a lot,

Bella Grass (2): and I was

Bella Grass: like, "Okay, maybe I could do Transform. Maybe it could push me to the next level of being able to start

Bella Grass (2): business

Bella Grass: outside of doing just repair and setting."

And I was like, "No, I, um..." at my old job, it was, it was go, go, go, go, go. 

Bella Grass (2): Like, No

Bella Grass: breaks. And I didn't have the capacity 

Bella Grass (2): do

Bella Grass: it yet. But once I started a new job at a custom shop, I was able to go to Tucson. I was able to have way more time to be able 

Bella Grass (2): pour

Bella Grass: into myself, and that's when I started to feel ready to take Transform.

And then I ran into you at Tucson, and I was like, "

Bella Grass (2): Okay,

Bella Grass: This is right. This is what I should do. Yeah, this is - it's time to do this. 

Courtney Gray: You mentioned feeling ready. I think a lot of us feel like we're supposed to be to a certain place before we do this kind of professional development work.

What were you hoping that you would gain from it

Bella Grass: I just didn't understand how to run a business at all. I didn't understand how any of it works. I'm still working through [00:09:00] that. I'm still trying to figure out

Bella Grass (2): what

Bella Grass: does it look like to collect all the stuff for my taxes

Bella Grass (2): and

Bella Grass: to make a budget that's sustainable for me and how to pay myself.

I didn't know how to do any of that stuff. So to be with other people like mentors that

Bella Grass (2): have done it before,

Bella Grass: that have seen it before, I thought would really help me, and it did. And 

Bella Grass (2): it felt like

A good

Bella Grass: start for me to jump off of and really focus on what I wanna do and what I want my business to look like.,

Courtney Gray: There's a lot of info there. 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: And you're working full time,

and you had

Courtney Gray: other things going on was there a a certain conversation or realization that came to life

Bella Grass: something that stuck with me is to go slow with intentionality. I think as a young jeweler, you get really caught up in "I need to do everything right now, immediately. Let's burn myself out. I wanna take every class. I wanna talk to every single person about jewelry." And 

Bella Grass (2): you just [00:10:00] can't do

Bella Grass: that.

It's impossible. You're gonna hurt yourself.

Bella Grass (2): You need to

Bella Grass: slow down. You need to really step back and think, "What do I want from all of this? What's gonna make me happy?"

Bella Grass (2): I think

Bella Grass: the exercise that we did where you went into let's design your dream life, and let's go backwards from there.

Bella Grass (2): What does it look like to wake

Bella Grass: up in the morning? And I realized I don't necessarily wanna own a storefront. I don't necessarily w- want to be a jeweler that services everyone and everything. It was

Bella Grass (2): Tailoring

Bella Grass: my life to what actually will work for me I needed that. I needed someone to be like, "You need to slow down." 

Bella Grass (2): It's okay

Courtney Gray: It's okay to

Bella Grass: to, it's okay to slow 

down and not burn yourself out.

Courtney Gray: And when we're excited, we're ambitious, and we're starting something new, it's easy to go there. It's just real easy to go till you kinda collapse and like I said, the rest is part of the work,[00:11:00]

and we

Bella Grass: and it's like you're supposed to enjoy it. This

Courtney Gray: Yeah. That's why

Bella Grass: You're an artist. You're supposed to love it. What's the point if you don't love it?

Courtney Gray: Exactly. If you don't love it or when you stop loving it for a long period of time is when it's time to kinda go and look and say

is this the right place for me?"

Bella Grass: Yeah, and that's when you need to take a

Bella Grass (2): break,

Bella Grass: step back, just be like, "Okay, do I... I need to go out in nature and touch some grass and get some inspiration," because

Bella Grass (2): you can't

Bella Grass: hate what you love, it's just not, it's not sustainable

Courtney Gray: Oh, that's so well said.

Go sit by a tree.

And put your feet in the grass. Get by the water.

I know this is an integration. I always say, "You're not gonna be able to implement this in six weeks. Don't even try, because 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: that will add more 

Courtney Gray: urgency,"

and that's really not what this coursework is 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: about.

It's about 

Courtney Gray: learning and being together for 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: a period 

Courtney Gray: of time so are you thinking differently now or noticing a different approach?

Bella Grass (2): Yeah,

Bella Grass: I'm definitely thinking differently. I think it's, the main thing is taking care of [00:12:00] myself 

Bella Grass (2): is

Bella Grass: extremely important in this. Like working out, going outside before you start bench work. And also what my priorities are in a day. There's only so much you can do in a day for your business, and if you work full-time, even more but if you can remind yourself, 

Bella Grass (2): " Okay, 

this is what

Bella Grass: the big picture is. This is what I want," everything else falls away. It's 

Bella Grass (2): easier... I- it's almost

Bella Grass: like you have a true north, and there's certain events that you can be like, "Okay that doesn't really fit into what I wanna do overall."

Bella Grass (2): For me,

Bella Grass: I get pulled in so many directions. Everyone... I love my friends, I love my life, but there's so many things that everyone wants me to do., After Transform,.. i'm more intentional with what time I put into certain things. "Is that really a priority? Do I need to do that right now?

Do I need to push myself in that way, or can I just [00:13:00] prioritize what really matters to

Bella Grass (2): me?"

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: , To learn those 

Courtney Gray: boundaries is a huge part of this, and still remembering to have fun and go out and be with your people, right? 

Bella Grass: Absolutely. Yeah, 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: a balance 

Bella Grass: it because that's when you get 

Bella Grass (2): inspiration, when you

Bella Grass: talk to people, when you see people that have an amazing look that inspire you to make jewelry for them. That's what it's all about. Jewelers are community builders

Bella Grass (2): for sure

Courtney Gray: What are you working toward now? What feels possible now that didn't before? Where are you headed?

Bella Grass: I'm feeling a lot more organized now. So I have created a couple of pieces that I'm gonna be putting in a show that's coming up, which is very exciting. The store that I'm working for, we're doing the Colorado Metalsmithing Association Conference, and 

Bella Grass (2): I'm gonna be able

Bella Grass: to show my work there, which is huge.

I've been working towards this for a very long time, so I'm very excited about that. And just going into this summer, like, I'm going to be training very hard at GRS, and [00:14:00] that's going to be able to put me at a level as an engraver that a lot of people aren't at. So I'm going to be focused on that and just getting better.

That's the biggest thing. Not trying to do everything in a day. That is just not possible to do., I have to tell myself that this is this is a marathon and this isn't a sprint.

I'm excited to what the end of summer is going to bring with my-

portfolio. 

Courtney Gray: Your skill set's just gonna keep getting better 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: and better 

Courtney Gray: with the time that you're putting in, like you

said, the reps. Yeah. it's exciting. I can't wait to see where you head. So if someone is where you were a year ago, what would you tell them, Bella?

Bella Grass: Keep going. 

Bella Grass (2): A year

Bella Grass: ago, I was struggling. I was struggling a lot. I

Bella Grass (2): wasn't sure if I

Bella Grass: wanted to be a jeweler anymore, because repair is very hard. But if you keep choosing yourself and if there's something deep in you that

Bella Grass (2): is 

Bella Grass: Keeps telling you that

Bella Grass (2): this is what

Bella Grass: you're meant to do, listen to [00:15:00] that, and go

Bella Grass (2): out

Bella Grass: into your community and talk to people.

Go to networking events where there's jewelers. Go to metalsmithing association classes, and talk to people that can inspire you to keep going. Because if that's what you're meant to do, that's what you're meant to do, and don't give up on that. I'm so privileged and blessed and thankful to be where I'm at,

just keep going. Don't give up, and find mentors and people that can help you

Courtney Gray: That's great advice. Consistency, right? It's 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: like 

Courtney Gray: just returning to the thing. Even if it feels hard one day, you take a break and then you return.

It's, it 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: doesn't have 

Courtney Gray: to mean a big failure, even if you take time off,

There's needs to be those breaks and those lulls, but just keep going back.

Like working out, like you said, it's "Oh, I missed a week." It's not the end of the world, right? Just return to it.

Bella Grass: Yeah. Being a jeweler and having the jeweler's life is hard, but it's also amazing and beautiful, and I couldn't [00:16:00] imagine doing anything else.

This 

Bella Grass (2): is what I'm supposed

Bella Grass: to do. And that's a really good feeling to know what

Bella Grass (2): you're supposed to do

Courtney Gray: . I feel like my 20s was fl- literally flopping around like a fish out 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: of water.

Courtney Gray: Like somebody 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: throw me back in.

Courtney Gray: Tell me where I'm supposed... I know I'm supposed to do something creative, like work with my hands. I had quit doing any other kind of job. I started construction and all this stuff.

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: But I remember that 

Courtney Gray: whole decade for me was just like a little bit of torture, 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: honestly.

I wouldn't, would not wanna go back 

Courtney Gray: to it. It was really difficult

trying to latch in. You're lucky 

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: To have that 

Courtney Gray: much alignment and that much clarity, I think is such a bonus,

'cause you're just gonna go

riverside_courtney_gray_raw-audio_the_jeweler's view _0021: farther faster

Bella Grass: And finding your niche in jewelry. You can try to do it all, and 

Bella Grass (2): there are some people that are

Bella Grass: able to do it all. I know people that are stone cutters, master fabricators, engravers, can do [00:17:00] everything. But at the same time, it's okay to find a niche and just really focus in on that, and then everything else will come.

If you're interested in enameling, do it later. You don't need to do enameling right now. For me, it's like I love engraving. That is my bread and butter, and 

Bella Grass (2): that's

Bella Grass: what's getting me the most attention right now because that's what I'm pouring myself into.

So if someone can find what they really

Bella Grass (2): love and

Bella Grass: focus on that, so many doors can open for you.

Courtney Gray: Bella, thanks so much.

What would you say to someone on the fence about signing up for Transform?

Bella Grass (2): Just

Bella Grass: do it. You get what you put into it, honestly, at the end of the day. Ju-

Bella Grass (2): just do it.

Bella Grass: It helps. It helps being able to have a sounding board. It helps to have mentors. You need mentors. You need help in this industry. You can't 

Bella Grass (2): do it by yourself, so

Bella Grass: why not?

Courtney Gray: I love your [00:18:00] authenticity.

There is so much in this conversation that I love, but I keep coming back to something Bella said earlier: go slow with intentionality. This is everything. Bella is at the beginning of what I think is going to be a very long, successful career, and she's already learning that she doesn't have to master everything at once.

She can choose engraving. She can get really good at it. She can change direction later. This is how we evolve. She can ask for help. She can build a life first and let the business take shape around it. And I think that's useful whether you've been making jewelry for three years or for 30. If you're curious about Transform after hearing Bella's experience, registration for the next live cohort, this is all online, is open now.

You can find everything at courtneygrayarts.com. Bella, thank you so much for sharing where you are in this [00:19:00] process. I cannot wait to see where all those reps take you. Until next time, I'm Courtney Gray, and this has been The Jeweler's View. Onward and upward. 

I'm glad you're here. This path takes a lot, especially when you're building something of your own. If you wanna go deeper, I share key takeaways and additional teaching through my email list at courtneygrayarts.com. Keep going. This part matters. I'll see you next [00:20:00] week