November 26, 2007 An interview with Alyssa Bijoux of Alyssa Bijoux Jewelry
The second article in our series on content designers in Second Life will feature Alyssa Bijoux and her incredible collection of jewelry that can be seen at many locations throughout Second Life. Her unmistakable blue sign with its characteristic “B” can be found in many of Second Life’s larger and more prominent shopping centers adding great value to any shopping experience. Alyssa’s jewelry is attractive, diverse and offers a bit of something for everyone. From conventional necklaces to the more daring body piercing, you will find it in Alyssa’s shops. Alyssa’s quality is exemplary. Her work is very clean and it’s obvious that real pride goes into the pieces that she produces and sells. Not only is Alyssa’s product attractive to look at, it is also attractively priced. Many of her items are priced comfortable enough so that a person first starting out in Second Life can find that they can properly accessorize their avie when shopping at one of Alyssa’s shops. And in case you should happen not to find a particular piece that catches your eye, Alyssa does do custom work, you merely have to IM her and speak with her about your needs and she’ll be happy to help. Friendly and open, Alyssa is a joy to speak with and very accommodating. So let’s have a few words with Alyssa and see what she has to say.
SLS: Welcome Alyssa, and thank you for speaking with us today. Why don’t we start with you telling us about how you first got your start as a jeweler in Second Life and what it is that drew you to jewelry creation and the never ending frustration of bending prims and surpassing the Linden size limits to create your delicate masterpieces?
AB: Hello there! I’d say that the number one thing that attracted me to Second Life was the opportunity to build and express yourself through your creations. When I started Second Life, I didn’t even consider the business side of things, I just arrived to have some fun! I went to events regularly, hung out with friends, and started to learn to use the building tools here. I began by making furniture, vases and candles for my home. As time went on, I got more comfortable building more intricate designs with different shapes and smaller prims. Then, one day, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to assist with making jewelry - it took me a while to master the manipulation of tiny prims – I had a lot of half-made necklaces in the trash! But I was persistent, did my time learning, and it paid off :) My advice to someone wanting to learn would be simply to experiment a lot with making and manipulating tiny prims; Using different types and learning the effect of cut, hollow, skew, etc. It’s also important to master your camera and the different orientation frames to line them up. Finally, don’t give up :)
SLS: I must say that your store holdings are vast with properties in very nearly every major shopping center in Second Life. This is very impressive. Since your rez date on November 24, 2004 you have achieved an incredible accomplishment. Do you manage each location personally or do you have help in doing so? How do you find it possible to manage each location and still find time for development of new products and have fun in Second Life?
AB: It often surprises people that I manage all aspects of my business with no help. It can be extremely busy, even chaotic, at times. I have to keep up with renewing rental space, setting up new stores, designing new collections, and completing my custom orders. I’ve learned to manage my time very carefully. My usual working day starts outside of Second Life, answering offline IMs and doing preparatory work in Paint Shop Pro (PSP). Once I’m in Second Life it can get tough – I’m usually in 5 or more IMs at all times, while teleporting around to explore new clubs or malls. I set aside time at the end of the working day to complete custom orders, design new jewelry and set up new stores. I usually work at least 8 hours a day - sometimes 10-12 hours - depending on the need of my customers. Thank goodness this is fun to me or I would have burnt out a long time ago - I do so enjoy designing and creating jewelry - it’s a wonderful creative outlet.
SLS: Speaking of having fun in Second Life, do you find that you’re still free to enjoy the sites and locations that SL has to offer? How has your notoriety altered your ability to freely roam and explore while taking IM’s for custom orders, customer service IM’s and the IM’s and communications of your friends and partner Escort?
AB: I do loveeeee to explore new places, even now! Unfortunately, my time is very limited and so I cannot go to clubs and hang with friends as much as I would like. I am in constant IMs with customers so I have to multi-task almost all the time! When I am dancing and enjoying events you can bet that I’m also in PSP working on custom orders, or in IMs with my customers. My partner, Esc is my soul mate and RL love. He is the inspiration for many of the designs I create. He is extremely patient and he understands that most of the time I am doing 3 or 4 different things.
SLS: When first starting out, what existing Second Life jewelry designers were inspirations to you? How often do you receive influences from real world jewelry designs? Do you try to incorporate real world designs into what you design in Second Life, and do you find the transition from the real world to the digital world a daunting task?
AB: I admire the diversity and creativity of all of the jewelers in Second Life. Frequently I am just blown away by some of the jewelry designs that I see. However, I would say that most of my inspiration comes from RL jewelry and fine art. I recently spent 5 months traveling throughout Europe, and so had the opportunity to see first hand the work of jewelers and fashion designers in Rome, Paris, London and Amsterdam. Also, I was able to visit some incredible museums, and to experience a great diversity of truly wonderful architectural styles. I would say that, more than anything, my experiences on that particular trip has inspired many of my recent designs.
In-world, I’d say that clothing/accessory designers inspire me most – people like Blaze Columbia (Blaze) and Isabella Gandini (Vendetta). I may often create a jewelry line since it would match a great outfit perfectly. Another designer that stands out for me is Julia Hathor with Creative Fantasy Home & Garden. Her landscapes and gardening designs are breathtaking. There are very few designers that allow you to almost FEEL Second Life; to touch the water... to smell the flowers... There are many stores and garden areas in SL that are gorgeous; but to really feel your surroundings deep down in your soul is a true art that Julia has mastered. Walking through her gardens gives you an incredible sense of serenity.
SLS: How has the advent of sculpty usage altered the way that you create your product line? Do you use sculpties? If so, what application(s) do you find most useful in creating sculpties?
AB: Sculpties were a GREAT innovation in Second Life. I have found that, at the moment, PSP is the best way to create the kind of precise sculpties that I need for my designs. I use sculpties mainly for gem cuts that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using plain prims. Various cuts such as heart, star, cushion, marquise and even brilliant cut are much more efficiently achieved by using a sculpted prim.
SLS: Texture creation often defines one builder from the next and each has his/her own style and methods used to create them. What applications do you use to create your textures and what techniques have you found bring you the best results? For instance, do you produce your imagery with any special filter effects or find that outputting to a particular image size (256 / 512 / 1024) is more beneficial than the next?
AB: As I mentioned I mainly use PSP for texture creation. I have built up a large number of preset filters over the last couple of years – many have taken hours to create to get a very particular effect. As for upload resolution, that really depends on what I’m making. Texture size in SL is a matter of striking the right balance between rez speed and the required detail.
SLS: Your product line caters to men and women both mainstream and edgy. What do you find to be your most popular selling items? How do you accommodate avies of varying sizes? Do you allow mod rights on your items?
AB: I have designed jewelry for almost every setting and any occasion. I am not strictly a bridal jeweler or Gothic jeweler. However, I do customize my merchant booths and sale items to match the theme of the club or setting. For instance, for a jazz club I may use a booth design that complements my more elegant jewelry (bridal, pearls, etc..); for a goth-themed club I may display more edgy jewelry (skulls, crosses, piercings). I find that the most popular items will vary according to the theme of the location. A few items, such as my rather intricate Falling Stars collection, will be popular in all locations. I have always sold my jewelry as mod/transfer to allow each piece to be fitted perfectly for the individual.
SLS: You do custom work, yeah! From the first time that you are contacted to do a custom piece, how long does it take, and what should a customer expect to provide to you in order to aid you in creating their custom creation? How also do you determine the cost of such a request?
AB: This is one area where I am very meticulous. Customer Service is my number one priority. If it wasn’t for my customers I would not be successful. I am honored when being asked to complete a custom order - for someone to think that highly of my designs is really flattering! Most orders that I receive are completed in 24 hours or less. I specialize in engraved jewelry - necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belly studs, rings, etc... Usually, I need the customer to specify whether the item is for a man or woman (you’d be surprised how many forget to mention that!), also the item that they wish to purchase, and the name or words to be engraved. If a customer wants a completely unique item they need to give me in detail a description of what they want - if possible sending me a picture of the RL item they are wanting created. The products in my store are priced very affordable. Custom items cost a bit more - starting at 600L. I do not advertise custom prices since the prices vary depending on the amount of work needed to complete an order. In general, I try to keep my prices as low as possible :)
SLS: Tell us more about the Alyssa Bijoux Store and Mall and Serenity Park. How involved were you in their design? Did you take an active hand in building them?
AB: I have owned the land in Kirkstone for a very long time - it was the very first piece of land I purchased! Most designers own a sim allowing them the freedom to build a massive main store, but I could never give up my Kirkstone store! It’s actually a running joke with my merchant friends who have a store in my small plaza outside my main store. Whilst I spend countless hours lining up the tiny prims in my creations but my plaza is a total mess, every wall is crooked! I built it years ago by taking apart the freebie linden cabins! It kind of reminds me of the Tiltamore Hotel at the Six Flags Amusement park ;) The actual store building started off as a Pre-fab contemporary house I purchased. As my business grew I unlinked it, moved some walls and floors around, built a club on the lower level and added more rooms for displays. I used to hold regular events in the club called the Funkadelic Cafe - 60's themed club, but now my business has grown to a point where I no longer have them time to hold these events - but the club still exists.
When my store began to grow I built Serenity Park as a place where my customers or Funkadelic clubbers could go to go to meditate, relax and cuddle with a loved one. There are grottos, waterfalls, streams and soft new-age music. It’s also a great place to unwind after a long day :) It’s a modest sized area but it’s a place that’s close to my heart :)
SLS: Tell us Alyssa, give us the inside scoop, where do you see the development of Second Life jewelry going? What innovations have taken place to help you better create “tomorrows” product line?
AB: I think the diversity of jewelry will increase as people become more comfortable with sculpties and the tools to create them improve. In the future, we can expect new platform capabilities that we do not yet foresee and that will create a few surprises. In the end, I think that the biggest developments will continue to be in freedom of imagination. I can’t resist telling you that my favorite quotation is from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless."
SLS: Going beyond jewelry creation, what areas of Second Life would you like to explore next? Tell us more about your dreams and aspirations.
AB: I love making jewelry so much I find it hard to imagine doing anything else instead. In many ways creating jewelry is my dream job!
SLS: Have you taken part in/sponsored any of Second Life’s charity functions? Do you feel that Second Life is a tool that can effectively reach out and make a difference to many of the charitable functions that it currently sponsors?
AB: The communities in Second Life can act very powerfully together. We definitely can and do help RL charitable organizations. To give an example, I happen to be a great animal lover and give to animal organizations whenever possible. I was heartbroken when watching the aftermath of the Katrina disaster on CNN, where thousands of displaced pets roamed the streets of cities throughout the regions hit by Katrina. Then I learned that a group of animal protection organizations were coming together for a large-scale rescue effort. Bestfriends.org headed this effort up. I used Second life to generate funds for Bestfriends.org. I held a number of charity events, and thanks to the people in Second Life we ended up raising thousands of RL dollars towards the animal rescue. Second Life can definitely make a difference!
SLS: We would like to thank you again Alyssa for taking the time to talk with us today and thank you for making Society your home on the web. We look forward to your newest offerings and welcome you to showcase them here should you like.
Take care Alyssa and we here at Society wish you the BEST of luck in your future endeavors.
A few notes regarding Alyssa’s business:
Business hours: IM me anytime!
Email: kutekat34@yahoo.com
Available for customs: YES
GIFT CERTIFICATES available (Y/N) Contact: YES – Gift Card ATM located at main store - Automated System
ADD-ON Sets available (Y/N): N/A
REFUND policy (Y/N): Varies – depends on the situation
As mentioned, I will be doing a series of articles focusing on content creators in Second Life. If you have input in regards to good subjects for these articles please email me here for consideration. Thank you =)
If any of you have been to the last 2 SLS events then you have had the pleasure of meeting Kiki DeVinna. This women is one of the hardest working DJ...
I’m happy to tell you all about an incredible new event being offered to Society members and all who wish to partake in a different and exciting kin...
