Staying in style can be expensive- especially if the pieces you want to add to your wardrobe are only sold at overpriced boutiques. This is precisely the reason that Erin Fogarty, a senior psychology and child and family development double major from Savannah, Georgia began making her own jewelry.

Fogarty has designed a piece of jewelry that can be worn as a bracelet and necklace interchangeably. Each piece features a large stone with long strands of suede that tie the piece together.

“I would look on the Instagram popular page to see what people are wearing, and I thought it didn’t look hard to make,” Fogarty said. From there she started making personal pieces as well as some pieces for her friends and family. “I gave them to friends as gifts, but then my sister featured a piece on her fashion blog, and my jewelry started attracting lots of attention.”

At first, Fogarty was getting her supplies from places like Hobby Lobby and Michaels, but when her business started booming, she began ordering her materials online from China and Florida.

“I guess this year, January, is when I started ‘professionally’ making jewelry,” Fogarty said. She explains that it was her New Year’s resolution. Fogarty has made over $1000 since then.

Because Fogarty makes all of her pieces herself, they sell out quickly. The last time she made some pieces, they sold out in minutes. She plans to order many more materials for her products in the future.

“They don’t take long to make,” Fogarty said. She even designed some jewelry holders to make the finished product look perfect. These jewelry holders boast the name of her brand, “Suede and Stones.”

Most of her pieces can be worn as either a bracelet or a necklace. She has lots of different color bands and stone options. Her neutral pieces are very popular now, but she predicts her brighter colors will be more popular in the spring.

“Bright stones would be good statement pieces for special events like weddings,” Fogarty said. She also mentioned that she would like to offer a mix and match option in the future because the suede can be easily changed on any piece.

She charges $30 for most of her pieces, but some bracelets and necklaces cost less. The price depends on the type of stone.

Fogarty definitely sees this business as something she will be working with in the future. “I might even do this after graduation. I’m young, and I could start my own business,” Fogarty said. Though she stays busy with college, she admits she has considered transforming an upstairs room in her house into a jewelry station.

In the future, Fogarty wants to make her own website to showcase her current and new pieces. For now, you can follow Suede and Stones on Instagram (@suedeandstones), email her at suedeandstones@gmail.com, or check out her Etsy page at suedeandstones.etsy.com if you’re interested in her jewelry.