That jewelry should be made by human hands, rooted in real relationships, and created with the kind of care that machines can't replicate. What started as me alone at my bench in a shipping container in Alaska has grown into something bigger and more beautiful than I ever imagined — a partnership between my studio here and a family-owned workshop in Bali, united by a love for the craft and a commitment to keeping it alive. Here's how it all comes together.
Every design starts with me — Erin — in a 19-foot converted shipping container studio on the shores of Mitkof Island in Southeast Alaska. The temperate rainforest outside my window, the tides, the whales, the rain-soaked berry leaves — these are the landscapes that shape my work. I source every stone by hand, dream up every design, and develop every concept that becomes a Twisted Ginger collection.
Some collections I fabricate entirely in-house, right here at my bench. When you see behind-the-scenes content of me sawing, soldering, stamping, and setting stones on my Instagram, those are pieces being born in this studio. I'm a self-taught silversmith with nearly two decades of experience, and the craft is still the thing that lights me up most.
As Twisted Ginger grew, I reached a crossroads. The demand for my work was outpacing what one pair of hands could produce, and I was sacrificing time with my family and the quality my customers deserved, trying to do it all alone. I knew that if I was going to bring on help, the handmade integrity of my jewelry was non-negotiable.
That's when I was introduced to Janet.
Janet runs a family-owned silversmithing factory in Bali where the craft has been practiced for over a thousand years. After a few back and forth emails, she invited me to fly over, stay with her family, and see the operation firsthand. It was my first solo international trip...and it changed everything.
I walked into a workshop where silver is still melted from raw silver and alloy, poured into bricks, hammered and rolled into sheets by rolling mills. Not a single gram is wasted. Some of the silversmiths still work barefoot, pumping a traditional foot bellow, called a kempos, to power their torches. The intricate detailing, the polishing, the care, everything is done by human hands, the way it has been for centuries.
What struck me most was Janet's leadership. The department heads in her workshop are almost all women, intentionally elevated into management. Her values mirrored mine in ways I hadn't expected, and what started as a business relationship quickly became something much deeper.
Today, Janet is like a second mother to me. I've brought my children to meet her family. We participate in their cultural ceremonies, share meals, family time, and support each other in ways that go far beyond jewelry.
This family-owned operation has been in business for over thirty years and only takes on a handful of designers who are committed to a long-term partnership, and I'm honored to be one of them.
Every single piece starts with my vision, my designs, my hands selecting each stone. Some collections I fabricate entirely in my studio. Other collections I design, and then my Bali team brings to life, by hand, using the same techniques and standards I would use myself.
I fly to Bali regularly to work alongside the silversmiths, train them on my designs, and we learn from each other. I bring them tools they've never seen, and they let me attempt their foot bellow torch — which, coming from my little propane torch at home, usually ends with me nearly burning my face off while the entire workshop enjoys a good laugh. We share meals, time at the bench, and a love for silversmithing. It's a beautiful partnership.
And some pieces come together through a blend of both. My team handcrafts components in Bali, and I do all the design work, bezel-making, soldering, polishing, stone-setting, and finished fabrication here in my studio.
I also have a team at home; my assistant, Olivia, helps with assembly, quality checks, and just about anything I ask her to. Last year, I was honored to bring on a high school student and teach her the art of silversmithing; she, too, was helping with the fabrication steps along the way. It truly takes a village.
Every Piece of jewelry here is 100% handmade. Every piece, every collection, every order. And it all carries the same standard of quality and loving intention I've poured into this craft for nearly two decades. The only difference is the number of skilled hands that helped bring each piece to life. And like any business, we're stronger together. It's hard to build something meaningful alone, and I'm so grateful I don't have to.
This is what I mean when I say "ethically handmade." It means every piece is crafted by real artisans, not machines, not mass production, in workshops where people are valued, genuinely cared for, and proud of their craft.
One of the things that makes this partnership so meaningful is the exchange. When I visit Bali, I bring tools and techniques that are new to them. In return, they've taught me ancient methods I'd dreamed about learning for over a decade, including granulation, the art of soldering tiny silver balls into intricate patterns, using Balinese berries to make a special glue, a technique closely guarded by master silversmiths for centuries.
In a world where many factories are moving to casting and machine production, this team is committed to keeping traditional handmade silversmithing alive. And so am I. That shared commitment is the foundation of everything we build together.
When you wear Twisted Ginger, you're not just wearing jewelry. You're wearing a tradition that spans centuries, a partnership built on friendship, and the energy of real human hands that shaped every curve and set every stone.
The growth of Twisted Ginger has always been motivated by my desire to build something sustainable enough to create real change in the world. Not just for my family, but for communities in need, and for the causes that matter most to me.
This year alone, we made a significant contribution to the Minnesota Women's Foundation, supporting immigrant families in urgent need.
I'm actively working on developing partnerships with two incredible organizations in Bali — Bumi Sehat Birthing Center, a nonprofit birthing center providing free maternal healthcare to families who otherwise couldn't afford it, and IDEP Foundation, which is addressing Bali's growing water crisis by building rainwater-fed recharge wells across the island.
Both causes are close to my heart and Janet's, and I'll be solidifying these partnerships when I return to Bali this year. More on both of these coming soon.
Every piece you purchase helps make this work possible. Your support doesn't just sustain a small business — it sustains families, preserves a craft, and creates ripples of change that reach far beyond a piece of jewelry.
I call Twisted Ginger "jewelry with a heartbeat" because every piece carries the pulse of the people who helped bring it to life — our shared skills, traditions, laughter, and families. Whether it was shaped in a shipping container in Alaska or a workshop in Bali, it was made with love, made by hand, and made to carry the stories of our rainforest into your everyday life.
That's why I flew to Bali myself before we ever partnered — I needed to feel the energy firsthand, to know that the people crafting your jewelry carried the same love and intention I pour into every design. From the hands I source stones from to the silversmiths who help bring each piece to life, the energetics matter to me. I believe you can feel that too.
When you clasp that necklace or slide on that ring, you're wearing the warm energy of every good human who helped bring it to life, every tradition that shaped it, and a piece of a story that now belongs to you.
With love and endless gratitude,
502-501-GLOW(4569)
Erin@TwistedGinger.me
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