About Summer Joy Silver

 

I’m Summer Holladay, the artist behind Summer Joy Silver. I live deep in the heart of Texas, and will likely live the rest of my days here.

Eclectic is probably the best word to describe me. I love old things, like vintage furniture and transferware, so it should come as no surprise that I love African Violets, given the rich history they have.   

I am a self-taught silversmith, with countless hours behind the bench creating. In recent times, my time has been so precious, I am unable to hand-make every piece of jewelry that I sell, and have stepped back from that to focus more on design. Traditionally, I have used mostly opaque stones - turquoise, lapis, coral, and the like, for my jewelry. With the launch of my latest collection, I desired stones that would reflect the beauty of Saintpaulia (now a Streptocarpus? It keeps changing!!), stones in pretty blues and pinks, such as chalcedony and moonstone, with translucence and luminescence that catches the eye - much like the sparkle of a fantasy violet’s bloom, or the enchanting pastels that charm us into getting “just one more.” I wanted to create timeless designs - pieces that can be worn with anything and loved for generations. 

Like many people, I have memories of vibrant indigo flowers, surrounded by lush leaves, in my grandmother’s window…of her sticking a leaf in dirt and the magic of little baby plants bursting out of the soil.  I’ve only grown them myself for about five years now, and had my membership in my local club (and AVSA), even less time than that. Better late than never, right? After joining my local affiliate club (MKAVS near San Antonio), I went from four or five violets to about fifty, not to mention all their cousins - episcia, kohleria, sinningia, achimenes… they are my happy place. I’ve taught my kids how to propagate and monitor plants. My husband, who doesn’t really know much about my obsession, beyond “They have pretty flowers” and, “My wife spends a lot of time with her plants,” sees the joy that I have with grooming, propagating and sharing these lovely flowers, and encourages me to pursue it, knowing that I also love spreading joy. 

I am blessed to be in an industry where I can put my own unique spin on spreading the enjoyment of African violets.