Get to Know TeamLove Members: Rosanne Jasinksi of RenaissanceFair

Rosanne Jasinksi is a TeamLove member with a spectacular shop full of truly artistic pieces of jewelry and fantastic photography -- RenaissanceFair is a very original, stunning shop. She is one of the most active members we have; she works all of the threads and is a supportive teammate. We asked her if she would like to share some of her life story and how she ended up selling such gorgeous vintage jewelry on Etsy.

As will surprise no one who is familiar with Rosanne's shop she has a strong background in the arts.

In her own words:

I was born in Amsterdam, New York and raised in Rochester.  I currently live in Webster, a suburb of Rochester. My life was immersed in fine arts from an early age.  With Eastman Kodak and Xerox as the main industries in the area when I grew up, photography and community involvement in the arts was the next best thing to chocolate ice cream.


It was really my mother who took an interest in introducing me to the fine arts.  I have won school art awards, attended summer art school and created a portfolio to attend college classes.  Creating art has been part of my life for a very long time.  Watercolor and pen and ink are my favorite media.  I also love photography -- Annie Liebovitz and Irving Penn are my favorite photographers. I admire the contemporary water color work of Tom Lynch.

Original Acrylic Painting by Rosanne

I met my husband while working at Xerox  -- he traveled frequently to Japan, China and Brazil.  He brought back some fascinating goodies like colorful kilim rugs from Brazil, Japanese geisha dolls and a tea set, fur wall hangings, and even a petrified piranha fish on a stand (securely tucked away behind glass doors).



I easily relate my love of vintage jewelry design to my background in the arts. Vintage clothing and jewelry came alive to me fairly recently. About 15 years ago, while recuperating from surgery, I got addicted to the television shows HSN and QVC. These shows introduced me to how vintage costume jewelry was made and the massive impact it had on our society. It didn't take too long for me to acquire loads of these beautiful adornments for my personal collection!  I also began studying gemstones (turquoise, amethyst and rose quartz especially).

After retirement my husband and I took several ocean cruises. One was to the larger Mediterranean area (Turkey, Morocco, Greece, Tunisia and Spain).  The other was straight across the Atlantic to Portugal and southern Europe.  We have been all over western, central and parts of eastern Europe as well as South America. I gobbled up gemstone jewelry from many European shops! In Europe's older cities I found lace and linens, boiled wool Austrian jackets, fine old ceramic dishware and other lovely pieces. But alas I could not buy all of them!

On trips to Toronto and Florida I have gone to consignment shops and found them bulging with glorious finds. I acquired many vintage pieces.

We are suburban people, yet have explored our heritage in Rochester. The Gothic homes, museums and distinguished old stores all display fine vintage pieces from furniture to jewelry.  Auctions and consignment shops are always on my list -- I have discovered some wonderful surprises. One of my favorite local artists is Ward Mann. The seascape painting shown here was a gift from him.

Seascape by Ward Mann

Etsy was the perfect place to start selling some of these pieces -- I started my shop, RenaissanceFair, in June of 2012.  The things I have learned from various sellers and team members are immeasurable --not counting the wonderful people I have met along the way!




My husband and I are empty nesters and we do our best to visit our children and grandchildren in Virginia.  Most of my time is preoccupied with jewelry and art work -- not a bad way to spend retirement!

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Although it is very hard to choose, here are a few of the editors' favorite pieces from RenaissanceFair:

Victorian Revival Bakelite Bracelet

Peridot ART Brooch

Amethyst Rhinestone Necklace

Crystal Bellini Earrings

Silk Beaded Evening Bag