Farmer's Market: Affordable jewelry

Meet Claudette Thomas. She’s a seriously cool jewelry designer at the Farmer’s Market. She’s a people lover and a combination treasure hunter and creative artist.

“I love this atmosphere,” she says. “I love the New York street vendors too — I always buy! The only bad part about this,” she says with her characteristic wide smile, “is that I can’t shop too!”

“I always wanted to be an artist, but I didn’t want to be a starving artist, so I got a business degree instead,” Claudette says with a chuckle. So she put her artistic self aside, working for the Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company until her retirement.

Then, after caring for her mother, she came to see Green Valley at the urging of her sister, a long-time Arizonan. Like the rest of us, Claudette fell in love with the sunshine and our small-town atmosphere and purchased her home.

Claudette’s artistic side was reawakened at a Pima Community College class in jewelry making. When her sister said of Claudette’s newly made pieces, “You could sell those for $50, I know you could,” Claudette took the bait.

She joined the Sahuarita Art Guild and began selling her original work. Once our Farmer’s Market opened, she found the perfect place to market her unique jewelry and her other love — great deals.

“I also sell some jewelry and things I buy to diversify in order to get a wide selection. I love finding a great deal; it’s like treasure hunting — finding really good stuff for peanuts. I enjoy that.”

Claudette loves passing her good deals along, too.

“See that purse there? Go try to find that in a nice little store for $59!” she says.

To do her treasure hunting, Claudette says, “I surf (the Internet) a lot. Last year was the first time I went to the (Tucson) gem show — at least for business purposes.” About 60 percent of what Claudette displays each week represents her personal creations.

“My jewelry is more conservative than some, but I do have some funky pieces, too.”

Claudette’s advanced degree in business psychology shows in her marketing.

“My thing is to keep things affordable, with this economy you know. I have some fancier and more expensive things but I have put them away for later. Now, I have no piece over $45. I really want to work with people. I have a lot of sales. Some days, I’ll put up a sign that says ‘Make me an offer I can’t refuse!’ I really mean it, too!”

“My mother always told me this about jewelry, ‘To make yourself look and feel better, don’t leave home without something on — at least earrings.’”

So take her mother’s advice, stop in for some incredible pricing and make Claudette an offer she can’t refuse. Or just stop in and say hello, that way, you’ll make two people happy.

If you go

Green Valley Farmer’s Market runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Wednesday at the Green Valley Village, Esperanza Boulevard and La Canada Drive